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Thread: I hate plastic bags!

  1. #51
    my army bradders's Avatar
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    yeh bolton used to do that

  2. #52

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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    Having succumbed to the cold I went into Marks and Spencers to buy some thermal underwear, I approached the checkout clutching my purchases and my little cloth shopping bag.
    I put my puchases and little cloth shopping bag on the counter and said "I don't need a carrier bag thanks."
    THe saleslady just could not cope with this, she obviously did not know what to do and tried to get me to buy one of the store's own re-useable bags.
    I declined, but she told me the thermals did not fit very well in my little cloth bag (not true) and their bags were much better quality so why not buy one?
    Again I declined, I paid and left. I think she asked me to buy a bag 3 times.
    I already have 3 cloth shopping bags and loads of carrier bags, which friends bring me because I always find a use for them or give them to my neighbour who has 5 children.
    So why would I want another bag?
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  3. #53
    gorillagorilla Gorilla's Avatar
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    maybe they get a commission for the number of bags they sell?
    'The word gorilla was derived from the Greek word Gorillai (a "tribe of hairy women")'

  4. #54
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    i'm sure some shops - despite realising the environmental kudos - are freaking out a little bit about the 'no plastic bag' thing, because of course, the bags from shops are adverts for the brand. and it's pretty much free for the companies. if everyone ceases to use the branded bags, they lose a huge chunk of their presence on the high street almost over night.

    also, while i've seen people doing it a lot in supermarkets, i haven't seen people refusing bags in clothes shops so often, so perhaps she was a bit taken aback? i tend to keep the bags from shops, mainly cos i go so infrequently, but they're either nice paper ones that i can use again for things, or they're plastic and i use them as bin bags.

    amanda

  5. #55
    gorillagorilla Gorilla's Avatar
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    ^ yes exactly, shop bags are free adverts. i think that's why many shops are pushing 'bags for life' - they're meant to be re-used, and they're still advertising the shop.

    people do seem to reuse bags more in supermarkets than other shops. it's odd that Marks & Spencer are charging 5p for bags in their food shops, but still giving away bags for free in their clothes section.
    'The word gorilla was derived from the Greek word Gorillai (a "tribe of hairy women")'

  6. #56
    my army bradders's Avatar
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    in Ireland when the plastic bag levy came in food sections carried on with plastic and charged the levy but the clothes sections all switched to paper with no charge

  7. #57

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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    I remember my old Nana in the 1980s always turned her plastic bag inside out before re-using it because she didn't want to do free advertising for the shop!
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  8. #58
    my army bradders's Avatar
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    that's a good idea

  9. #59
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    Quote herbwormwood View Post
    I remember my old Nana in the 1980s always turned her plastic bag inside out before re-using it because she didn't want to do free advertising for the shop!

    HOHO!!!

    Do companies really lose out that much from not giving bags. Dammit, I forgot to go to Sainburys where I shop every week! Gosh, I never realised that Sainsburys was only where I passed for work! :P

  10. #60
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    Adding another point, if her bag was see through...um...Sainburys would become syrubniaS!

  11. #61

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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    I don't mind plastic bags, because here we use them for our rubbish (and the very small ones for dog poo ). I also have various strong "bags for life" and cloth bags, so I can control the number of them that come into the house; they're like bacteria and will multiply at an incredible rate if you don't keep an eye on the situation

    People here don't think you're weird though if you decline their bags, it's fairly normal practice.

  12. #62
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    I will not shop if my cloth bags are not with me. The check out clerks know that I don't use plastic bags, even weigh my produce on the scale and put it in my trusty cloth bags I hate plastic bags, even flush the cat litter.

  13. #63
    Vegan Lorax TzevY21's Avatar
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    Amen to flushing!! I'm the same, i can't shop if I forget my cloth bags or the fruit/vegetable plastic bags that I use over and over and over...But that got me thinking. If I go to the store and realize I forgot my bags (which I hate myself to no end for) do I sacrifice and write off the gas/emissions that I spent getting there (assuming I drove this time) and go back home? Or do I swallow my pride, get 2-3 of those little plastic bags for the fruit and not waste the gas? Which is worth, from an environmentally ethical standpoint, wasting the 3 bags that I will surely use again and again or waste the gas going both ways to get my bags from home?

    On another note, I hate those little "poop bags" for animal waste. I'd rather just leave my puppies' business there to feed the earth, but I don't think my apt community would appreciate that much; in fact they don't as they instill the threat of a fine to all those breaking the rules. Either way, I go out of my way to instead pick up the "business" and put it in a trash can, which to note uses a bigger trash bag. Again, lesser of the evils if i have to throw it away, a lot of small baggies or one big one....??

    Oh the convoluted intricacies that plague being conscientious!!

  14. #64
    Karma Junkie vava's Avatar
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    we need paper poop bags!
    even perfect isn't perfect - Rubyduby 4th July 08

  15. #65
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    a word of warning to dfurbee- I used to flush a type of cat litter that was said to be flushable- I ended uo blocking the sewage drains to most of the houses in the street I lived in- it was a bit embarrassing to say the least.

  16. #66
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    a lot of that depends on the system in your street, (having worked in housing repairs and environment for a council that will remain unnamed) that is likely to indicate an insufficient gradient, lack of maintenance of the system or a fluid leak from the system. In theory any fine gravel, sand or soil should be carried by the energy of the fluids flushed with it. Although there is one problem and that is low flow lavatories which have the energy to carry a small amount of soil (human waste etc) they cannot then get anything other than this veryvfar along the system as there isn't enough fluid and energy to carry it so it loses it's load, this builds up and causes a blockage. If you are using a flushable litter then it is adviseable to make sure that you don't have a hippo/ bottle in your systern and that you give it the largest flush you can, in central London this is less of a problem but further out, in new developments or i other areas you could have a bigger issue here. It should also be soluble rather than just flushable (some manufacturors have been labling non soluble liiter as flushable) as this will disolve in the system and reduce risks of blockages. If your grey water (sinks, baths etc) go straight into the same system then it may be a good idea to flush the litter at the same time as emptying the bath or kitchen sink etc.

    Of course if you have had a big problem hen it is best to avoid flushing litter altogether.

    Oh the joys of waste management!

  17. #67
    moggy
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    Thanks for the advice-well worth anyone who flushes cat litter to read it. No longer applies to me because all my refuse now has to go as 'controlled waste', and I'm on a septic tank here so flushing littter is out.

  18. #68
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    ouch now that's a very good reason why I choose to live in the city

  19. #69
    moggy
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    Each to his own- I need to live surrounded by (muddy) fields.

    We've got such a good deal with the council for removing the waste from the rescue, that I think we do very well out of it.

    Sadly I do go through a lot of binbags, but any plastic carrier bags I use are always secondhand.

  20. #70
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    are you using degradable bin bags too?

  21. #71
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    When I was working at my local Oxfam shop at the end of last year they got rid of plastic bags and theres were some bizarre reactions! Some people thought it was great but others were genuinely angry - some said they wouldnt be coming back to the shop again, others said we were being ridiculous and treating people like children!!

    Some people.......

  22. #72
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    any bags I have stored up I donate to the local charity shops and the village library

  23. #73
    moggy
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    bradders- we rely on donations of used bags in our charity shop, and also our local Somerfield letting us have used bags that their customers have returned for recycling.
    About the bin bags- i'd love to find strong enough biodegradable ones to use.

  24. #74
    my army bradders's Avatar
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    found good ones in waitrose and whole foods, don't know if you have either in wales but you could try the waitrose online/ ocado service. The wheely bin liners are unbelievably strong, the others i've had have been decent too.

  25. #75
    gorillagorilla Gorilla's Avatar
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    i got some good biodegradable bin bags from Lakeland, and Sainsburys and Infinity Foods do some good ones too
    'The word gorilla was derived from the Greek word Gorillai (a "tribe of hairy women")'

  26. #76
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    Oh man, do I ever hate these wretched ugly things. My mom drives me -insane- because she always gets plastic bags and then she throws them away!! I offer to take them to H-E-B (they do plastic bag recycling) and she won't let me! Thankfully she isn't terribly bright, so I nip em out of the trash once she's gone. ;P

    As for me, I always take cotton/cloth bags and if I forget (I did last night, d'oh!) I go bagless. The baggers always look at me funny and I usually have to tell them twice 'no plastic, please. just put it back in the basket, that's fine, I don't want any plastic bags at all'. Sometimes they STILL actually put em in bags and so I have to take the damn bags back on my next trip. -sigh!-

    But seriously. Plastic bags are annoying. They're noisy, they seem to stick to things (ever gotten one caught on a foot? NOT fun!), and they just look.. trashy. Plus if you compare reusable bags to plastic bags, you can usually fit in one reusable bag what would take 2-5 plastic bags. People who stroll out a cart full of like 30+ plastic bags are just nuts - they could have as few as 6 reusable bags instead, and make a LOT fewer trips from the car into their house to put away groceries. -shakes head-
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  27. #77
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    they also dig in to your hands like hell

  28. #78
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    Quote moggy View Post
    bradders- we rely on donations of used bags in our charity shop, and also our local Somerfield letting us have used bags that their customers have returned for recycling.
    About the bin bags- i'd love to find strong enough biodegradable ones to use.
    This makes sense to me but Oxfam wouldnt take peoples used carrier bags as they couldnt be sure what had been in them!

  29. #79
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    I noticed today that here (Singapore) there is a clothing store that gives reusable bags out and then takes money off your purchase if you reuse them.

    Only thing is - the clothing is the kind that people wear once or twice and then throw out....don't think the companies ethics are very good either.



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  30. #80
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    "I'll put it in the backpack, thanks" I am so unfashionable carrying my bag on my back.

    Most big supermarkets in Germany put the shopping back into a basket/trolley for customers to pack THEMSELVES either at their car directly into carriers in the boot or still in the shop at a long counter where folks can also recycle the excess packaging before leaving. I like that system; the queue goes quicker.
    the only animal ingredient in my food is cat hair

  31. #81

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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    My sisters a bit of a crafting freak and over christmas i read one of her magazines - i found this you guys might be interested in *I want one*
    http://www.morsbags.com/

  32. #82

    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    In the fruit and veg shops here, they won't let you leave the shop without putting everything in their plastic bags. There are plastic bags for each item you weigh, and then plastic bags to put all the weighed/stickered plastic bags in once you get to the counter and pay. Once I tried to leave a shop (after paying) without re-bagging everything with their branded bags, and they wouldn't let me leave. I tried to insist that I was fine and didn't need to bag everything twice, but they said it's their policy and I can't leave until everything is bagged again.
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  33. #83
    my army bradders's Avatar
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    good greif
    If I sink to the bottom I can run to the shore.

  34. #84
    beard fanatic Beeswing's Avatar
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    Crocheting orange carrier bags into strong bags, that's very clever!


    Here's something that can work for taking fruit and veg to the checkout - you know those fishnet-ish bags of coloured mesh that you get round satsumas, and sometimes around punnets of nectarines/plums. They're clamped with little bits of metal at each end like a little hammock, if you leave one endfastened but open the other end up, fold it over a little and sew it to make a passage for a cord then it's a drawstring bag and you can use it everytime you go

    Making drawstrings of stronger transparent plastic like those wallets for ringbinders, if you have old ones that are too wrinkled to be smart for presenting work in - the seams rip easy so would need overlocking stitch to reinforce it, but they're good because the checkout people can clearly see what's inside/the fruit sticker and won't get so easily annoyed
    Let the Wild Rumpus begin *~

  35. #85
    RebeccaDye
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    Today I was passing my local Costcutter and fancied something to eat, so I went in, picked up a 30g bag of Kettle Chips and when I got the the checkout, the cashier put it in a plastic bag for me. It was ridiculously frustrating, I could have actually got on the floor and cried like a baby.

  36. #86
    my army bradders's Avatar
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    I have a firm policy that any packaging they force me to have that is not needed including the box around the cereal packet, they get back. All fruit and veg I get loose from the grocer who is now used to me or else I leave the silly packaging at the checkout. The more people do it the more they will press manufacturers/ distributors to change. Anyone remember deodorant coming in boxes? Wall Mart (I hate them but they provide a good example here) got fed up with the excess space used up in this way in transportation and on the shelves and the cost when all people do is throw the box in the bin when they get home. The pressed the manufacturers into changing this so now, you generally get deodorant just in the can and not the box as well.
    The same can happen for cereal, veg in trays and morrisons individually wrapped bananas on polystirine trays.
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  37. #87
    gorillagorilla Gorilla's Avatar
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    Quote bradders View Post
    I have a firm policy that any packaging they force me to have that is not needed including the box around the cereal packet, they get back. All fruit and veg I get loose from the grocer who is now used to me or else I leave the silly packaging at the checkout. The more people do it the more they will press manufacturers/ distributors to change. Anyone remember deodorant coming in boxes? Wall Mart (I hate them but they provide a good example here) got fed up with the excess space used up in this way in transportation and on the shelves and the cost when all people do is throw the box in the bin when they get home. The pressed the manufacturers into changing this so now, you generally get deodorant just in the can and not the box as well.
    The same can happen for cereal, veg in trays and morrisons individually wrapped bananas on polystirine trays.
    i bet the supermarket staff just love you

    i don't remember deodorant ever coming in a box around the can, and anyone who buys an individually wrapped banana in a polystyrene tray needs their head examined
    'The word gorilla was derived from the Greek word Gorillai (a "tribe of hairy women")'

  38. #88
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    I like it when two shops I have been in loads don't give out reciepts. Others I have refused.

  39. #89
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    yeh the supermarket people are going "wtf is he doing? he's unwrapping everything, why?" etc

    an I agree people who buy individually wrapped bananas on poli trays need their head examined (don't eat bananas so I cannot be blamed for this lol)
    If I sink to the bottom I can run to the shore.

  40. #90
    told me to Mr Flibble's Avatar
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    Quote eeplox View Post
    but they said it's their policy and I can't leave until everything is bagged again.
    I had this once in a department store (Alders, just before they went bust). In the end after they refused to not bag everything (even tying a bag onto something taht couldn't be bagged!) I removed them and told them to call security, before making a dash for the exit!

    They claimed it's their security policy, which surely makes no sense - as anyone can just put something in a bag.
    "Mr Flibble - forum corruptor of innocents!!" - Hemlock

  41. #91
    my army bradders's Avatar
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    off topic - Alders went bust? The Croydon one was open the other week
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  42. #92
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    The Croydon one seems to be the only one left trading under that name after the chain went bust:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allders

  43. #93
    my army bradders's Avatar
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    okeys, ta for that,
    that would explain why the clapham junction one is a debenhams
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  44. #94
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    The plastic from plastic bags is a by-product from the making of oil and fuel, and to burn it off would cause more damage than turning it into a plastic bag. But I agree we should re-use bags.

  45. #95
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    Default Re: I hate plastic bags!

    The UK lingo here always cracks me up, and sometimes confuses me! I love you guys!

    Anyways, I work a health food store over the pond from most of you, in BC, Canada. It's a smaller chain, with 7 stores in my province. As a cashier, I genuinely love it when patrons show up with all loose produce and reusable bags! Even though all the plastic provided by our store is derived from soy and is bio-degradeable, it still uses energy to produce, so on behalf of our planet I thank everyone who brings their own bag. Also, by bringing your own bag in, we can take $0.05 off their purchase, or donate the same amount to the local food bank or environmental club, all their choice.

    I really lucked out with my job!
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