h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I don't know about the rest of the world, but on Jersey, the States have recently introduced a 5p levy on plastic bags, the practical upshot being that some shops charge you for a carrier bag, others don't give them out unless you ask for them, and others will sell you a longer lasting bag at the checkout as an alternative. I'm all for this, and applaud the island's government for bringing this in, because without it the retailers would've continued down their usual line of "giving the consumers what they want", whilst we all assume that we want what they give us.

When the 'plastic bag tax' was first announced I did wonder whether there would be uproar. On the contrary, islanders are just getting on with it and bringing their own bags to the shops.

As for the Paff family, this is something we've been attempting to do in various ways, on-and-off, since 1992. Now, rather than feeling like the odd ones out at the checkout with our cardboard boxes, or fold-up plastic boxes, or whatever, we are part of a growing movement who are proud to pack our shopping into jute bags inscribed with the words "My bag is not rubbish!"

Paff

I use my own bags as well, and collect clubcard points everytime

Plastic bags lock up carbon and keep it out of the atmosphere. The little carbon atoms can't be forming CO2 molecules if they're busy being carrier bags. Saying that, however, it does take a lot of energy to make them.

I just hope shops don't start using paper bags as they give off methane when they rot down and are worse for the environment than plastic ones.

That's an interesting point TB. However, I though the problem with plastic bags was how they all end up floating about in the Atlantic or somewhere.

Websailor had a brilliant article about the problem in the Post before the current one or so - I can't currently load the back issue page to search for the link.

here, they started charging for plastic bags back in the 1970s, when we had the mineral oil crisis, as their production was so expensive.

Found it.

A31079883

I think the main problem, Paff, is a combination of them ending up in landfill and the amount of energy it uses to produce them. I'd like to see data about the amount of carbon given off into the atmosphere for the energy used when plastic bags are made, minus the carbon locked up in the bags, and how that compares to the amount of carbon given off for the energy needed to recycle the plastic bags.