Do you agree with the idea of carrier bags being 5p in 2015

[Sanwhiches]

Next year carrier bags (such as tesco and asda) will cost 5p each. They are currently free however do you agree with them charging people to have them. I agree because it is more sustainable. What do you think? Discuss!

[Charz777]

I don't agree with paying for a carrier bag. If it's a small local business who needs the money, and don't charge extortionate prices then I'd be happy to pay 5p for a bag to help them out. But these huge companies like Tesco and Asda shouldn't be charging for bags. It should be a part of the customer service. We chose their stores to do our shopping and them providing us means of transporting the goods we buy should not become a luxury - I know people who struggle with the cost of their weekly shop as it is and 5p a bag might not seem like a lot but it's still going to make a difference.

I understand part of it is to get people to reuse bags (we reuse bags-for-life anyway and hardly ever have new carrier bags) but if you are already out and didn't think to bring your reusable bag and you only want to nip into a shop to buy say a loaf of bread and a pint of milk then it just seems rude that you have to pay to take your bought items away with you.

I just think it should be a part of the customer service, a sort of reward, if you will, for choosing their store over one of the other big companies.

If the problem really is to do with saving the environment then we are really looking in the wrong places.

[James]

It's like toys r us all over again Bolt660

OT: I agree with above. Small businesses or corner shops, I'd be happy to pay a small amount for a bag. But big companies & when you buy a lot of shopping, the amount can add up.

Also, what about deliveries? eg. My family get the ASDA home delivery. Will this apply here too?

[HarrySX]

It's like toys r us all over again @Bolt660 (http://www.habboxforum.com/member.php?u=55726)

OT: I agree with above. Small businesses or corner shops, I'd be happy to pay a small amount for a bag. But big companies & when you buy a lot of shopping, the amount can add up.

Also, what about deliveries? eg. My family get the ASDA home delivery. Will this apply here too?

Not sure how it'll add up, I do a weekly shop for 4 people (that's 4 adults) and only use 6 or 7 carrier bags. Bags should cost money if they're not biodegradable and harm the planet (lol) to help solve this very issue...

[Red]

Yes, people take bags when they don't even need them. This will make them stop being lazy and reuse their bags lol. It's already in place in Northern Ireland and barely anyone takes bags now! Most people here get tiny fold up ones for their handbag for shoppong and we keep some bags for life in the car for when we do grocery shopping. I think people will prob have a different opinion when its in place and you get used to it.

[lemons]

I support this movement

[lawrawrrr]

Most of the year I live in Wales where there's been a charge for... 2 years?

I think it's a really good idea though and really does stop wastage. Encourages people to reuse, and I see lots of people out with canvas and those lifelong bags now!


on phone xx

[j0rd]

We've had it a while in Wales. At first I absolutely hated it, but it doesn't bother me at all now.
Lots of businesses donate the money to charity which is really good!

[Sanwhiches]

It's like toys r us all over again Bolt660

OT: I agree with above. Small businesses or corner shops, I'd be happy to pay a small amount for a bag. But big companies & when you buy a lot of shopping, the amount can add up.

Also, what about deliveries? eg. My family get the ASDA home delivery. Will this apply here too?

Maybe delivery will go up a few pound

[Kardan]

Whilst the charge doesn't bother me, I highly doubt it will make a change to the environment.

[Yawn]

I don't agree with paying for a carrier bag. If it's a small local business who needs the money, and don't charge extortionate prices then I'd be happy to pay 5p for a bag to help them out. But these huge companies like Tesco and Asda shouldn't be charging for bags. It should be a part of the customer service. We chose their stores to do our shopping and them providing us means of transporting the goods we buy should not become a luxury - I know people who struggle with the cost of their weekly shop as it is and 5p a bag might not seem like a lot but it's still going to make a difference.

I understand part of it is to get people to reuse bags (we reuse bags-for-life anyway and hardly ever have new carrier bags) but if you are already out and didn't think to bring your reusable bag and you only want to nip into a shop to buy say a loaf of bread and a pint of milk then it just seems rude that you have to pay to take your bought items away with you.

I just think it should be a part of the customer service, a sort of reward, if you will, for choosing their store over one of the other big companies.

If the problem really is to do with saving the environment then we are really looking in the wrong places.
then they can buy a reusable bag for 20p and not have worry about paying 5p a bag every time they go shopping

its a gr8 idea and i know it has had amazing results in places like wales and ireland

[Phil]

Have the UK not been talking about this for years at this stage? It's been 22c for a bag here for as long as I can remember

[Mikey]

Wouldn't bother me, for the family shop we have those bags for life and if I'm go into a shop they charge 5p then I wouldn't mind, I know Marks and Spencer do it. :P

[GrandpaJoe63]

The town I live in banned the use of plastic bags altogether except for when you're buying wet goods such as fish in the market. People eventually get used to bringing their own reusable bags. I support this.

[DryRash]

Yes, people take bags when they don't even need them. This will make them stop being lazy and reuse their bags lol. It's already in place in Northern Ireland and barely anyone takes bags now! Most people here get tiny fold up ones for their handbag for shoppong and we keep some bags for life in the car for when we do grocery shopping. I think people will prob have a different opinion when its in place and you get used to it.

I agree, On numerous occasions I have seen people take more bags than they need!
I guess if you think about it. People take the bags then either keep them or throw them away. Next time they go shopping they'll get new bags, Keep them or throw them away.
For small shops that is a problem as that will slowly eat away at how much they buy the bag for so 5p wouldn't be so bad.
However big supermarkets I just don't see the point!

I personally like to re-use bags so they don't go to waste!

[Futz]

Yeah I think it's a good idea, I think if I was an ******* who didn't reuse bags this would encourage me to do so

[wixard]

the fact you go to a corner shop in the uk and buy a can of fanta and get a plastic bag is a joke, dunno why they didn't implement it for you guys years ago

[Red]

the fact you go to a corner shop in the uk and buy a can of fanta and get a plastic bag is a joke, dunno why they didn't implement it for you guys years ago

Apparently small businesses are going to be exempt in England so they will still be able to do this. Lmao Seems like it won't be as effective there when it comes in place.

[Jurv]

yes it will make more people bring their own and stop them being thrown out as litter

[Daltron]

They already do it at a lot of places here including major stores like Target and they donate all proceeds to a charity so I think it's a good idea to be more sustainable and for companies to be more responsible :)

[-:Undertaker:-]

Private enterprise should be free to do what it wants in a free society - it's not the business of the state to regulate plastic bag policy.

[Aiden]

Where does the 5p go? If it's just extra money for the company then no... but if they spend it on eco things then sure.

[-:Undertaker:-]

Where does the 5p go? If it's just extra money for the company then no... but if they spend it on eco things then sure.

When you and everybody else in this thread owns and operates a business then you should be able to decide to charge for plastic bags and pss it up the wall on 'eco' causes... until then, everyone should stop meddling in what is none of their business. Literally. :P

[Aiden]

When you and everybody else in this thread owns and operates a business then you should be able to decide to charge for plastic bags and pss it up the wall on 'eco' causes... until then, everyone should stop meddling in what is none of their business. Literally. :P

To be honest if the law says something and it goes through doesn't that mean most people agree with it? If so, the defence wasn't good enough lol.

If Tesco doesn't like it then they can stop trading in the UK I guess... :L

[-:Undertaker:-]

To be honest if the law says something and it goes through doesn't that mean most people agree with it? If so, the defence wasn't good enough lol.

If Tesco doesn't like it then they can stop trading in the UK I guess... :L

Having a democratic majority doesn't mean a nation and it's people are free. Liberty (freedom of the individual) makes a nation and a people free. 60% of the country could vote to murder/rob the other 40%, that wouldn't make it right though, would it? It's time people backed off and stopped telling others what to do.

[GommeInc]

Seems a bit pointless. Re-usable bags are alive and well and many people use them now. M&S have always had the company policy to charge 5p for plastic bags so I don't see why Tesco, Sainsbury's and other store can't just opt to do the same if they feel it is a good idea. Having the Government push it seems a bit too much.

[Aiden]

Having a democratic majority doesn't mean a nation and it's people are free. Liberty (freedom of the individual) makes a nation and a people free. 60% of the country could vote to murder/rob the other 40%, that wouldn't make it right though, would it? It's time people backed off and stopped telling others what to do.

I never said anything about freedom ;)

[MKR&*42]

Seems a bit pointless. Re-usable bags are alive and well and many people use them now. M&S have always had the company policy to charge 5p for plastic bags so I don't see why Tesco, Sainsbury's and other store can't just opt to do the same if they feel it is a good idea. Having the Government push it seems a bit too much.

This.

You also get charged in lidl and aldi iirc.

[Yawn]

i dont understand why any1 would be against it tbh. ppl are irresponsible and use unnecessary amounts of plastic carrier bags for no gd reason when they go shopping, i see it first hand. reducing the amount of carrier bags we use will improve the GLOBAL environment and its in EVERY1S interest to do that. this little push clearly reduces the amount of carrier bags used by a substantial amount (look at wales they reduced carrier bag usage by 90% in 6 months) and it makes next to no difference to our lives. so wat its being forced on us? that doesnt matter because like i said it makes virtually no change to any1s life and it is for a gd cause

[Kardan]

This.

You also get charged in lidl and aldi iirc.

On a somewhat related note, I went into an lidl/aldi (can't remember which) with a friend and I was totally shocked - you don't even get your bags packed for you, nor can you even pack bags at the counter, there's a separate bagging area - I mean, what's up with that?

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i dont understand why any1 would be against it tbh. ppl are irresponsible and use unnecessary amounts of plastic carrier bags for no gd reason when they go shopping, i see it first hand. reducing the amount of carrier bags we use will improve the GLOBAL environment and its in EVERY1S interest to do that. this little push clearly reduces the amount of carrier bags used by a substantial amount (look at wales they reduced carrier bag usage by 90% in 6 months) and it makes next to no difference to our lives. so wat its being forced on us? that doesnt matter because like i said it makes virtually no change to any1s life and it is for a gd cause

But surely the decreased usage in plastic bags in England is going to have very little impact, if any, on the global environment. Also worth noting that a drop in carrier bag usage does not equal an equivalent drop in carrier bag littering.

[-:Undertaker:-]

i dont understand why any1 would be against it tbh. ppl are irresponsible and use unnecessary amounts of plastic carrier bags for no gd reason when they go shopping, i see it first hand. reducing the amount of carrier bags we use will improve the GLOBAL environment and its in EVERY1S interest to do that. this little push clearly reduces the amount of carrier bags used by a substantial amount (look at wales they reduced carrier bag usage by 90% in 6 months) and it makes next to no difference to our lives. so wat its being forced on us? that doesnt matter because like i said it makes virtually no change to any1s life and it is for a gd cause

People are also irresponsible when it comes to sex, internet and drinking (which are a bigger issue than plastic bags)... should we regulate them? Just because you personally approve or disapprove of something doesn't mean you should have the right to decide for somebody else as that restricts their freedom. After all, if you do such a thing then what's to stop them turning the table and regulating or banning a vice that you may enjoy?

The freedom to do wrong or be stupid is just as important as the freedom to do right. Do not enforce your morality on everybody else via the law.

[karter]

a few years ago here in new delhi they had put a tax on disposable bags but literally nothing happened and people were still using them so they had to put a complete ban on them lmao

[Yawn]

On a somewhat related note, I went into an lidl/aldi (can't remember which) with a friend and I was totally shocked - you don't even get your bags packed for you, nor can you even pack bags at the counter, there's a separate bagging area - I mean, what's up with that?

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But surely the decreased usage in plastic bags in England is going to have very little impact, if any, on the global environment. Also worth noting that a drop in carrier bag usage does not equal an equivalent drop in carrier bag littering.

making carrier bags requires non-renewable energy and the overall process has a MASSIVE carbon footprint

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People are also irresponsible when it comes to sex, internet and drinking (which are a bigger issue than plastic bags)... should we regulate them? Just because you personally approve or disapprove of something doesn't mean you should have the right to decide for somebody else as that restricts their freedom. After all, if you do such a thing then what's to stop them turning the table and regulating or banning a vice that you may enjoy?

The freedom to do wrong or be stupid is just as important as the freedom to do right. Do not enforce your morality on everybody else via the law.

not when it affects every poor soul on this planet and every future individual on this planet sir

[-:Undertaker:-]

not when it affects every poor soul on this planet and every future individual on this planet sir

So HIV, STDs, healthcare costs from excess drinking, police costs in our towns at night and pregnancies don't cost anything financially or socially.

Right. But those plastic bags! Worst things in the world, BAN THEM NOW!!!!!!

[Yawn]

So HIV, STDs, healthcare costs from excess drinking, police costs in our towns at night and pregnancies don't cost anything financially or socially.

Right. But those plastic bags! Worst things in the world, BAN THEM NOW!!!!!!

i dont rly understand how charging 5p for a carrier bag at a checkout to deter ppl from using them and ppl getting diseases from having unprotected sex can be compared in this situation

:S
.

[-:Undertaker:-]

i dont rly understand how charging 5p for a carrier bag at a checkout to deter ppl from using them and ppl getting diseases from having unprotected sex can be compared in this situation

:S
.

If you don't agree with the state stepping in on the examples I gave - all of which are much more pressing, costly and disastrous on society - then you aren't arguing on any principle and are simply arguing for something to be banned because you personally do not like it. And that isn't a rational argument. It's the same argument people used to have against homosexuality being legalised 'ew I don't like that therefore ban it'.

I have never smoked and regard it as immensely stupid yet i'm the most vocal on here for defending the freedom of people who smoke.

[Yawn]

If you don't agree with the state stepping in on the examples I gave - all of which are much more pressing, costly and disastrous on society - then you aren't arguing on any principle and are simply arguing for something to be banned because you personally do not like it. And that isn't a rational argument. It's the same argument people used to have against homosexuality being legalised 'ew I don't like that therefore ban it'.

I have never smoked and regard it as immensely stupid yet i'm the most vocal on here for defending the freedom of people who smoke.

they aren't comparable. those issues are far more complicated and problematic..
if they decide to limit our freedom with something else after this thats a completely different situation. this change has had no uproar or complaints where its been implemented and its clear as day why it is beneficial. idgi u just seem to be mad that the shops have to charge 5p. and when the benefits are so obvious that becomes minuscule and the shops themselves wont even care because they will have less costs for carrier bags.

will reply later need to do some work xx

[-:Undertaker:-]

they aren't comparable. those issues are far more complicated and problematic..
if they decide to limit our freedom with something else after this thats a completely different situation. this change has had no uproar or complaints where its been implemented and its clear as day why it is beneficial. idgi u just seem to be mad that the shops have to charge 5p. and when the benefits are so obvious that becomes minuscule and the shops themselves wont even care because they will have less costs for carrier bags.

will reply later need to do some work xx

I could make exactly the same argument for one of the other issues and argue for state intervention/regulation on the grounds that it would be beneficial for society and financially too. Banning alcoholic drinking past 11pm at night would save many lives, money and many other problems for example. I won't though, because I don't feel the need to press the ban button everytime I see something I do not approve of or like.

The issue isn't whether it [the ban] is good or not for x, y or z: the moral issue is the use of force to impose your moral opinions on other people. The problem is, once you argue for your morality to be imposed on other people then what's to stop them turning around and imposing their moral opinions on you at some point? At which point you would have no defence.

Live and let live even if you aren't a fan. If you feel strongly about an issue like this, then stop it by setting an example rather than using the law.

[Kardan]

making carrier bags requires non-renewable energy and the overall process has a MASSIVE carbon footprint

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not when it affects every poor soul on this planet and every future individual on this planet sir

Most things that are made end up using energy from non-renewable resources :P

Also, I found this interesting article, in Wales, it seems people are just starting to throw away the bags for life now, which is worse than throwing normal carrier bags away since the bags for life take even longer to degrade :P

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-24644620

[Yawn]

I could make exactly the same argument for one of the other issues and argue for state intervention/regulation on the grounds that it would be beneficial for society and financially too. Banning alcoholic drinking past 11pm at night would save many lives, money and many other problems for example. I won't though, because I don't feel the need to press the ban button everytime I see something I do not approve of or like.

The issue isn't whether it [the ban] is good or not for x, y or z: the moral issue is the use of force to impose your moral opinions on other people. The problem is, once you argue for your morality to be imposed on other people then what's to stop them turning around and imposing their moral opinions on you at some point? At which point you would have no defence.

Live and let live even if you aren't a fan. If you feel strongly about an issue like this, then stop it by setting an example rather than using the law.

well thats just u then. laws arent going away and if it can make a positive change then im all for it w/e


Most things that are made end up using energy from non-renewable resources :P

Also, I found this interesting article, in Wales, it seems people are just starting to throw away the bags for life now, which is worse than throwing normal carrier bags away since the bags for life take even longer to degrade :P

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-24644620

well yh duh but the nature of carrier bags means they are a massive source of carbon emissions and use up a massive amount of finite resources. its an easy point to start making changes

its 1 bag for life having trouble degrading vs the hundreds and hundreds of carrier bags that its replaced
(both the production of all those carrier bags and the waste of all those carrier bags) *shrugs*

[myles]

i dont see why u have to bring other stuff into it like sex and drinking etc
its a bloody plastic bag there are no similarities between them and 5p is nothing. if you find having to fork out 5p for a bag economically difficult then you must be homeless (which i highly doubt).

[lemons]

why is this even a debate there is no bad thing about it

[Kardan]

why is this even a debate there is no bad thing about it

Depending on how much the government decides to get itself involved, resources could be better spent elsewhere on trying to save the environment.

Also, they say the 5p will go to charities - will these be the same charities that keep spamming plastic charity collection bags through my letterbox? Seems slightly ironic.

[lemons]

ITS ONLY 5P!!!!!!!!!! jeez these eco friendly recycling schemes work so well in the rest of europe


when i went to germany i didn't see ONE shop giving out plastic bags

everyone rides a bike in germany

and they have huge machines in lidl and aldi where you put your bottles in and get money back its great!