Plastic shopping bags

[Sledder]

Talking about packaging and kids lunches, my son is starting school in September and the school has a rule that you must bring home everything you take to school. Nothing gets thrown out at school.

So any containers or packaging that food is in gets sent back home. The goal is to make people aware of the level of garbage and get them to use reusable containers and avoid pre-packaged food.

See...that's just silliness. The way things work is I can't avoid pre-packaged food. Most people are so busy and most kids are so picky - you're just happy they're eathing SOMETHING. Most people will just throw out the garbage and continue what they're doing.

Sure some people will, but some will make a change. Personally my wife will be sending them without any prepackaged food, she has the time and inclination as to many of the stay at home moms in the area.

Don't get me started on picky eating, kids will eat if they get hungry enough.

 

[Holdfast]

Any place that will charge me for bags or worse, withhold them altogether, will immediately lose my business. I have neither the patience or inclination to remember to carry around bags of my own.

If everywhere ends up going to a charging model, of course I'll end up paying, but short of legislation I think enough companies will retain free bags as a customer-friendly incentive that I'll have enough choice. Even if legislation is brought in, I suspect some companies will find end-runs around the law to keep bags free.

 

[Marc]

Talking about packaging and kids lunches, my son is starting school in September and the school has a rule that you must bring home everything you take to school. Nothing gets thrown out at school.

So any containers or packaging that food is in gets sent back home. The goal is to make people aware of the level of garbage and get them to use reusable containers and avoid pre-packaged food.

See...that's just silliness. The way things work is I can't avoid pre-packaged food. Most people are so busy and most kids are so picky - you're just happy they're eathing SOMETHING. Most people will just throw out the garbage and continue what they're doing.

It's a cunning move which I've touched on above.

See the school gets to flaunt it's green credentials but the biggest thing it's doing is is reducing the school's costs for rubbish disposal. It could simply setup bins for the kids to put their different wastes in then the school still has do the work.

 

[flandry84]

A couple of years ago the Irish government introduced a tax(something like 25cents)on plastic bags.It seems to work,the people generally use paper or their own fabric bags.
Supposedly the tax gathered is ringfenced for envoirnmental purposes.
(note;supposedly)

 

[Freman]

I DEMAND my right to use a plastic shopping bag!!

And bring back those awesome styrofoam containers at McDonald's!!! NOW!!!!!

 

[Gil T.Azell]

......
And bring back those awesome styrofoam containers at McDonald's!!! NOW!!!!!

Yeah those things keeps the food Hot!!

 

[Iasius]

No one is using these?

It fits nicely in the shopping cart and pretty easy to load into the car and carry up the stairs to my apartment.

 

[May 20]

Those crates look cool. They'd probably ride well in the back of my minivan, too.

I use the reusable bags most weeks. I tuck my shopping coupon binder in the bags so I that I remember to grab the bags as I head out the door. But every now and then, we get the week's shopping bagged in plastic bags. We reuse them for cleaning the cat box.

 

[Davros]

They should do what I saw being done in Europe. They should charge for bags when people use them. That way people will be more inclined to carry reusable bags.

 

[Trippy]

They should do what I saw being done in Europe. They should charge for bags when people use them. That way people will be more inclined to carry reusable bags.

They do this in my part of my country (Canada)

The plastic bags I have and love fit more things evenly and I can carry them on my shoulder...way more convienient than plastic bags and I don't leave home without them (they fold quite nicely into my school bag).

 

[Kirk's_Tights]

I need plastic bags to pick up my dog's poop.

Do not ban.

They cost 5 cents each.

 

[RobertVA]

No one is using these?

It fits nicely in the shopping cart and pretty easy to load into the car and carry up the stairs to my apartment.

Here in SE Virginia most groceries have a stack of baskets similar the one on the left, but they are meant for in store use (not offered for customers to purchase). When the cashiers ring the order up they collect the baskets to return them to the stack near the entrance. Any customers that haven't brought their reusable cloth bags can purchase them or have their purchase packed in disposable bags (disposable bags are usually free).

Does that basket on the right fold flat? At one time crates that had a similar appearance were popular as modular furniture for youth rooms and college dorm rooms. They aren't quite as popular as they once were, but I don't think they would be too hard to locate. Most are a single piece of molded plastic - a few have rails for hanging file folders.

Many grocery chains and discount stores are offering reusable cloth bags for about a dollar (US). Most of the bags feature a sheet of plastic to add a little stifness to the bottom of the bag. One chain deducts $0.05 from the customers total for each bag the customer reuses and donates the same amount to a charity (for reusable bags marked with that chain's logo).

 

[bigdaddy]

Cloth bags look gay.

Yep, I said that, they look insanely stupid! Fine for woman, a pain for men. Plus sometimes I go out to Old Navy or Target and see what they have on clearance. I don't expect to buy something all the time, and I walk to those places (BECAUSE I'M "GREEN"!), so then I would have to carry a useless bag? Fuck them! Fuck you if you think bags are "destroying the world", the world doesn't give a fuck about our bags. It's been here 4.5 billion years and it will be year several billion years longer.

Let's ban cows because they cause 9% of the pollution in the UK, cars because they cause 80% (I made that number up). It's insane and I'm sick of it. Plastic bags are great for many reasons, and aren't causing any real damage to anything.

Plastic bags are like cell phones. Everyone blames the cell phone for car crashes when they cause about 1 percent of crashes, yet we ban it. Now eating and driving, and the radio and driving, getting dressed and driving, all legal and 80 times worse.

Also so called food at McDonald's is never hot.

 

[enlisted person]

plastic shopping bags are made from recycled plastics and it takes a miniscule amount for a bag. They can be melted down and extruded back into film again for more bags when given to the plastic collection sights and take less energy to make than paper bags or the spunbonded type bags that stores sell.

 

[pookha]

sometimes i just forget the reusable bag so i get plastic.
but several of the grocery stores around here recycle them and then several of the used book stores love to get them so they can use them.

 

[wamdue]

I think an outright ban is a bit much, I normally have A bag for life with me, but if I dont and I need more space, then im going to have to use a plastic one, if not then I just wont be able to buy as well, and the shop wont like that one bit.

 

[stoneroses]

Plastic bags were banned by The Daily Mail last year in the UK

 

[wamdue]

Cloth bags look gay.

yes I got one of those from a council thing at a local shopping centre, dont use it alot, only as a swim bag.