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Added: Wednesday, 4 November, 2009, 17:58 GMT 17:58 UK

I'm as guilty as anyone else at forgetting to put the bags back in the car or folded in my handbag. At such times I have a choice don't get whatever shopping I intended to or paying 15p for a bag because I forgot my own. No one else's fault - I forgot. Why don't some of you HYSers take some responsibility & not expect everything for free.

Silly Wad

I don't expect everything for free and if I forget my bags I am happy to pay a reasonable charge - 15p is not reasonable!

Jan

Added: Wednesday, 4 November, 2009, 17:42 GMT 17:42 UK

Why don't we give our carriers to bank bosses to carry home their bonuses?

Let's leave the EU now, Censored not Moderated

Added: Wednesday, 4 November, 2009, 17:41 GMT 17:41 UK

It's quite simply unbelievable how little some of the people on here care about the environment they live in. 15p for a carrier bag or re-use your own. That is all you have to do.

But a huge fuss is kicked up because people don't like being told that their habits are having destroying the environment......

The Running Man, London, United Kingdom

Most people do care about the environment and re-use carrier bags. Now and again I forget my bags and am happy to pay - but not 15p!!

Janan

Added: Wednesday, 4 November, 2009, 17:41 GMT 17:41 UK

Better idea!

Let's stop the climate change conferences around the globe where fatcats burn millions of gallons of aviation fuel and stuff themselves with obscene amounts of exotic food imported from all over the world.

Most of us re-use carriers anyway, either for shopping or rubbish disposal.

Let's leave the EU now, Censored not Moderated

Added: Wednesday, 4 November, 2009, 17:36 GMT 17:36 UK

What's wrong with recyclable thick paper bags.

Safeways used to have them.

[chiptheduck], England, a suburb of Brussels

Added: Wednesday, 4 November, 2009, 17:35 GMT 17:35 UK

Get your facts right. Marks & Spencer Food Stores are already charging for cariiers.

That's why I stopped shopping there.

[chiptheduck], England, a suburb of Brussels

Added: Wednesday, 4 November, 2009, 17:32 GMT 17:32 UK

"Why don't we do as Americans do and use paper bags for our shopping?..." Christine Samuel, Bridgend


A good article on paper versus plastic bags - blog.greenfeet.com

[Artemesia], United Kingdom

Added: Wednesday, 4 November, 2009, 17:21 GMT 17:21 UK

No, I would not be happy to pay it. So I would bring my own re-usable bag with me, which is exactly what the charge is supposed to achieve!

[Dorsai], United Kingdom

The trouble is that, unless your halo is glowing full time, there are going to be times when you do forget your bags. A 15p charge has more to do with shops making a whacking great profit, and less to do with saving the planet!

A Slipping Halo

Added: Wednesday, 4 November, 2009, 17:20 GMT 17:20 UK

I remember when supermarkets left out the boxes in which their stock is delivered so that customers could use these to take their shopping home. Now you when you look outside those same supermarkets you see skip loads of flattened cardboard boxes. It strikes me that supermarkets could save on the cost of their disposal and reduce the number of bags they use if they went back to doing this...

Nick, London

Added: Wednesday, 4 November, 2009, 17:18 GMT 17:18 UK

Years ago, there was no plastic carrier bags, everyone used strong paper bags.

Changing to & using paper bags should ultimately increase manageable commercial forestry as well as provide a much bigger market for recycled paper.

Paying for a plastic bag does NOT solve any environmental problems, just as blatant rip-off environmental taxes & charges do not solve any problems.

Paying extra to poison the planet is as ridiculous & outrageous as it sounds.

[SKYISBLUESOAMI], UN-SUSTAINABILITY THE EPITATH OF HUMANITY, United Kingdom

Added: Wednesday, 4 November, 2009, 17:17 GMT 17:17 UK

Anything that helps save the planet has to be a good thing.

[thelevellers], London, Europe

The problem is that some stores will charge 15p for a carrier bag and make a huge profit in the process of claiming to care more about the environment. Any profit from the sale of carrier bags should have to go to environmental causes, and not be a voluntary donation.

Anon

Added: Wednesday, 4 November, 2009, 17:15 GMT 17:15 UK

I have three Tesco's (Hessian?) re-useable bags

They sit in my car and go into my trolley at the Store

They are good quality, very strong, hold a lot of goods and are easier to pack

They are also attractive with green writing and red ladybirds!

It's no trouble to do this and I don't mind doing it

However, the only thing is that now I have to buy plastic kitchen-bin liners

So what's the difference between a Tesco's plastic bag and a plastic bin-liner going to Landfill?

[Artemesia], United Kingdom

Added: Wednesday, 4 November, 2009, 17:13 GMT 17:13 UK

I would not be happy to yet more taxes.I don't buy in to the save the world rubbish (pardon the pun) spouted by the yoghurt vest society. If plastic bags are so dangerous, why make them at all? No, this is yet another excuse to tax the working man. Brown already takes too much of my money that i work damn hard for.

david pearce, Peterhead, United Kingdom

Added: Wednesday, 4 November, 2009, 17:05 GMT 17:05 UK

THERE IS A CHARGE HERE IN SOME OF THE THE LARGE SUPERMARKETS WHICH I OBJECT TO, SO I ALWAYS TAKE MY OWN OLD FASHIONED SHOPPING BAG WITH ME.

Glenda Best, st ann, Jamaica

Added: Wednesday, 4 November, 2009, 17:04 GMT 17:04 UK

I'm already paying 10p for a good strong bag at Lidl. They are used a second time as a rubbish bag instead of paying the council an exorbitant amount for a wheelie bin bag.

[rjimmer], Weymouth, UK (what's left of it)