Grocery Bags

[MrX]

Plastic bag tax Ireland

Here's a bit more info on the plastic bag tax in Ireland, which was introduced in 2002.

It reduced plastic bag usage by 96% within a few weeks and using plastic bags became pretty much socially unacceptable in a very short while. If you ask for plastic bags, you'll usually get looked at like there's something seriously wrong with you and the old ladies in the queue (line) start tutting!

Some supermarkets simply do not provide them anymore at all, even if you are willing to pay 22cent per bag.

Also, the shops cannot absorb the 22c price, it has to be itemised on your receipt.

Also here:

http://www.badlani.com/blog/2008/02/04/taxing-plastic-bags-works-look-at-ireland/
http://inhabitat.com/ireland-plastic-bag-usage-way-down/

 

[rapunzel]

Still have my groceries packed in plastic. Also like to have my bags packed at the check out and will often have them delivered - can't be bothered fluffing around with a trillion grocery bags. It's much easier when they bring it to my door.

They tried to ban plastic bags and charge for them as well, but people got shirty about it and rightfully so. They can be reused and statistically only about 15% end up in the environment. The remaining 85% are usually re-used, recycled or end up in landfill.

The reusable green bags aren't all that green either. They don't last all that long, have a significant environmental cost attached to their manufacture and have also been found to contain high levels of lead.

Aldi is the only place where customers have to provide their own bags and pack them at the register.

We don't shop like Europeans. For most of us to get to a supermarket takes a car trip. People fill up their trolleys and may even use two at a time. That often means that one never has enough reusable bags at hand. Like me, lots of shoppers opt to have their groceries home delivered as well.

In the good old days a lot of supermarkets packed groceries in brown paper bags and there used to be a section near the check out, where customers could pick up empty packing boxes to put their groceries in. In them days one would also see a lot of women shopping in their dressing gowns with curlers in their hair, fluffy slippers, cigarette in mouth and a gaggle of small kids running around in pajamas.

 

[countryguy]

I don't think paper bags are even available as an option up here.  I haven't seen them in the stores for years and have never seen anyone carrying groceries in them.

 

Gary

 

[dj-gabriele]

@MrX

Yeah, sorry for that, I didn't inform myself and just trusted what everybody was saying, but as you pointed out, after having looked around it is Italy only that decided on a universal ban of plastic bags for groceries!
I hope others will follow suit!
Sure this was a very good initiative as almost everybody now brings their own bags or otherwise get the non-platic ones that are more biodegradable (to the point that once liquid detergent spilled on my bag and it didn't make home... started melting!)

 

[amyswasher]

I'm sorry

I meant Ft. Stockton. The wind blows everything into everything that can snag a plastic bag. It was supposed to be enacted on April 1st, but they are dragging their feet on it. I reuse every plastic bag I bring home, so it wouldn't help me. I think when this is enforced, people are going to be using those plastic produce bags to put their meats and anything perishable in them to keep their canvas bags from getting dirty.

 

[dirtybuck]

I usually stick with the plastic ones. I have a few paper bags that I've bought at Aldi's when I've lacked plastic bags to put my groceries in. Only one store (Dillon's) has given me the option of paper or plastic.

When I start to accumulate too many, I take some to the lower floor where I live and pawn them off on some of the other residents in the building. However, I ALWAYS check for possible bugs (not a one yet) and holes and toss those immediately.

An earlier poster has the right idea of storing some in his gym bag for wet items. I do the same. If I'm limited in space, I'll put my gym shoes in a plastic bag and carry them that way.

One other thing about the plastic type...has anyone noticed the bags from Target are a bit stronger and sturdier than the ones found in Walmart or grocery stores?

 

[spookiness]

Target bags...

"One other thing about the plastic type...has anyone noticed the bags from Target are a bit stronger and sturdier than the ones found in Walmart or grocery stores?"

Yes! Also slightly bigger. These, and others such as JCP, and other larger-than-grocery bags will stretch and fit over my kitchen can, and they get reused as garbage bags. I have not bought kitchen trash bags since sometime in early 2010.

Even the small grocery ones, I'll try to used them for kitchen waste. Makes no sense to buy bags when so many are floating around free.

 

[gansky1]

We've been trying to eliminate plastic shopping bags as much as possible and have been fairly successful.  "Light green" LOL!  That's us too.  We have the choice between plastic and paper at our favorite store so always opt for paper (reused for recycling weekly) if we've forgotten the cloth-reusable bags in the car.  

 

I just recently found a bag of lightweight material that folds into a small pouch (like djgabriele describes) that will be good for shopping, estate sales, etc. -- if I can remember to bring it in.  It's a habit that might be rather hard to establish but well worth the effort in the long run.  I'm seeing more and more of these reusable bags in hardware stores, department stores and the like all the time.

 

[swestoyz]

I've been using cloth bags now for the last several years. Certainly trying to do my part, but the major motivation was having a excess of plastic bags around. Drove me nuts. Plus, I don't mind getting 5 cents off my total bill for each reusable bag in both HyVee and Target.

Ben

 

[tolivac]

For me-at the Food Lion-use the paper bags with handles.I HATE the plastic "T-shirt" grocery bags-they don't hold as much-they collapse into a shapeless heap on the car or trunk floor-resulting in can goods and fruits rolling around in the car.The paper bags-being made from recycled paper are a little better-however the recycled paper is WEAK-if you don't pick up the bag carefully-it rips.and the recycled paper handles rip or break off.Maybe its time for the reusable bags-but the paper grocery bags are good for trash and recycling.Just don't fill them too full.Oh yes for the plastic bags-they do contribute to the roadside litter-and when the roadside flail mowers come out in the spring and summer-you see peices of the bags wrapped up in the mower flails when the mower operator raises the flail mower deck.Bet the mower maintenance dept likes that!You have to unwrap the peices of plastic before you remove the flails for replacement or sharpening.

 

[franksdad]

Most grocery stores here offer both plastic and paper. We use both and recycle. We also use the plastic bags as trash can liners in the bathrooms. I really like the thick paper bags with handles on them at Trader Joe's. We also have a good assortment of cloth bags and some very nice insulated bags we bought at Sam's Club and Trader Joe's.

 

[dirtybuck]

Using Common Sense

About a month ago, a local TV station did a special interest news story about various "green" items. Cloth bags were one topic of discussion. A bag was swabbed and the swab was run onto a Petri dish. In checking the dish after a day or so, they found it contained numerous strains of germs and bacteria.

Now comes the clincher! The reporter told of the best way and solution to keep germs from building up on these bags. WASH THEM!

DUH!!!

 

[sudsmaster]

Back in the days when I used to attend computer conferences/trade shows, a number of companies offered attendees nice canvas bags suitable for shopping. I remember about 10 years ago I offered one to my mom who snapped it up eagerly - I guess she liked to use it when shopping for groceries. Although I wondered what people thought of a little old lady shopping with a trendy computer logo adorned cloth bag, lol.

I made good use of a Microsoft labeled canvas bag when I was doing the foundation work in the crawl space. It was good for loading with tools and supplies and dragging around in the dirt. Took quite a beating. That it was Microsoft being dragged in the dirt was a big plus for me ;-)

 

[booandsue]

I hate the plastic bags. I try to bring my own reusabe bags that actually stand up in the car, and you can load them up quite well. If I forget, I get the plastic bags which you need about 30 bags on a shopping trip, and the bottles usually rip through, and you are usually lucky to get the groceries home still in the bags, usually all over the car, rolling around, and you just about cut your fingers off, trying to carry them into the house.

 

[autowasherfreak]

Usually Cloth

I use the cloth bags when I remember to take them with me. At one time we had almost a trunk full in the car. I take the cloth bags to other stores, besides the grocery store--Dollar General and Family Dollar, I usually walk home, and with the cloth bags I don't have to worry about the bag splitting on the handle breaking before I get half way home.

 

[a440]

<span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: medium;">Cloth and Plastic.  Plastic so that I can use them to clean the litter box.</span>
<span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: medium;">Did you see the video of the guy that invented the machine to turn plastic back into oil?  Here it is.</span>
<span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: medium;">Incredible invention.  Wonder why it is not catching on?</span>
 
<span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: medium;">
</span>
 
 <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[retro-man]

oh what a mess i had 3 weeks ago with these cheap plastic bags. went shopping and they bagged a lot of glass jars into one bag. while getting it out of the trunk it ripped and glass jars rolling everywhere. one hit another and broke. it was a jar of sweet pickles. picked up the glass and pickles with paper towels and tried to mop up as much with towels. sprayed with simple green and water and wiped that up. then fabreezed the heck out of it had to leave trunk open for days in the sunlight. it took 2 weeks for the smell to leave. going to ask for double bagging in the future or use my cloth bags.

 

[whirlcool]

And did you know that plastic WalMart bags are a leading cause of runway debris(FOD) at airports? Let one of those bags get sucked into your engine on takeoff and you are headed for an engine out takeoff if you are over V1.

Every few hours major airports have airport maintenance workers drive down runways looking for such items. If they find them they pick them up for disposal.

How do WalMart plastic bags fit into this? According to airport workers, those are the bags they find more often than not.

 

[tolivac]

GEEZ-plastic bags as runway debris-thats worse then them being caught in roadside mowers-at least in the mower it won't cause a nasty plane wreck!!Is there a Wal Mart near the airport where the bags were found on the runways?

 

[sudsmaster]

Hmmm.

I picked up a box of grocery store size plastic shopping bags at the local Costco Business Center a year ago. Except these are all labeled biodegradable (within 2 years in a landfill) and they don't have any off odor that I can detect. I've used them to distribute produce from the garden to neighbors and co-workers - they work great for that and send a message as well. Don't know why all the supermarkets don't use a similar product.

 

[launderess]

Where Does A Decent Woman Go Without Her Shopping Bag?

*LOL*

Have long adopted the UK/Euro hausfrau thing of carrying one's own shopping bag to market. However on the odd times when purchases exceed what can fit into said bag the excess goes into plastic. Do use such bags as bin liners to "recycle" as it were.

 

[toggleswitch]

If we were burning our garbage to make electricity solving two "problems" at once (and of course "scrubbing" the "smoke-stack" of effluents) would it matter if it were laden with plastic bags?

I guess I cant scoff at hoarders anymore, in that "they" will stop giving those plastic bags out, eventually.......

If you REALLY want to go green, BTW, put a huge tax on couples/parents/singles who have (give birth to) more than two kids. Perhaps especially if the parent(s) are on the dole. [Welfare, in American English].

Plastic bags are a huge convenience for Manhattanites who generally walk everywhere and end up going shopping without pre-planning the "event" and are commeing from someplace other than home.

 

[alr2903]

Togs,  some very good points in your post.  I like the power generation idea,  I know some military installations had this set up, prior to clean air regulations ( it's better for the environment to drive a smoke belching truck to a land fill). Plastic bags as well as the plastic thing that holds a 6 pack together, can be deadly to wildlife.  Last but not least,  an anemic looking human driving  a load of disposable diapers home in a SUV.  I did clean every light fixture in this house and put in fluorescent bulbs.  Shop & Save  has both plastic and paper bags. alr2903

 

[launderess]

Will Say One Thing Against Plastic Bin Liners

Here in NYC since plastic bin liners (bags) have replaced metal rubbish cans the rat population has exploded. Things probably are the same elsewhere as well.

Using plastic bags along with ending the use of burning rubbish means several times a week a banquet is left on the curb for rodents. Not to mention storage of same in bin liners/plastic bags in the building between collection days supplies a nice indoor rodent McDonalds.

At one time most all apartment buildings in NYC had incinerators, and the city also had them as well for burning collected rubbish. Concerns over clean air put a stop to that. Also until recently multi-family buildings were not allowed via code to have waste disposals either. More food waste for varmits.

 

[tolivac]

How bout recycling the plastic from plastic bags instead of burning it?The bags can be rcycled into "plastic lumber" and other things.Plasitcs as a whole don't burn real well or clean.Plastic bags have been used on occasion to introduce carbon into steel at steel mills.