Will paying for plastic bags make us greener?

so-called biodegradeable bags do not rot down in composters. My last batch of compost was spoilt by the disgusting taks of picking out all the strands on unrotted bags from the lovely brown mixture. I will never use them again

It’s interesting to read the comments here and it makes me wonder what the average age of the contributors is or, possibly, whether my experience is less “average” than I thought:

When I first started working in 1986 I worked for Beatties of London (the toy chain) at their Sheffield branch. I was with Beatties for just over 8 years and worked in their stores up and down the country. Beatties carrier bags were listed on the tills and charged at 1p each for all “normal” bags (i.e. they had handles) and 2p each for the “bin liner” size that you used for such as scalextric sets. Now, to be fair, we didn’t always charge – especially at very busy times – and that was wrong because it was unfair, however, I don’t recall any customer complaining when charged for a bag at all.

Prior to leaving my parents home in 1986 I had only ever known the Co-Op for grocery shopping as my parents were fiercely loyal to the Co-Op and would not shop anywhere else. They didn’t have bags, at all. If you wanted to put your shopping in something to take it home you collected an empty cardboard box from the end of the store where they stacked up the boxes that had been emptied to fill the shelves.

All through the 8 years I was working in retail it seemed quite usual for supermarkets to have boxes on offer and most seemed to charge 2 or 5p each for bags – Gateway (later Somerfield, now the Co-Op) was my local and regular shop and they certainly charged 5p each for carriers until quite some time after they became Somerfield.

At both the Co-Op and the shops I used between 1986 and 1994 I don;t recall ever hearing anyone complain about paying for bags, having to bring their own or using boxes.

Was I in a very unusual parallel universe or have other contributors forgotten those times or not lived through them?

My own theory, and it is a guess, is that bags started to be given free with every purchase because it was an easy way to show that the goods had been paid for and with the massive upsurge in shoplifting this became an important point. It would be hard to insist that a customer bought a bag they did not want just to prove that they were not shoplifting, so I’m guessing that might be why bags started being dished out like confetti for no charge?

I absolutely agree with everyone who says that we SHOUDL charge, that we should charge for bags for ALL purchases, and that the charge should be 5p or more. I do, however, think that shops should make available boxes and other eco-friendly and free (because they have already been used for their designated purpose) ways to carry things home and I also think that the old Sainsbury’s idea of 1p off your bill for each bag you bring with you, as an incentive for the more forgetful, are also very sound ideas.

I agree with peter robinson. A better solution would be to make the supermarkers etc. provide bio degradeable plastic bags at no extra charge. The shop plastic bags avoid the need to purchase plastic bin liners, even Tescos

It is real simple. No1 no bags no bags to manufacture No2 No disposable bags to plastic bag tree’s/lay around and No3 less waste. The whole of Northern Ireland looks loads better since the charge started there