Paper or Plastic?

[allfurme]

I read on a 'things we didn't know last week' that nearly all the turtles found dead around the British Isles have died through eating plastic bags thinking they were jelly-fish. Sad.

[mailonfurs]

This is a question you won't hear in greece. Here every store carries one type of bags, mostly plastic.

However if I can carry it without a bag easily, I usually tell them not to use a bag.

[bob23]

As allfurme points out, there are no paper bags in the English supermarket. We also get to pack them ourselves, unless we take up the checkout person's offer of 'Do you want some help with your packing?' after which we must wait 5 minutes for someone to turn up.

 

There has though been some movement to try to reduce the plastic. A few months ago, Ikea started charging 5p per bag (you'll note the drive was started by a Swedish company rather than a British one...). A couple of days ago Tesco annouced that they would give out loyalty points for re-using bags in an attempt to reduce the 4 billion bags it hands out every year.

 

I just wish this country would do something bolder. In 2002 the Irish started charging shoppers 10p per bag, which seems much more like a step in the right direction.

[allfurme]

Lidl, a German supermarket chain charge for their plastic bags. I only go in there to buy their plain nut chocolate; plain nut chocolate, hmmmmmmmm! and their tiramasu and cream ice cream; tiramasu and cream ice cream, hmmmmmmmmm! But i am prepared to carry my purchases. In my regular supermarket i will use a plastic bag; they are easily available and they are free.

[bob23]

I'd forgotten about Lidl. I've only been there once, about 6 years ago. I was shopping with the regional manager, and it was quite an amusing trip: 'They're all right, those are good, oh, you don't want to be buying those...'

[Guest]

I use the plstic bags for various uses from shipping, wrapping to cleaning up the litter box. So many uses!