The government of my country approved a law called green taxation. Among other pearls, it means that the plastic bags that used to be free or cost 2 cents, now cost 10 cents each. Has something similar happened where you live?
I'm sure it's described as a way to get people to use fewer plastic bags, but never underestimate a government's inventiveness in finding ways to squeeze you for every penny they can. Where I live, many stores sell reusable bags made from recycled plastic for a buck or two. It would pay for itself in no time, and you could avoid the extra fees every time you shop. Better yet, check out the many ways to make your own bags, and avoid getting nickled and dimed by the green police. Does the green stand for earth friendly or green as in money? haha.
In most parts of Australia plastic bags cost 20 cents each. That's why you see more and more people going shopping with their own non-plastic bag, or with recycled bags. I think it's a wonderful idea to make plastic bags expensive. Personally, I would charge $5 for a plastic bag. When I was a kid, plastic bags were never used. You went shopping with your sturdy canvas bag and your vegetables and fruit came in paper bags. I also remember that many things, such as cheeses and sausages, were mostly available from the deli and rarely came in a prepackaged form.
Some stores here are starting to charge for carrier bags too. I believe it's meant to encourage us to bring reusable bags to the supermarket but, of course, it also makes extra cash for the store! I've been taking my own bags for a few years now - otherwise, I end up with far too many plastic bags cluttering the house up.
Where I live stores sell you plastics bags at exorbitant prices if you don't bring your own shopping bag(s). They could be making a killing off it too but most people here have learned to avoid these extra expenses so most of them never buy the store's plastic bags. I think they should hike the prices up even further, it'll be good for the environment.
Charging for the plastic bag is to encourage there use to be reduced. The plastic gets into the water ways cloggs them up, harms the fish and birds. Paper bags are free, the stores sell or usable bags or you can make your own out of an old t-shirt. It is a good thing to recycle the plastic bags you have at the moment also.
I agree with recycling or upcycling plastic bags. There really are too many of them around (despite my jokes). I enjoy making things anyway. You might just find it fun to create something from "trash." It's a great way to get creative and to do your part. There are many tutorials online for making nice bags. There are some super easy ones as well. So, you get to do something good, be creative, and save money all at the same time.
I think that we all agree with recycling and green politics, but making plastic bags from free or super cheap to 10 cents it's ridiculous, it's just a way they discovered to make a lot of money and everyone can see that.
The government charges the RETAILERS for selling the plastic bags on a per bag basis. RETAILERS then pass that cost along to consumers, whether that's how things should be or not. THe original fee comes from the government, but businesses make people think that the governments have mandated that consumers pay the price. That's not necessarily true.
It hasn't happened yet on where I live but I believe that it will eventually reach my place. I like plastic bags over paper bags in my store because the paper bags that I have here doesn't have strings that I can grab while transporting a lot of bags of groceries. It is very inconvenient to hug all of your groceries while transporting. Also, I don't use reusable bags because I always buy on impulse so even if I buy one, I probably end up using plastic bags all over again since don't carry it all the time with me.
Yes, it's the government call, we all have that quite clear here. They now sell paper bags cheaper and many people carry bags with them on a daily basis loool, I refuse to do that!
Here plastic bags are just banned in certain cities so it's pretty much left the same in terms of price and they have just chosen to enforce being more environmentally conscious in that way. I think it's okay if they raised the prices though since it would only make us look for better alternatives which I am assuming was the original point of the law.
No one sells plastic bags here except at groceries or department stores, where they're sold in packs. Except for small, unregistered stores, no one sells plastic bags on a piecemeal basis. Malls and convenience store chains like 7/11 and Mini Stop have also joined in the biodegradable plastic bag bandwagon so basically, even if the use of plastic bags is still widespread, businessmen are doing their part to support the green revolution. On weekends, everyone uses brown bags. Some stores have discarded the use of plastic bags altogether.
That's just starting to trickle through to Botswana. I kind of like the idea because it means we're conscious of just how much plastic we use and because we're paying, we don't take as many. I always recycle mine anyway, by using them as bin liners. I do have some reusable "lifetime" bags from Sainsbury's somewhere in the house. I'll have to dig them up and start using them, do my bit for the environment!
I don't think there is a green conscience behind it at all. One thing would be banning them like you say @DrRipley , but making a high price and making them thicker really makes no sense to me, they are using more plastic after all!
No this hasn't happened in the United States yet, thank goodness. With the amount of plastic bags I have to haul home each week I could end up paying an upwards of five dollars if not more just for these cheap annoying things if I had to pay for them. That is one thing that has happened in my area these have become more flimsy and cheaply made. We don't necessarily throw our plastic grocery bags away right way but keep them in a wooden bin to use again. As for the canvas bags I have tried to buy these and use them the problem is that the store that I bought it from didn't know it was bought before and wanted to charge me yet again. So, I stopped taking the bag there, my feeling was when they sell one of these bags they out to stamp it with the date it was sold to end such confusion.
Yes, we're charged here and I'm fine with it. We bought the reusable bags they have so we never need them. Awesome quality, cheap and saves us money in the long run. Not that I really think it matters. Everyone who is all green and against plastic bags are still buying products that contribute to the decay of our planet.. plastic not going into bags will just go elsewhere. Even recycling bottles is a joke. Even if we stop making it tomorrow, plastic is here forever. And ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and so on.
A couple of years ago, the same thing happened to our city, it started to phase out plastic bags in favor pf paper bags. Sure it is good for the environment, but you can't really carry a heavy bunch of multiple grocery bags like you used to when plastic bags were still being used. You now have to shop "lightly", unless you want to be overloaded with a bunch of paper bags that you can't manage to carry on your way home.
