Paying for carrier bags.

Fortnightly bin collection and separate boxes for other disposables may have cut some landfill waste, but if councils go ahead with the proposed monthly bin collection there will be a huge rise in fly-tipping and illegal disposal of waste.

Simply cutting services (for which we pay council tax) doesn't solve the problem. And many children start school wearing disposable nappies in this country, so all may be fine and dandy where you live, granjura, but the system doesn't work that way here.

and you think it is normal to start school, at 4, wearing nappies (unless in extreme cases of special needs). No child did so in the 50s or 60s or 70s or maybe even 80s- so why not? Children are no different now, are they? But disposable nappies are just too easy and too comfortable. They are hugely polluting both in production and disposal, and take up huge land space.

Another decade and there will be NO landfill space left- so what then? There is absolutely NO reason for children to be in nappies till the age of 3, never mind 4. And they can wear shaped washable nappies anyhow- no need for disposables. Many towns also have delivery, pick-up, wash and delivery services, which are very reasonable if people would prefer not to wash their own.

I wasn't condoning it, granjura, just stating the facts. We all know it wasn't the norm in earlier years, but disposable nappies have made it easier for some parents to delay toilet training and so the landfill problem is made greater.

I'm not sure what your point is. I was just saying that what's happening where you live isn't happening here.

If you went in Marks and Sparks and paid good money for, say, a cashmere jumper, would they really expect you to stuff it in with your grocery shopping if you felt it unfair to have to pay for a bag? Can we request they at least wrap it in some clean paper for us? Where would the simple politeness towards, and caring for, customers be in that?

Seems so odd.

Sorry to be still discussing carrier bags.

If you pay good money for a cashmere jumper, surely 5p for a carrier bag is neither here nor there.

JBF If you pay good money for a cashmere jumper in M&S, you do what most people do here: place it carefully in the nice foldable bag you keep in your handbag for just that eventuality!!

I am gobsmacked to hear children start school wearing nappies! Or are we talking about the nappy pants things? Are teachers expected to change the nappies?

It was a bit strange the first time I bought clothing and had to pay for a bag or use my own. Fortunately I had one of those folding bags that comes in a pouch with my name on it and a description of that name (Romantic and Decisive ). It was a Christmas present that I considered naff at the time, but is now well used.

For big shops at the supermarket we use the big blue IKEA bags which sit nicely in trolleys. The main problem I have is remembering to take a bag into the shop, but putting it on the passenger seat usually works - if I can remember to do that!

We reuse carrier bags as rubbish bags too, so I'm not sure what we'll do when we've used up our collection. Our black bin gets emptied every fortnight and washed out once a month. I don't like the idea of not bagging up rubbish before putting it in the black bin, but we might give it a try and see how smelly it gets.

BTW is England the only country in W Europe still faffing around about this issue of plastic bags?

versavisa - lovely to hear someone mention Morsbags - and yes I have made loads of them and our Townswomens Guild formed a pod and gave loads away at our coffee mornings to the people in our village. They have an active Facebook page and are still going strong. If anyone wants to make their own cloth bags out of old clothes, curtains, tea towels, duvet covers etc, then check out the Morsbag site for a really simple pattern. They are so easy to make (which can become addictive), are machine washable - you can even make waterproof ones out of old shower curtains …… but not the mucky bit at the bottom!! It's a great way of recycling material.

Is thatbags going to have to change her name now to that5pbags or thatreusablebags?

Very suspicious about the figures for school children in nappies. This is one of those cases where you take a small number of replies to a survey and then use these figures to scale up to the results for larger numbers- not very scientific because of course the replies you have tend to be from those who have experience of the problem. Those who don't, don't respond.
I have loads of cloth bags now all with some sort of logo on them. I just wonder will we in 5 years time be moaning about all the cloth bags we have around us?

Received a Sainsburys Grocery Delivery this morning with NO BAGS!
Was surprised to see single items in full size orange bags for "health and safety reasons" - boxed pizza, plastic wrapped meat etc. Delivery man explained that I had not been charged for them.

I am selling them on the black market for 4p - any takers?

we have been paying for bags for years here, although the daily/weekly markets still use the thin plastic bags, most clothes and non food shops ask if you want a bag and usually give you a nice paper one.
Children here can go to Maternalle(pre-school) from age 2.5years, start primary at 6, they are not admitted in nappies at all, unless for health reasons.
Child care from 2.5 is free here so there is a good incentive if parents want to work to toilet train.

Re the cashmere jumper and the carrier bag thing. It must go against "good" stores principals to just hand over a garment unwrapped. And what if it was a bulky winter coat and your nylon bag wasn't big enough.

I'm sorry, but this really bothers me! I can see a huge dropping off of customer relations. it's not good.

#firsttheystoppedcallingusmadam......

Without wishing to go off-post (though I know I am - sorry) please granjura can you explain how the disposable-nappy-waste-problem has been reduced in your area? I know it's a nightmare here in the UK. Not sure where you are based - I may have missed this somewhere.
Thanks

Does this mean that in order to show off with a Harrods bag (or other swanky posh shop) we shall have to PAY for the privilege of advertising that's where you've been?? Shock! Horror!

After my last Ocado delivery a couple of days ago I received 35p online refund for the seven bags that I'd returned to the driver for recycling.

As for the cashmere coat - surely the shop will somehow charge for an appropriate bag, to keep within the law, then immediately refund.

Waitrose tell me they are donating all the 5ps they collect to charity. However their bags have become so thin, my shopping invariably falls out, so I've been using my own bags for a while. Trouble is they hold far more and then I can't carry them!! Wish I still had my mum's string bags.

If you online grocery shop at Tesco it is worth going into your account and looking at your delivery preferences. If you previously got food delivered in bags you will continue to do so and they make a 40p charge, if you don't want this you need to change your preferences to no bags.

There is a modern type of string bags made....I've always got mine in my handbag. The name is 'Turtle bags'.

Well. It's not rocket science is it. If going shopping, put a bag in your bag or take a larger one for extra shopping. Simple!. Or pay the 5p charge.

There's far more to it than that! Don't you enjoy a thorough discussion?!

riverwalk I made 50p on mine because the driver guessed.

M&S charging for bags, whether you buy cashmere jumper or a pair of socks, and apparently people are already complaining (maybe justifiably) because if using an old bag you need to be sure it's clean inside. The assistant suggested carrying a clean bin bag around for possible clothing purchases.

Boots charging 5p small bag, 7p big bag all for Children in Need.

Asda in nearby town insisting on sticking 'sold' labels on purchases to avoid being accused of shoplifting - that's going down a storm at the checkout not !