these plastic 'bag for life' things

[johnhcrf]

You are so right, Stonehead. Scientists recently claimed that plastic bag's impact was low as only 0.3% of landfill is plastic bags. This is still 0.3% too much. There may be bigger villains in landfill but they all have to be dealt with to remove the blight that is landfill. Plastic bags are an easy target and will help to raise awareness in the public at large.

John

[Jennie]

I think that there should just be a law passed and all the plastic bags would disappear! I've started making my own bags to take to the shops, and I've also discovered the wonderful world of Morsbags! Have a look:
http://www.morsbags.com/

Sociable, guerilla bagging!

J

[ina]

But be prepared that some people, on being given a bag for free, want to return it: I once made a bag for a friend (out of an old pair of jeans of his), and gave it to him for his birthday, filled with some goodies like jam etc. He took out the jam and returned the bag. I did tell him to keep it, but I don't think he ever used it.

Anyway - welcome to the forum, Jennie.

[matt_w]

I recently read that it takes more energy to produce a cloth bag than a plastic one. This was in Focus magazine I recall, sensationalist science but with a bit of real science behind it (well a lot more than the popular press that is!)

Simply put, we should all have wicker baskets, locally grown and made. None of this foreign grown cotton, shipped to another country to be made by child workers then on to us in the UK.

Sometimes I pick up 'free' plastic bags, a few times I get down nose looks at the supermarket, normally from those that drove there in their gas guzzlers. I chose to walk, that replaces plenty of plastic bags TYVM!

What I really object to is the recent increase in begging bags asking me to donate my unwated stuff (to charity or those pretend we donate £1 per tonne of collected goods to charity). We get about 2-3 a week now. I really need to find a use for them (bin bags?).

My father in law prefers his string bag, had it about 40 years I think and it screws up and fits in a pocket. I've no idea if the string is man made or not.

T***o, don't seem to recognise my pockets as bags when it comes to green club card points though (they are big pockets!)

Seriously I'm being a bit tongue in cheek (if you hadn't guess). Perhaps the bag is not of importance, but the message that you should re-use things is. Promoting this message to the popular masses might be worth spending a bit of resources on.

I use a mixture of bags, none of which are ever thrown away after one use. Our plastic bags for life are looking a bit worse for wear after about 5 years of filling them with wild picked fruit (mostly apples for the cider).

I really like the idea of denim jeans bags :) Think I'll look for some extra large jeans in the charity shop next time I'm there.

[matt_w]

Lets see if this works.... Mrs W just pointed out she has made her own bag... it's a lunch bag.

[Cloud]

I really like the idea of denim jeans bags :) Think I'll look for some extra large jeans in the charity shop next time I'm there.

You have me thinking. I've just made a momentous decision to evict some denim shirts from my wardrobe - maybe they have life yet. Just need to fix my old Singer.

We've been using bags for life for quite a few years. They don't last forever, especially as I have a tendency to over pack them and they end up splitting - it's a fine line between risking a split or taking a disposable bag.

We also use pockets if we've only bought a few items. Most shopkeepers do seem to understand although some seem almost offended when we don't take their bags. You have to be quick though as some shops seems rather quick on the draw.

We're undecided about whether having our shopping delivered to us is green or not. In theory it should save fuel as one van runs round dropping the shopping off at several houses instead of everyone driving to the shops and back. (our nearest shop is 4 miles down a busy trunk road with no foot path - I'm not walking it!).

[Big Al]

[/quote]

drives me potty when i see people pushing a trolley full of plastic bags up to the boot of their car. and at the till when people say yes to a bag for say, a pen, i feel to whip a used plastic bag out of my handbag for them. actually, maybe it might be a good idea to start carrying around a spare for ol' waste happy at the till![/quote]

We havew a couple of Aldi stores here and they charge 5p for a carrier. I often take pockets full as I always tend to overspend but any left over gets re distributed to other customers... saves them money and recycles them.

I am now getting to the end of my "stash" of plastic carriers as I made a few bags earlier this year so it will be good strong bags from the new year I reckon.

[Flo]

The answer to the great carrier bag debate is to shop less of course so that you need fewer bags.

The flaming local co-op delivers all their goods in plastic carrier bags and not the bags for life either. Result is that I tend not to use the co-op even though it's only five minutes down the road so not a lot of petrol on the round town delivery. Can you imagine the number of bags if you do one big 6 monthly stores shop? Better to use the Asda van where the website tells you if they are in your area when you look for a delivery slot.

Mind you I do have a number of outlets for carrier bags - the local community allotment uses them for selling on vegetables to raise funds and the local gardeners association hut finds a use for a few. Larger, sturdier ones are used to line the vegetable peeling recycling bin as they make for easy carrying to the allotment. The neighbours have got used to me having washing out sessions and hanging plastic bags of various sorts on the line to dry for reuse. Enormous ones and charity shop collection bags which I can't or won't fill make excellent liners for the house bin that will eventually have its contents transferred to the landfill bin. I've not bought bin liners of any sort this year and may well not for some time to come.

I find a plastic bag rolled up in the handbag very handy for small, impulse purchases that won't quite fit in the cavern of a handbag or for carrying library books home as well as bringing stuff home from the allotment. However this last is gradually being replaced as I gather bucket type containers that did hold stuff like chicken pellets. I suspect an Onya bag would be ideal for me as these can be rolled up and clipped to the handbag. I'm not one for taking out hessian bags as they are unwieldy and hint to shops that I'm going to buy when I might only be window shopping.

[StripyPixieSocks]

We use a combination of IKEA blue bags and Wilkinsons 45p (or was it 65p) material bags

[pol]

Happy New Year everyone!

In answer to matt_w "I recently read that it takes more energy to produce a cloth bag than a plastic one. ....... None of this foreign grown cotton, shipped to another country to be made by child workers then on to us in the UK." how about making, or hope that you'll be given, a morsbag! They're made from cloth that already exists in wardrobes, airing cupboards or charity shops nearby, so no pesticides, labour, air miles or water to source/produce the material as it already exists... and was probably destined for landfill until it was given a new lease of life as a totally unique, strong, washable, foldable-in-your-pocket, reusable bag.

Just under 60,000 morsbags have been made and given away for free by locals all over the world, potentially replacing just under 30 million plastic bags. Please help spread the word so everyone can have at least one!! A positive piece of 20 minute action. Check out http://www.morsbags.com for a free pattern.

P.S - I agree with the wicker basket comment and went on a basket making weekend in Worcester - made an incredibly strong (not v beautiful!!) basket which will last for life and is strong, biodegradable and full of the effort and sore thumbs I put into it! I use it a lot, but it isn't as practical as a cloth bag, I have to say - but GREAT fun!

[Flo]

Pol once you get into basket making you are into a whole new world of what you can make. It's great fun.

[indy]

I got one of those shopping trolleys for christmas, its a dotty one...rather apt I feel but to the point, it is indeed one of the most useful presents I have ever had