5p charge for plastic bags from October 2015 to cut usage

[turbobloke]

Eric Mc said:

I found some old Wilkinson plastic carrier bags in my loft. When I picked them up they literally fell to pieces.

That selfish act killed a polar bear and her cubs. Shame on you.

[oyster]

grumbledoak said:

Impasse said:

Who is going to be making a profit from this? Because someone will be.

The treasury, of course. They will have done the sums first.

Anyone buying a bag = pays new tax.
Anyone putting off popping into a shop while on foot because they have no bag and later doing it by car because they have bags in the boot = fuel tax.
Anyone who used to re-use them as bin bags = VAT on the bags they now have to buy instead.

And some people are cheering it on! Dumber than chickens.

I'm cheering it on, because there is no downside to it.

Do you honestly think people who walk to the shop will now go home to get their car instead of paying 5p for a bag?
Really? And if they are that stupid, you think we should try and be on their side?!

[jmorgan]

We are all starving to death in Wales due to this tax, will no one think of the pies........

[ZOLLAR]

jmorgan said:

We are all starving to death in Wales due to this tax, will no one think of the pies........

Indeed, I've forgotten how long ago it was introduced here.
It really is one of those first world problems, thankfully though I don't do the shopping so it's not a problem at all for me

[turbobloke]

jmorgan said:

We are all starving to death in Wales due to this tax, will no one think of the pies........

I reckon you're all dying because of Labour mismanagement of the NHS in Wales, you should have a higher plastic and pie survival rate.

[wolves_wanderer]

richie99 said:

Stevanos said:

We have it here in Sweden, it works well and we are not so retarded to have to worry about how we carry our shopping home.

Surely the most retarded approach is to go shopping without thinking about how you are going to get it home. Do you have servants to do your thinking for you in Sweden or do you have trouble with the thought process that one action (shopping) might have a follow on implication (the need take the shopping to its intended destination).....unless you leave it in the shop for delivery perhaps.

He didn't say he isn't thinking. He said he isn't worrying. Top-quality unhinged rant though

[Parsnip]

Convert said:

Currently, at least 30% of my bags fall apart either between the shop and the car, or the car and the house.

Will I be able to take them back and get a 5p refund for each failed one?

Really? you are doing something wrong, or you are Edward Scissorhands. I can carry bags without having them disintegrate - maybe I'm just that damn good. My eyesight is a bit off though, so it is possible I have missed people dropping approximately 1/3 of their shopping when leaving the shops.

As for your second statement, yeah, go for it - sounds like an fantastic way to prove to the world you have nothing much happening in your life - "can I have a refund on this faulty 5p bag?" as a mod once famously said - Jesus Christ...

Can people please get a bit of perspective here - it isn't government meddling, it isn't a massive conspiracy theory or a stealth tax, IT IS 5P FOR A BAG. If you don't want to pay it, take a bag along - it is really not that difficult.

[wolves_wanderer]

Parsnip said:

Can people please get a bit of perspective here - it isn't government meddling, it isn't a massive conspiracy theory or a stealth tax, IT IS 5P FOR A BAG. If you don't want to pay it, take a bag along - it is really not that difficult.

This place cracks me up sometimes. Plus, M&S already charge 5p for a bag the lousy Commie, greenie lickspittles

[Stevanos]

wolves_wanderer said:

He didn't say he isn't thinking. He said he isn't worrying. Top-quality unhinged rant though

Exactly.

I don't get the objection to either bringing bags with you if you know you are going shopping, or spending a few pence if you forget!

[richie99]

wolves_wanderer said:

He didn't say he isn't thinking. He said he isn't worrying. Top-quality unhinged rant though

Fair enough. I take it all back. Apols to the not worrying, but definitely thoughtful Swede.

[Digger]

Has anyone ever used the M&S self-service tills and chosen to pay for the 5p bags?

Nope, me neither. I guess that's shoplifting for you.

[Eric Mc]

turbobloke said:

Eric Mc said:

I found some old Wilkinson plastic carrier bags in my loft. When I picked them up they literally fell to pieces.

That selfish act killed a polar bear and her cubs. Shame on you.

You obviously know how big my loft is.

[blinkythefish]

jmorgan said:

We are all starving to death in Wales due to this tax, will no one think of the pies........

Yep, same in Scotland. Everyone has stopped shopping and instead they just wander the streets, starving, muttering "5p for a bag...."

[Pooh]

It does seem to be working well in Scotland, I usually keep a bag in one of my jacket pockets so that I have one to hand and we usually have some spares in the car boot so I do not end up paying for very many.
In Scotland the money does not go to the Government so it is not a tax, most of the retailers donate the money to charity but I am not sure if that is what they are planning in England.

[Convert]

Parsnip said:

Really? you are doing something wrong, or you are Edward Scissorhands. I can carry bags without having them disintegrate - maybe I'm just that damn good. My eyesight is a bit off though, so it is possible I have missed people dropping approximately 1/3 of their shopping when leaving the shops.

Well perhaps I've been trying to do my bit for the yoghurt knitters, by placing too much shopping into a bag. I stand corrected and will use 1 bag per item (until Oct).

Parsnip said:

As for your second statement, yeah, go for it - sounds like an fantastic way to prove to the world you have nothing much happening in your life - "can I have a refund on this faulty 5p bag?" as a mod once famously said - Jesus Christ...

Can I get a Whoosh Parrot please

[jmorgan]

turbobloke said:

jmorgan said:

We are all starving to death in Wales due to this tax, will no one think of the pies........

I reckon you're all dying because of Labour mismanagement of the NHS in Wales, you should have a higher plastic and pie survival rate.

They are too busy buying airports, funding students and getting a moat built in swansea to care about the NHS.

[mybrainhurts]

jmorgan said:

turbobloke said:

jmorgan said:

We are all starving to death in Wales due to this tax, will no one think of the pies........

I reckon you're all dying because of Labour mismanagement of the NHS in Wales, you should have a higher plastic and pie survival rate.

They are too busy buying airports, funding students and getting a moat built in swansea to care about the NHS.

One good thing...when they build the moat around Wales, it won't fill up with plastic bags.

[marshalla]

mybrainhurts said:

One good thing...when they build the moat around Wales, it won't fill up with plastic bags.

But all the water will leak out because they don't have any free liners for it.

[Bradgate]

This measure is obviously sensible, and decades overdue. A few people will make a fuss about paying for bags for the first few weeks then we will all get used to the idea and quietly agree that it was the right thing to do. A bit like the smoking ban.

My main concern is that 5p is such a negligible amount of money that it will not provide sufficient deterrent. Surely 20p per bag would be a more sensible amount?

[plunker]

My wheelie-bin stinks already because of this new tax and has done for many years.