I was horrified

that should be

Before the banon free bags came in here in Scotland I always recycle the bags as kitchen bin liners. I now buy bin liners on a roll at the supermarket to use for this purpose. Is this anymore eco friendly?? We keep fold up plastic boxes in the car to put our food shopping in. I always carry bags when I buy clothes, birthday cards etc but find this annoying. Fortunately my favourite knitting shop provides small sandwich bags to put buttons in as these would easily get lost!

Sorry it should read "ban on" and "recycled the bags"!!

WHen the children were small, i used to cut the bottom off plastic bags and put the bags on the children as painting aprons. The arms went through the handles. Brilliant.

Hate plastic bags - always have my own, and have for many many years. When Tesco sent me too many [as in*loads*[ of bag siwth the shopping, i complained, and they stopped sending bags at all. Result!!!

last time we were in the UK we just could not believe our eyes at the tills- cashiers were pulling out about 10 bags per client- and shoppers only putting a few items in each bag. It's really shocking to anyone who lives where this does never happen.

Well, it won't be happening from October this year, unless customers are prepared to pay 5p for each of them.

I shop on-line and Sainsbury's deliver. They also collect the bags and take them back for re-cycling. Seems a reasonable solution.

The recycling process is not without its problems though. Does it make sense for any bag to be only used once? Why can't they deliver in cardboard boxes can be re-used until they fall apart or are dirty? Cardboard is natural, and is much easier to recycle or compost.

It works in Scotland, and it will work in England once people get used to it. You are asked whether you want a bag. If you do, you pay for it - and because you have paid (even just 5p) you keep it in your handbag for next time. People complained bitterly at first, but they soon learnt. Sales of folding canvas bags and nylon ones that squash up very small have rocketed. I keep a canvas bag and a nylon one in my backpack, and never have to buy a bag.

When you order from Tesco online you are asked if it is bags or not. If not, everything is packed into a plastic crate. A few specific things are in small bags. Thay unpack it all onto the kitchen table, then it is up to you to put it away.

The down side is that the supply of free pedal-bin bags has dried up, but for larger bins there are always the charity bags that drop through the lettterbox with depressing regularity.

Thanks for that idea Elegran, I had always put those charity bags straight in the recycling, never thought of using them as bin liners. The only problem is that they are the wrong colour for our Council refuse collection so they would have to be put in another bag anyway - defeating the object.

I counted the number of charity bags that had accumulated on the table near the front door - eight at the last count. I will be using them when I go round the house collecting the stuff from various bins and baskets for the recycling bin. The bag will be recycled too. I also use them to take things to the charity shops, turning them inside out so that the logos of the charities that left them will not show.

A few years ago charity shops reused plastic carriers brought in by customers, now far too many charities provide their own thick plastic bags showing their name and logo. They often have a message saying 'please fill me with donations and bring me back' but I doubt that many customers do.
By ceasing to use plastic carriers charity shops would save money and perhaps again reuse supermarket bags brought in by customers. I guess some trustees consider their image more important than the environment!

5p charge for bags in Northern Ireland, even in clothes shops. You get used to carrying bags in the boot of the car. Problem is remembering to take them into the shop with you!
I've spend many a wet day, packing my groceries straight from the trolley into these bags, in the middle of the car park, rather than buy more!

This question is being featured on BBC Breakfast this morning. Does the beeb read GN forums?

You'd be surprised who reads GN. After a blog I wrote (for GN) I was approached by a national newspaper asking for an interview. I declined of course.

"Making people in Scotland pay for carrier bags reduced their use by 147 million last year.

The drop came despite the 5p charge for single-use bags only being in place for the last 11 weeks of 2014.

It follows statistics released three months ago which suggested the number of carrier bags being used by shoppers had fallen by 90%.

Figures from environmental group Wrap covered the 2014 calendar year in the UK from seven major grocery retailers.

In Scotland, in the final quarter of the year after the 5p charge was introduced, bag usage dropped by 129 million compared with the previous year."

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-33644662

Well done the Scots! They were aye a canny race.

40 years ago when first married, plastic bags were not used in supermarkets and you automatically took your own bags. I too have got used again to carrying a squashed up bag in my bag, but cannot count the times I get to the check out in the supermarket and like grannydougs realise that I have left all my shopping bags in the car! I do miss having plastic carriers to line the waste paper baskets in the bedrooms. I don't much like shopping for clothes and having to stuff them in my own bag. I rather wonder what state returned goods are in when you see the bags used by other shoppers , but it is a good move and I hope it is soon introduced South of the Border.

And let's not forget that in Wales there's been a 5p plastic bag charge since October 2011!

On lunchtime BBC News - 8.3 BILLION bags used in the UK last year....that is appalling and disgraceful IMO. The vast majority of these end up in landfills.

The sooner charges are implemented the better.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=c_zpbfBmnTw
This shows you how to crochet a sturdy bag from plastic charity bags. A friend of mine did this very successfully. There are also instructions for knitting as well

This one describes the process a bit better. Can't wait to try- but I haven't got any plastic bags .... will have to wait until I get to UK to DD1- she does all her shopping via Okado/Waitrose- and has 100s - and the colour will be perfect. She can't use the box, no bag system due to risk of contamination with egg or nuts because of GS very severe allergy.

youtu.be/pAYD-TZYdtE

Co-op charge for bags. Our local store is 2 mins walk and I always take bags but DH never does..."it's ONLY 5p" is his reason.

I crocheted myself a shopping bag. It is made of a sunshine yellow wool. Every time I use it, it is complimented. I remember having to take my mother's shopping bag with me when she sent me to the local grocer when I was a child.

We seem to always be behind the Scots in a lot of things. Smoking bans plastic bags and I think new drink pricing laws. They seem a bit more courageous than we are with these reforms.

I usually take my stash of long life polypropalene bags with me when I go shopping as I generally store them in the back of the car.