[tsk1979]

I actually use the plastic bags for Garbage disposal, like in west they have those black bags you are supposed to do garbage disposal in.
I figure reusing plastic bags instead of buying black bags for garbage disposal makes more sense.

[srishiva]

Hope there will be a cheaper alternative to plastic sooner. I have read recently that almost 80 or 90% of plastic bottles go to landfill even though they are dropped in recycle bins in one of the cities in the U.S.
Had the option to use paper bags in some organic stores.

I carry jute/cloth bag for vegetable shopping.

[RAC]

We re-use the plastic bags for garbage disposal and do not buy the black coloured garbage disposal bags.

[DKG]

Having been born in the sixties, for the most part of my childhood and teenage years whenever we went to the market to shop we carried bags, usually the jute ones with the wooden handles.

This culture of plastic bags started later. India for centuries had advanced habits of recycling and its sadly all set aside in the name of modernisation

One just made a little extra effort to carry bags to the market. Our car's trunk invariably had a pile of bags in a corner just in case you needed one.

A pack of Chips came in paper (I forget what that paper was called, whitish with a wax coating) and so did your bread.

So we had a more environment friendly lifestyle which has been thrown aside

As for garbage, bins were washed regularly and the main bin in the yard dumped into the locality's bin which was trucked away. No plastic anywhere

[Sam Kapasi]

Originally Posted by DKG

H
One just made a little extra effort to carry bags to the market. Our car's trunk invariably had a pile of bags in a corner just in case you needed one.

A pack of Chips came in paper (I forget what that paper was called, whitish with a wax coating) and so did your bread.

So we had a more environment friendly lifestyle which has been thrown aside

As for garbage, bins were washed regularly and the main bin in the yard dumped into the locality's bin which was trucked away. No plastic anywhere

The problem is that plastic became cheap to manufacture. Cheaper than paper and cloth.
By the way I remember those butter paper bags. We used to get samosas and chips in them.

[Bullfrog]

Good to see some topic of social relevance on t-bhp. Have opted for 3rd one on the poll. And follow that most of the times.

However a point made by Sam is very valid. Paper bags are trendy, but not very convenient at times. I can site an instance, where I had bought some particularly bulky gift items (for clients) from Cottage Industries group. As a policy they put all that in recycled paper bags. I had to walk 1 Km to reach a cab waiting. In the meanwhile it started raining. You can guess the rest of the story. By the end of 1 Km the bags were in tatters and I was balancing stuff in both hands with difficulty.

In Sainsburys, as it is cited in the beginning of this thread, they charge for bags. But there is a facility to push the shopping trolley (filled with stuff you have paid for) upto your car and load the same. Metro in India also has such facilty wherever I have seen. So, what is the problem ? Why do you need bags ? This becomes an issue if you want to use public transport to carry the stuff home, which is the case with so many people. Also Sainsbury's from as early as 2002 were selling their premium shopping bags for a price anyway.

In general Germany is very strict in Garbage disposal compared to UK. Lidl stores (in UK) which is of German origin, always charges for bags. As recently as 2005 in South Gloucestershire county where I used to live, many councils were not even collecting degradable and non-degradable garbage separately. And were just dumping the garbage in filling sites. Surprising but true in a country that calculates carbon footprint of every person including the air they exhale...

[DKG]

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

Cheaper than paper and cloth.

In the eighties I remember a statistic that the per capita consumption of paper per annum in India was 2 kgs as opposed to 240 kgs for the average American. And now the west is the leading light on environmental conservation!!

The increased consumption of paper too is an evil. I have almost totally eradicated the use of paper in my area of work. Its mainly online presentations and reviews

[GTO]

But why won't they help me put my stuff IN the bag???? lol Dammit, we Indians are really spoilt in terms of service.

Put my stuff in my bag? Are you kidding me. Indian grocery stores have long offered the order-on-phone-deliver-to-your-door service. In fact, that's the one single way that smaller shops are distinguishing themselves from the larger more efficient stores. And I can tell you that it's very popular. These chaps know how to save every penny (Baniya's) and hence, use NO BAGS. They deliver the goods in a large (cloth?) bag which is retained by them.

Maybe this is the most environment friendly way. No bags + the boys at my local grocer use a cycle for delivery . Let's see the west beat that!

[hydrashok]

A supermarket chain in Kerala has stopped giving away plastic bags. Instead, you can either BYOB (bring your own bag) or you can buy nice (reasonably) strong cloth bags from them for Rs.1.00.

Needless to say, I'm trying hard nowadays to remember to take bags with me to the supermarket. My car has a pretty nice collection of cloth bags now. I just need to remember to get the bags from the car when I park it and walk to the supermarket. This doesn't always happen (which is why the bag collection in my car keeps growing).

I noticed yesterday that they now have a scheme by which they will pay you Rs.10.00 for 10 used cloth bags bought from them. They just want you to give them 10 bags at a time, with the bags in good condition. Fair enough.

It would have been nice if they provided at least one free cloth bag for purchases above say Rs.500.00, and three free cloth bags for purchases above 1000.00.

I did not stop patronizing them, and switch to their competition (1 minute away, and with a better parking lot) just because the competition provides free plastic bags.

Like Sam, I'd also have liked them to bag the items for me. They used to, when plastic bags were provided. Now they don't (differs from outlet to outlet, though).

About the vote, I'm ashamed to say I voted for option 2.

[Sam Kapasi]

Originally Posted by GTO

Maybe this is the most environment friendly way. No bags + the boys at my local grocer use a cycle for delivery . Let's see the west beat that!

Ha ha, now there's a perfect example of daily life shopping and it does not get any more eco-friendly than that! Bravo!

[trrk]

Hi,

If I stop providing Plastic shopping bags, I would do next to no business. For the past two years , I have tried my level best to try and promote paper bags.

I end up giving the paper bag and a plastic bag as bonus. Most local customers refuse to take the paper ones. The only people who are keen to have the paper bags are some foreigners. There are foreigners who refuse the plastic ones.

My problem is the number of free plastic shopping bags that customers demand in addition to all that I give them or their purchases. It has been increasing steadily.

At least 50% of the people who come for exchanging what they have taken carefully don't bring the plastic carry bags so that they get more.

Our costs vary from around Rs 3 for the thinner variety to Rs 6.25 for the fancy stuff. I don't go in for more costly options in the plastic ones. The 'big shopper' ones cost about Rs 17.

I have not taken part in the voting. I don't like giving plastic bags, but have to to survive! Where possible I don't take plastic shopping bags.

By the way, I have not contributed to the plastic menace today as we are closed. We are celebrating our nth Harthal today. Who said harthals don't have good points?

[anujmishra]

How much did plastic bags affect environment? Well, in my way it is just a product made of natural things. (Contents of plastic bags do come from earth not from other planet). So, If we process use them and throw them then again it will go to earth, but it takes some time to get absorbed. Ultimately it goes to earth from where it came.

Well, I am against of littering of plastic bags. But it affects environment in great way I am not convinced.

Most of the pollution happens because of cars, factories, coal burning, black smoke etc. But did we think about of it? Still I believe it changing form from one state to another. One great scientist said "Energy never lost, it changes form". To get rid of all these we have to move back to stone age, where we will be free from everything.

Are we small creatures become so strong that we can affect the creatures of almighty?

Slightly OT: But I think it should be discussed here. Global warming: It is also related. Countries spend billions of dollars on discussing about global warming and back home their own citizens striving for food for 2 times. If there are any changes happening it may be due to natural phenomenon. Earth is changing form from one state to other.

For me everything made from product of earth and by changing form. So everything is natural unless something is brought from Mars, Venus or Jupiter.

Even if we do not use plastic, the substance/raw material of plastic will be always present in earth. Where we are going to throw those polluted substance?

I am sorry if I offended any members view but this is my personal view.

[phamilyman]

I always avoid it. even if it meant carrying back three polypacks of milk some 50m back to my house - with my bare freezing hands. Only exception - Reliance etyadi who will finally put one BIG bag for my stuff. Its not worth trying to explain to the morons. My backpack always carries some stuff back home on the bike.

@NFB: degradable bags? sounds like fun. tell me more.

[bblost]

Yes Anuj you are correct.
Plastic does disintegrate. It only takes some 300 years or so.
Until such time it puts a nice water proof cover on what ever place its dumped in.

Sometimes they burn it as well. It burns very well. Gives beautiful black clouds of carcinogens.

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

@NFB: degradable bags? sounds like fun. tell me more.

These bags look just like normal plastic bags. But they turn into compost once thrown into landfills. Will click pics over the weekend.

PR blurb from that grocery store : HyperCITY | Services