[Sam Kapasi]

Originally Posted by ash_edged

My home groceries superstore in UK was Sainsburys' and from last month they refused to give handbag to put my shopping into and I was forced to buy 14 handbags for my shopping for 5p each (Save the earth campaign) which I found absolutely ridiculos

I was faced with this for the first time when I went grocery shopping in Germany.

Forget about anybody helping you to put anything in the cart, out of the question. And you can forget about bags too.
Most supermarkets expected you to buy bags and they are beeped along with your shopping and you paid for them. Well, except for one store where the lady gave us 4 paper bags for free, lol.

While I was outraged at first, calling it a money making racket, I realised that I had no choice,we could not carry the potatoes, biscuits, cheese, sausages and apples in our pockets to the car. When I got home, I did not throw away the bags because I had paid for them. If I had to return for more shopping, I would have taken the same bags back with me. So it kind of worked didn't it?
Of course needless to say, to Jenny this was completely normal.

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

[bblost]

If memory serves me right Metro Hyderabad asks you to buy bags to carry the stuff you bought from them.

Edit: This is a lil OT. Mods may kindly delete if they feel it adds no value to the topic.

[harry10]

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

When I got home, I did not throw away the bags because I had paid for them. If I had to return for more shopping, I would have taken the same bags back with me. So it kind of worked didn't it?

IMO this is indeed good as that saves the recycling process a bit and also makes sure that we don't just waste things and utilize them to their best

[Sam Kapasi]

Oh excellent, so we finally have a separate plastic bag discussion thread. Thank you moderators.
I hope we will have something to talk about here.

First: Let's have your views on the plastic bags business.

EDIT: I have not put the option of seeing who voted for what. So I request you to please be honest in your vote. We should know what's going on before we discuss further.

Find it trivial? Say so.

[s0uljah]

I voted for option #3.

Refuse shopping bags *most* of the time.

For our store, my mum got in touch with someone who made us a bulk supply of paper bags made of old newspapers, we have our logo printed over. This is okay for small items and stuff that isnt heavy. Will try and post a pic of this later.

Australia has some system of the "green" bags. These are very durable and also cheap, the money goes towards some sort of recycling/environmental program.

We carry our own bags to metro usually, they incidentally charge for bags. German connection ? Heh.

You should see what plastic bags do to marine and bird life, its very disturbing.

[speedzak]

I don't like plastic bags. Very frankly. Kasam se!
Why????
Because, it has become more than 30% of waste in front of my office and in different parts of my city.

I try and take some bag with me or refuse it and dump all the stuff I buy from the supermarket directly into my vehicle. It will be a bit difficult first, but after some time we'll get used to it!
Guys!!! Try it naa!

I voted for the 3rd option. I avoid it unless I can't help it.

[karthik247]

Shops like Spencer's and Varkey's (in Kerala) give some pretty strong cloth bags. Much much stronger than the plastic ones and cause no harm to the environment.

[mjothi]

Good topic. I am sure it will make some impact.
Yes. I try to use the gunny bags (Big shoppers / Pothy's / Chennai Silks type) when I go for buying vegetables.
Also, when you BUY something, you add value to it. If its free, then it has less or no value.
So, you tend to preserve the paper bags you bought and make sure you it to the core

I have seen in Japan that you need to pay and dispose some of the stuff and hence people are not interested to accept anything for free. Because, the place to keep it is expensive + if you want to dispose it again its at a cost. Probably the day is not so far for us to have such fees in here. Already I see Garbage fee collected from Hotels for the waste foods and materials they want to dispose. So, it just matter of time.

[Aditya]

I voted for the 3rd option. If there's any marketing to be done, I carry a cloth bag from home.
Some years ago, my parents made it compulsory for me to avoid plastic bags. Now, it's become a habit.

[rjstyles69]

OT : Isn't Ooty a no plastics zone ? Last time I did some shopping I wasn't given a plastic bag for the stuff we bght. Instead we were given paper bags.

[muralisk]

Important and relevant topic.

For the past 2-3 years, I have been using cloth bags for all my grocery and vegetable buying. At other place, I try and avoid plastic as much as I can. However, I accept these bags at places where I have no option to carry my own cloth bags or if it is a unplanned purchase.

At home, I collect the paper and plastic waste in a different bin. It is easy for the garbage collector to segregate this from the bio-degradable waste.

About nine months back, the stores in our office (Indigo Nation, Food World and Strand Book Store) have completely done away the plastic bags. Instead, they give us the brown (paper) bags.

[mjothi]

Originally Posted by rjstyles69

OT : Isn't Ooty a no plastics zone ? Last time I did some shopping I wasn't given a plastic bag for the stuff we bght. Instead we were given paper bags.

Yes, Ooty & kodaikanal. In Bangalore the Baneergatta zoo & park also has no plastic zone. They replace the plastic bags you carry with the paper ones at the entrance.

[ajitkommini]

I try and take the minimum number of plastic bags, but hard to avoid them sometimes. Also, for some reason my maid has suddenly started using plastic shopping bags as bin liners - so thats good I guess!

[Sam Kapasi]

We all obviously understand that paper and cloth bags do and will cause less damage.
BUT paper bags are not as strong, often inconvenient and nowadays, cost more than plastic bags.
Cloth bags have become super expensive and cannot be given away free.

OK so let me ask you this.

If like my experience in Germany, super markets started charging you 2 rupees per plastic bag they gave away, what would it do?

Would it simply raise your shopping bill and that is that?
Would it make you want to take the bag back with you the next time you shop?

I'll tell you what else annoys me. Worrying about plastic bags and the environment is something restricted only to upper level and high level shopping.
Expensive places that charge you 3 times the value for luxury items say
"Oh look at us, we give you paper bags, we're cool, we're classy and we care"

In terms of percentage they are not even a scratch on the surface of the subhiksha type plastic bags that I see everywhere.

Let us not discuss intellectual shopping. I'm discussing daily life shopping.

[NetfreakBombay]

In Mumbai, Hypercity (In Gorgaon, West) gives you option on using 100% degradable bags.

They charge 1 Rupee per bag.

I always use that option instead of free plastic bags. Hardly adds 10 Rs to monthly grocery shopping.