Wales introduces 5p charge for all carrier bags

[Andy]

From 1 October, the Welsh Assembly is introducing a 5p charge for all carried bags within Wales.

 

Is it time for England to do the same? Do you already take your own bags to the shop, and if not would a 5p charge encourage you to do so?

 

Or is this just another example of 'rip off Britain'?

 

(The full rules of the scheme are here. I would not like to have to enforce them!)

[WeX]

Again, tax without an alternative. Why are we not asked "Paper or Plastic" like our less ecologically minded friends in the US?

[Andy]

It seems from reading the link that the charge will apply to paper bags too.

[northernboy]

If I'm going to a supermarket I will always take upto 5 re-usable bags with me, however if I'm doing other shopping (department store, chemist etc) it never occurs to me to take a bag, don't know why!

[truman]

Again, tax without an alternative. Why are we not asked "Paper or Plastic" like our less ecologically minded friends in the US?

 

You do have an alternative..take your own shopping bags..the hessian ones from Tesco seem to work OK...

[barleycorn]

Again, tax without an alternative. Why are we not asked "Paper or Plastic" like our less ecologically minded friends in the US?

 

IIRC paper bags are more environmentally unfriendly* than plastic ones.

 

jb

 

* for certain values of environmentally unfriendly.

[alchresearch]

Ireland implemented this years ago.

 

http://www.environ.ie/en/Environment/Waste/PlasticBags/

 

The plastic bag levy was first introduced on 4th March 2002 at the rate of 15 cent per bag. Its primary purpose is to reduce the consumption of disposable plastic bags by influencing consumer behaviour. All levies are remitted into the Environment Fund

 

It had an immediate effect on consumer behaviour with a decrease in plastic bag usage from an estimated 328 bags per capita to 21 bags per capita overnight.

[Rupert_Baehr]

Again, tax without an alternative. Why are we not asked "Paper or Plastic" like our less ecologically minded friends in the US?

 

What on earth are you talking about?

 

(Have you any idea?)

 

I spend half the year in Bavaria, I recycle 95+ % of my rubbish. (after the dogs have had their bit.)

 

When I'm in Sheffield, they have recycling. No phone books, no cellophane (wrapping plastic) no styrofoam, nothing dirty ... bloody long list. If I lived in Sheffield, I'd probably be permitted to recycle 25% (If I was lucky) of my waste.

 

It's the back end of the year, so I'm in Florida (Where those 'less ecologically minded friends' of yours live.

 

I can (and do) recycle ALL plastics [the ones with the triangle, styrofoam, wrapping plastic - all of them.

 

(Do the 'ecologically-minded people of Sheffield manage to recycle ALL plastics?)

 

I recycle all paper and cardboard. I recycle all metals.

 

Then there's the 'catch all'. All waste collected by Waste Management (the company which handles our rubbish) is sorted (yet again) for recyclables we - the customers - may have missed.

 

Does that happen in the UK?

 

Once WM have orted the rubbish, they burn it in massive incinerators which have scrubbed smokestacks and whidh generate steam.

 

The steam is fed next door into their power generation plant (which runs on free fuel.)

 

I do get really ****** off when ill-informed Brits rabbit on about 'Ill informed or les ecologically minded Americans.'

 

You are years out of date, WeX and notwithstanding that your comments **** me off (irrelevant) they should make you feel highly embarassed.

 

Yet another ill-informed loud-mouthed Brit bitching (incorrectly) about waste management.

 

Would you care to make me look stupid by producing statistics which show that the waste management team in Sheffield out-perform WM and Brevard county here?

 

Or are you prepared to sit where you are? (and look stupid on your own.)

 

You accused the Americans of being: 'less ecologically minded friends in the US?'

 

I can prove otherwise. Sheffield makes 'mouthings' about recycling, but accwpts bugger all.

[Bulgarian]

You get charged for bags here too, but the Canadians are very into recycling, about 90% of our waste goes for recycling, just about everything except food.

[Andy]

This isn't really about recycling though, is it? It's about stopping the need for the bag in the first place. Recycling is very good, but it's more environmentally friendly not to produce whatever it is in the first place. Carrier bags use energy to produce, distribute and then more energy if you take them to be recycled. Much better not to bother with them at all.

 

northenboy made an interesting point - I also take bags to the supermarket but it would never occur to me to take my own bag to the bookshop, clothes shopping, DIY store etc. I guess this levy is aimed at changing that kind of behaviour.

 

The poll result is interesting too - nearly half have voted that they try to reuse bags but often forget - so it seems a levy would help change that behaviour too.

 

Having said that, would a 5p saving make you change the way you shop?