Paying for plastic bags!

fabs said:
Which makes rather a mockery of the whole thing if you ask me.
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Like many of the laws we're saddled with nowadays. Some are justified, some aren't, but it doesn't seem to matter they just rush them through anyway.
Far better if they had just said "you want a plastic bag? it'll cost you 5p" Why make it so complex?
 
bindex said:
ar better if they had just said "you want a plastic bag? it'll cost you 5p" Why make it so complex?
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My thoughts exactly. If you go into a supermarket and buy just loose veg, for example, you get a free carrier bag but if you buy other stuff as well, you still have to put it in a bag as well so you've still paid your 5p.
 
To be fair, shopping today and didn't see one single person use a bag that they hadn't brought with them, and not one of them looked new.

Seems most folk are managing to remember the bags they've already got; and let's face it, most households contain a bag full of bags already :lol:
 
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fabs said:
Well, I'll be

Still think it's unworkable in a supermarket, queues will be enormous whilst the checkout person checks all the bags the customer packed to work out which bags to charge for!
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They will just charge you for the bags they hand you, surely?
 
fabs said:
TBH, I thought it meant the little bags they use at the deli counter and the ones that are at the loose veg sections that are free. All the carrier bags at the checkout are 5p.
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fabs said:
If you go into a supermarket and buy just loose veg, for example, you get a free carrier bag but if you buy other stuff as well, you still have to put it in a bag as well so you've still paid your 5p.
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Nope - you were right the first time.
At least that's how it works here. The 'official guidance' was written in very similar terms and I'd imagine that the big supermarket chains will adopt that same policy across all branches.
For loose veg you don't pay for those little bags that you pack it in when you're picking it.
Raw meat products get put into one of those same little bags at the checkout for free.
All proper-sized single use carrier bags are 5p, so no need for them to monitor what items you're putting in what bag.
If you forget your BFL you just ask for x number of bags at checkout and they charge you for whatever they give you. (you start to get very good at estimating how many bags you need for your shopping before you even start packing)

It was the burger example that always made me laugh when it came into force here, so I'm glad to see that your rules are slightly more sane and exclude paper bags.
Apparently, if you bought fries from McBurgerKing you didn't pay for a bag because they were classed as loose/unwrapped food.
But if you bought a burger that would be classed as 'wrapped' and as soon as it was put in the same bag as the fries you'd have to pay your 5p.
Needlessly complicated and convoluted :thinking:

TBH I'm not sure whether they've seen sense and updated the rules here now too. I don't think I've eaten any of that crap since before the carrier bag charge came in, so I've got no idea.
 
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SarahLee said:
It was the burger example that always made me laugh when it came into force here, so I'm glad to see that your rules are slightly more sane and exclude paper bags.
Apparently, if you bought fries from McBurgerKing you didn't pay for a bag because they were classed as loose/unwrapped food.
But if you bought a burger that would be classed as 'wrapped' and as soon as it was put in the same bag as the fries you'd have to pay your 5p.
Needlessly complicated and convoluted :thinking:
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And for anyone who thinks I'm making up that bit of insanity.

http://www.carrierbagchargewales.gov.uk/retailers/bagsnotincluded/?lang=en

carrier bag charge wales said:
If you went to a fast food restaurant and purchased a packet of fries and a burger then the fries can be placed in a free bag as they are only part wrapped and you would not be expected to place these in a reusable bag as there could be some food safety risks. If the burger is also placed in the bag, then the bag would be charged for. This is because it is safe to place wrapped food into a reusable bag and the purpose of these Regulations is to change customer behaviour every time they shop and in every situation.
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fabs said:
Exactly, so where does the free bags for loose fruit/veg come in?
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They are at the fruit and veg counter and you put your fruit and veg in them. You take them to the till - along with your other purchases - and the the cashier scans them, and you take them home.

Or is there something I am missing?
 
fabs said:
Exactly, so where does the free bags for loose fruit/veg come in?
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I refer the RHG to the previous post.

It helps if you read it :)
 
Rapscallion said:
They are at the fruit and veg counter and you put your fruit and veg in them. You take them to the till - along with your other purchases - and the the cashier scans them, and you take them home.

Or is there something I am missing?
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Which is what I said originally

fabs said:
TBH, I thought it meant the little bags they use at the deli counter and the ones that are at the loose veg sections that are free. All the carrier bags at the checkout are 5p.
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I have no idea about Wales.
But if you get to the checkout here now, and you have (for instance) a raw chicken -even if wrapped - the cashier at the checkout must, if you wish, provide you with a single use carrier bag free of charge for that item, and you can add other exempted items to that bag.
However, if you put a single non exempted item in the same bag, the bag becomes chargeable.

I have no idea how they'll "police" that, and I'm assuming they simply won't, but hey, I didnt write the rules :lol:
 
Charging for bags will stop us grabbing too many needless bags at the check out. But the cheap plastic single use bags, will still be thrown carelessly away , to end up in land fill.
 
jonbeeza said:
Charging for bags will stop us grabbing too many needless bags at the check out. But the cheap plastic single use bags, will still be thrown carelessly away , to end up in land fill.
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Probably. But in greatly reduced numbers. I think that's the point.
 
There is a plastic bag high up in the branches of a tree in my local park, seen this bag for many years. Must be well over five years, but still not disintegrated. Weird but it catches my eye every time I walk past, it looks pretty unsightly too. I am deffo going to invest in some sort of bags for life, just deciding what type :)
 
I would actually use a shopping trolley, the type like a bag on wheels that is seemingly associated with elderly ladies. But I think the missus thinks I would look silly :D But I have to carry four heavy shopping bags from the shop, and my fingers start to hurt after a while. My shoulders start to ache after a short while, and I have to pause to put the bags down, while I have a rest. Surely it is worth looking like a t*t to save my fingers and shoulders, not to mention my poor little legs :rolleyes:
 
Put on a Santa hat to go shopping. Then you would look like a t*t anyway. So it would make no difference which trolley you took.
 
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jonbeeza said:
I would actually use a shopping trolley, the type like a bag on wheels that is seemingly associated with elderly ladies. But I think the missus thinks I would look silly :D But I have to carry four heavy shopping bags from the shop, and my fingers start to hurt after a while. My shoulders start to ache after a short while, and I have to pause to put the bags down, while I have a rest. Surely it is worth looking like a t*t to save my fingers and shoulders, not to mention my poor little legs :rolleyes:
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This reminds me.
Sainsbury used to do rigid plastic boxes with handles, three of which would fit side by side in a trolley, then straight into the car boot. It was when they first behan to trial the quick scan hand held devices.

I've got some in the loft.
I may dig them out !
 
If I shopped by car I'd use my folding plastic crates. They are easier to pack at high speed too. But I prefer to go everywhere by bike. So rucksack, placcy bag and strap it all in and around the bike basket. With bog roll hanging off the back.
 
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ianp5a said:
Put on a Santa hat to go shopping. Then you would look like a t*t anyway. So it would make no difference which trolley you took.
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But wont that look a little silly when I go shopping for Easter eggs in Easter ? :p
 
viv1969 said:
I have no idea about Wales.
But if you get to the checkout here now, and you have (for instance) a raw chicken -even if wrapped - the cashier at the checkout must, if you wish, provide you with a single use carrier bag free of charge for that item, and you can add other exempted items to that bag.
However, if you put a single non exempted item in the same bag, the bag becomes chargeable.

I have no idea how they'll "police" that, and I'm assuming they simply won't, but hey, I didnt write the rules :LOL:
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At the checkout here in Wales they put things like a wrapped raw chicken in one of those small, flimsy bags like you use to pick your fruit and veg - not a carrier bag.
Then it's entirely up to you what carrier bag you add it to and what you put with it.
I wonder if you'll see a change to that soon - it definitely makes things simpler for the cashiers.
 
I try to take a competing supermarkets bag for life with me when I get more than a handful of items
 
Jeez! Just simply send your people down to the market in the village. And poultry usually comes in cages doesn't it? Obviously not the ones that Daddy shoots. Or simply order from Fortnums to deliver for heavens sake!
 
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SarahLee said:
At the checkout here in Wales they put things like a wrapped raw chicken in one of those small, flimsy bags like you use to pick your fruit and veg - not a carrier bag.
Then it's entirely up to you what carrier bag you add it to and what you put with it.
I wonder if you'll see a change to that soon - it definitely makes things simpler for the cashiers.
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Yeah it's confusing, because they also but things like poultry in a flimsy bag first here too.
The bag charge exemptions are pointless really. :)
 
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kendo1 said:
So that you can score points by getting a free bag?
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The game is a foot! ( besides they started it :D )

kendo1 said:
. The cashier there would put on rubber gloves to handle it. Even if it was a tin of spam!
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Spam, handle with caution :D


dejongj said:
Somehow I keep reading that as Neanderthalers.
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Yeah my bad, that's what I meant, sorry :D

jonbeeza said:
There is a plastic bag high up in the branches of a tree in my local park, seen this bag for many years. Must be well over five years, but still not disintegrated.
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Stuff disintegrates faster when its buried, besides a lot of stuff gets recycled on a commercial scale now, it goes to a transfer station, to get sorted and reused where possible.
most of the not useable stuff gets compressed,bailed and shipped out to France and Germany as fuel, why we can't do that I don't know, but its seems we maybe starting to catch up.

ianp5a said:
It only works outside the Christmas 3 months.
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As an aside I saw my first (Argos) Christmas advert on the TV last night :rolleyes: !!!!!!!!!!!
 
Cobra said:
The game is a foot! ( besides they started it :D )


....Stuff disintegrates faster when its buried.......
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I'm not sure about that, to speed up disintegration waste needs access to sunlight / water / air. Not much of those will get to the waste once buried.
 
Rapscallion said:
I'm not sure about that, to speed up disintegration waste needs access to sunlight / water / air. Not much of those will get to the waste once buried.
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Bacterial and biological action, heat, ( yes landfills do get very hot and sometimes spontaneously combust) along with the various chemicals that are produced by other disintegrating waste products.

The only thing that doesn't seem to disintegrate are disposable nappies, these are now treated separately
( largely)
 
Rapscallion said:
I'm not sure about that, to speed up disintegration waste needs access to sunlight / water / air. Not much of those will get to the waste once buried.
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Not true of a lot of waste.
You'll get better compost faster when storing in the dark, for instance.
 
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