Shopping bags are splitting opinions - how much would you pay?
A Tesco store in Oldham has attached tags on their baskets because a third of them have gone missing since the introduction of the plastic bag charge.
We have been asking if you agree with the charge which was brought in for carrier bags on 5 October. Opinions, like some of the more flimsy bags, are split over this. Some think the charge is a good thing:
Wilf Tanser in Ipswich emails:
I use an empty box I collect from the fruit & veg stands or from an assistant. It stops my purchases from falling out of bags in the car boot and getting lost or damaged. What does disappoint me about the bag charge is that it applies to paper ones as well.
Linda Hardwick writes:
Plastic bags are overused. I keep shopping bags at home and in the car, and reuse as much as possible. Many shops, particularly fashion outlets, will miss out on free advertising as more people use an alternative method of transferring goods from shop to home. It will be interesting to see how people manage this over the lead up to Christmas, when people have previously relied on free bags in store for multiple purchases.
It's in the bag
Terry Farnworth says:
The Gambia banned plastic bags completely a couple of months ago. Yes, we get caught out sometimes but we soon learn to pack a fabric shopping bag each time we leave the house.
Meanwhile, there are a handful of people who do not agree with the charge:
Gabrielle in London says on Whatsapp:
I find the thought of having to carry bags with me wherever I go quite untidy. This policy is outrageous and not going to make a difference. Now not only do I have to calculate my spending budget, I now have to include bags into my budget.
Nick Hutch in Stockton-on-Tees writes:
At our local Tesco Extra for two weeks before charge came in, they gave away reusable bags free. Since it came in however we see more and more trolleys dumped around the local estate. How much will this cost stores to maintain? This will end up being added to price of goods and passed on to customers.
Garry Chambers in Surrey writes:
Not an issue with paying for plastic bags to protect the environment. The issue is paying for a plastic bags which advertise the store after paying hundreds of pounds for the shopping in the first place. The bags should be plain and no advertisements present.
David Morley in Nottingham emails:
As usual the change being made is to charge the consumer/public. Why can we not tax the industry for not introducing recyclable and/or biodegradable bags?
Paul in Aylesbury writes:
Now that we have to use new thick bin bags instead of reusing old thin shopping bags, consumption of plastic will go up. Dog walkers will not carry free shopping bags with which to clear up after their pet. Each pickup will cost them money.
Compiled by Sherie Ryder
