Plastic bag use on the rise after years of decline

Between 2006 and 2009 carrier bag use was down by 40% but in 2010 the downward
trend was reversed













British consumers are packing away their green
credentials along with their weekly shop, as last year an
increasing number of us bundled our purchases into single-use plastic
carrier bags instead of seeking out environmentally friendly alternatives.

Plastic bag use plunged
after 2006, when the government, retailers and green campaigners spearheaded
a push to cut down on the 11bn plastic carriers Britons used each year, most of
which find their way into landfill or – much more damagingly – into waterways
and the sea, where they are a hazard to marine life.

By 2009, bag
use was down by about 40% to under 6.5bn.

But last year, that downward trend was reversed.
Perhaps owing to recessionary worries, people forgot their hessian sacks and
filled up on plastic again - more than 6.8bn were used, up about 5% on the
previous year, according to the government's Waste and Resources
Action Programme (Wrap).

Recycling minister Lord Henley said: "This isn't good enough. Retailers need
to take responsibility and lift their game to cut down on the number of single
use carrier bags they hand out. If results do not improve we will consider
additional measures to make this happen, including legislation."

The British Retail
Consortium said part of the increase was likely to be down to shoppers
making more short trips to stores, rather than a single big weekly shop. But the
retail trade body said the small increase should be put in context of the
"massive" progress made since 2006, and said plastic bags were
only one of the many ways in which retailers were cutting their environmental
impact.

Bob Gordon, head of environment at the British Retail Consortium, said: "It's
encouraging to see the majority of consumers are continuing to reuse their
carrier bags and are taking as few new bags as possible. We urge customers to
keep that up, particularly when changing shopping habits, including more trips
to stores, present a challenge to maintaining the progress made in recent
years."

He rejected calls for a bag ban or charges, which could penalise shoppers at
a time of financial hardship. "The overall numbers remain the sort of result
other environmental campaigns can only dream of," he said. "But it's time to
accept bags are not the be-all and end-all of environmental issues."

Plastic bag data is difficult to compare over the past five years, because of
changes in the way the statistics are collected. Between 2008 and 2009, the data
was collated on a mid-year basis, from June to May, but from last year Wrap
decided to return to presenting it on a calendar year basis.

In 2006, nearly 11bn single use carriers were used, but after campaigning
this fell to 10bn the following year and was down to just over 7bn by 2008-09
before bottoming out at under 6.5bn by 2009-10. But for the full year of 2010,
bag use rose again to 6.8bn.

The campaign
against disposable plastic bags, which green campaigners have pursued for
years but which gained traction from 2006 when Wrap collated its first
comprehensive statistics, enjoyed a high profile for several years. In 2007, it
received a massive boost from the launch of Sainsbury's
stylish cotton shopping bag from designer Anya Hindmarch, emblazoned with the
legend "I'm not a plastic bag". The product – which sold for £5 in the
supermarket – went on to have a lucrative after-life on eBay, reportedly
changing hands for as much as £200 a time.

But while retailers say they are continuing their efforts to reduce bag use,
there is less publicity around the issue.

However, in some parts of the UK, legislators are
taking an interest. In Wales,
shoppers will be charged 5p per bag from this October, and a consultation on
charging for bags kicked off in Northern Ireland last week. Scotland shelved its
proposals for a charge, but they could yet be revived.

In Wales, the imminent charge may have helped to cut bag use – the total was
down by 7% last year, compared with the rise in England and Scotland. John
Griffiths, Welsh environment minister, said a charge was the best way to drive
down carrier use, as voluntary agreements with retailers would not achieve
enough. He said: "These figures show a real difference between carrier bag use
in Wales and that in other parts of the UK where no mandatory charge is planned.
This proves that the carrier bag charge, which is due to be introduced in Wales
on 1 October, is the only way to ensure a real and lasting reduction in the use
of carrier bags." (from guardian)


I see more bags now coming outof the supermarkets now...

maybe we are just getting fed up of being told what we can and cannot put our shopping in..i will buy a carrier bag if i impulse buy and dont have a bag with me..clothes shops will always have to supply bags as i dont fancy putting my new clothes in with a bag of groceries ...x

i carry two pack up bags with in my hand bag,but if i buy something that should go into a special bag i will not refuse it as i also reuse they all .
and these free bags are hard to come by now .
but supermarket ones i will use my own bags as they are stronger

I have found a way of beating the system ( don't tell on me .....lol) i only do a small shop a few times a week so i self scan i always forget my bags so i grab one on the end of the self scan i think you are supposed to scan the bag but i just put my shopping in it , i worked it ou over a year i reckon i save about £4.50 result , now waiting for a knock on the door ...BTW i have a boot full i wonder if they take them back ?