Why the obsession with plastic carrier bags!?

Question

Why is everyone so keen on banning shops from issuing plastic carrier bags? There are many more examples of wasteful and pointless products and packing (e.g. those tiny, solid yoghourt pots) so what is so bad about bags - at least they have a use. I use them as bin-liners, sandwich bags, storage and all manner of other things, if they weren't given out I'd have to buy some. I don't carry an armful of shopping bags with me and I don't use more plastic bags than I have to. Why can't we have the option of plastic or paper bags, as in some US shops?

Thanks for all the answers. There seems to be no clear answer - some bags are biodegradable, some aren't and paper sacks don't seem to be any more 'green'. If bags end up on trees or in the ocean that's surely a problem with littering or poor waste management. Carrying your own permanent bags is obviously a good idea, but won't always be practical.
I re-use and recycle everything almost to the point of obsession, and always have, but I can see the government leading a clamp down on plastic bags, rather than addressing the far bigger, and costlier, waste and environmental issues.

Answer 1

The main culprits for harming the environment are those responsible for major industry.

They keep us from noticing them by giving us lots of distractions - like air-miles travelled and plastic bags. The truth is that the individual's carbon footprint is irrelevant compared to what the big boys do.

It's similar to the sacrifice of iron railings during World War 2. Everyone cut down their beautiful wrought iron railing to send them to be made into planes and tanks. Everyone played their part in the war effort. In reality, the metal was not the quality needed to make such things - and so the were cut down for no reason.

The same is true of most environmental initiatives. Stop using plastic bags and the polar bears with still have a place to live. Feel guilty about going on holiday in a plane and the oceans will not rise and flood half of the world.

The truth is that industry creates the problems and everything we are asked to do is merely a distraction.

Answer 2

I don't have many plastic carrier bags, the few that do come my way are biodegradable, and are used as bin liners and short term storage.

Yoghurt pots can be recycled, specially in the garden.

A number of small shops give you a choice of bag or no bag, and some even use paper bags.

As far as I'm aware, the main supermarkets switched to biodegradable carrier bags a few years ago, and they take back the bags for recycling.

Answer 3

The problem is that almost everyone else does little with the plastic bags that they get from the grocery store other than a convenient carrier. After that, it gets dumped into the bin or something. By discouraging the use of plastic bags, the dumping gets reduced.

I would rather use a plastic bag than paper bag as paper needs trees to produce but not plastic bags.

Answer 4

A college trip to our local landfill showed how annoying the bags are when not disposed of properly - they fly all over the place, into trees, etc.. and they have to put up big nets to catch them. Stores claim to "recycle" them - really this just means they squish them into a big cube so that they won't blow around in the landfill.

I agree they are useful, I use them as trash bags, etc...too. But i have more right now than I could ever use, especially if I'm collecting more and more all the time!

I do try and bring a reuseable bag with me when shopping however - it has been a challenge to remember to bring it in the store, and I'm only now beginning to do so. Canvas is so much stronger anyway!

I was impressed during my trip to Ireland that all the bags cost something like 17 cent euro. If they started charging for bags here in the states it would sure turn a lot of heads and get people thinking! I think the main problem is that so many are used, they are not recyclable and it's just one more thing that gets thrown out. I am all for doing away with them! America could get alot of good tips from Europe!

Answer 5

below is an article I found on Care2.com which highlights the negative effects of plastic and paper bags. Personally I use reusable canvas bags for shopping. For my garbage, I am using the plastic bags I saved before I switched to canvas, and when those run out I will buy the biodegradable plastic bags made from corn.
Plastic IS the lesser of two evils, but only when they are reused, and only if EVERYONE does it.

here is the article:
In South Africa plastic bags have been dubbed the "national flower" because so many are seen fluttering from fences and dangling in bushes—-some report that at times it looks like a snow storm. According to the National Geographic News, between 500 billion and one trillion plastic grocery bags are consumed worldwide each year. That 100,000 birds die annually from encounters with plastic bags actually seems like a relatively small number—-ditto the estimated 100,000 whales, turtles, and other marine animals.

In the United State alone, 12 million barrels of oil are required to produce enough plastic bags to appease our needs. And then there’s that little decomposition problem: 500 years in the landfill.

OK, paper then, right? Well, actually. . .producing paper bags requires more energy and creates more air and water pollution than producing plastic bags. Recycling paper is much more energy-intensive than recycling plastic—-and then there’s the issue of all those trees. In 1999, 14 million of them were knocked out to create the 10 billion paper grocery bags we used that year.

Answer 6

Have a look at some trees next time you pass them or fences and see where some of the plastic bags end up, They get stuck up there for ages and ages and looks awful. In SA they charge you for plastic bags and most people carry their own shopping to the shops .Those polystyrene containers that they use for hamburgers etc is just as bad, they are also just as bad. Paper bags are just crappy, they tear when you carry your groceries so the best solution is take your own material bag and carry your shopping in that.:)

Answer 7

obviousley as plastic takes god knows how many years to decompose landfills get clogged up with them, and you are right there are many many other things that we could get rid off to help, but the bags are a big part, we are soooooooooooo far behind in this, america have used paper bags for years and years and years germany use linen bage these are anout 50 times stronger, reusable, better for environment obviousley better to carry!! if we actually looked at these examples and thought lets try that! all anyone would need is a few linen bags you shove in draw until your weekly shop take em to supermarket bung em in your trolley and then shove them back in draw until next time! its so simple its difficult apparantly!!

Answer 8

Paper bags aren't so great either. It takes a lot of fuel to harvest the trees and make paper. because of the space and weight of paper it takes four times as many trucks to deliver paper bags to the stores than it does to deliver the plastic bags. The people who want to ban plastic bags have not seen the whole picture.

Answer 9

I know. Plastic bags come in handy for me A LOT. They should offer both plastic and paper bags, and then offer a certain amount of points (on whatever card it is you can use, eg a nectar card) for people who reuse their bags, so that they're offering us something. That should reduce the amount of plastic bags we waste, but at the same time, people who need them can still use them. If that makes sense.

Answer 10

We don't need plastic carrier bags, and they take over a1000yrs to degrade if at all.
Back in the 60's we used to have wonderfully colourful carrier bags, and as teenagers we used to see who could get hold of the most psychedelic one. They are more environmentally friendly, and just as strong. I believe the manufacturer then was Coloroll the people who make wallpapers and mugs etc. They ought to start up in production again using recycled paper.