Plastic bag ban looms, but why?
8:37am Wednesday 9th January 2008
Comments (15)
HOW will you remember 2007?Perhaps it will be Gordon Brown's rather chaotic start to his premiership? Maybe it will be England's surprise appearance in the Rugby World Cup final.
Or perhaps it will be England's failure to qualify for this year's European Championships.
So what about 2008?
A little story is starting to emerge and it has potential to wind up as many people as two of the above.
In city centres across the UK a certain ban is starting to take hold.
No it's not an alcohol ban, it isn't a smoking ban and it's certainly not a ban on cycling through pedestrianised areas.
Green groups, and a number of councils obsessed with looking as environmentally friendly as possible, want to ban the shopper's best friend - the plastic bag.
This is an idea currently being mulled over by everyone at St Albans District Council.
Just imagine being a city trader now. You have just survived one of the worst trading years in recent history due to a ridiculous series of roadworks. On top of that shoppers are being tempted to larger centres elsewhere or to out-of-town supermarket superstores because of the crippling car park charges.
So just when they thought it was safe to open up again, the council's green policy looks set to kick them when they are down.
Where will shoppers go when they need to purchase a new blender, a railway set for their son, a doll's house for their daughter or five books to read on holiday? Well somewhere that will give you a plastic bag to carry them back to your car, or even worse for traders: the internet.
The idea has already been abandoned in south Manchester where green campaigners have given up on an ill-advised out-and-out ban.
The Sustainable Chorlton group had called on shops to pledge to use only reusable bags and to stop stocking carrier bags. But it has now binned the scheme after only 20 businesses signed up.
Most shopkeepers were opposed to the scheme fearing that they could lose trade if they refused to stock plastic bags forcing campaign leaders to admit that such a ban was "inappropriate". Let's hope one of them calls the district council before it is too late.
Helen Starr-Keddle, who had led the campaign, said: "I think some traders are scared that they will lose customers if they ban plastic bags and they are not prepared to take that risk.
"Our feelings on the use of plastic bags still stand, but we are not going for a complete ban and we must now find an alternative."
Biodegradable plastic bags are a possible solution, but they are more expensive so how will traders fighting for every penny manage?
Rather than banning plastic bags why not offer a rewards system where shoppers who bring carrier bags from home are given something back? At least such rewards would possibly attract shoppers to return to the streets of St Albans.
As you will see from our article on page 3 the majority of traders seem to be against the idea and have doubted the reasons behind it.
David Izzard, owner of High Adventure in Chequer Street, said: "It comes across as a publicity stunt in order to seem green," and Ian Bromage of Village News, High Street, said of the council: "Are they trying to force us out of business?"
I must say I do find it a somewhat strange move. Last night council officers recommended the scheme for approval. But not that long ago councillors met traders to discuss ways of improving footfall in the city centre.
If the council is so keen to go green there are a number of other things it can do instead. Why not make all agendas available online instead of sending tens of thousands in the post to newspapers, councillors and anyone else interested every year? How about thinking about its carbon footprint next time it wants to re-lay the paving in the city centre and choosing not to import it from China?
And if a plastic bag ban is introduced, how on earth does the council plan to police such a scheme?
Will we see the introduction of a plastic bag enforcement officer? Will you be apprehended if you are seen in possession of such an item? Will traders be charged with possession with intent to supply should they dare to help poor old Ethel carry her dozen apples and oranges home from the market with the offending item?
I don't know about you but I very rarely use a plastic bag once anyway.
Every bag is stored in a drawer. I use them to carry my muddy football boots home after a match in my holdall. My dirty kit is also stored in one between the park and home. When I walk the dogs, should they foul, it gets scooped up and placed in a bag. Most old toys get stored in the loft in a bag and we regularly use our supermarket plastic bags when we pop to the corner shop for a bottle of wine, tea bags or a loaf of bread.
So how can the idea be moved forward?
Going back to a rewards system, shops could hand out tickets to those who return plastic bags and green-thinking councils could offer such residents money off their council tax bills.
This would encourage people to recycle but would also help those who hadn't thought to bring a bag with them when they pop into a shop at lunchtime and purchase a large item.
Much more importantly, it will also ensure that the shop makes the sale.
- Is Martin correct or would you welcome a ban. Tell us below.
Your Say YourSt Albans & Harpenden Review
Sandra Oldfield, St Albans says...
11:02am Wed 9 Jan 08
Jenny Summer, St Albans says...
12:22pm Wed 9 Jan 08
Simon Grover, St Albans says...
12:51pm Wed 9 Jan 08
Michael Stephen, Borehamwood, Herts says...
12:55pm Wed 9 Jan 08
Symphony is a Hertfordshire company which has found the solution (which we are selling worldwide). Our d2w® oxobiodegradable plastic can be recycled, but otherwise it will degrade and disappear, leaving no fragments or harmful residues. A d2w carrier-bag will normally be serviceable for 18 months, but its life can be extended or reduced as required. It will typically be re-used several times, often as a bin-liner. There is little or no additional cost, as d2w products can be made with the same machinery, raw material, and workforce as conventional plastic.
The process of making paper bags causes 70% more atmospheric pollution than plastic bags. Paper bags use 300% more energy to produce, and the process uses huge amounts of water and creates very unpleasant organic waste. When they degrade they emit methane and carbon dioxide.
Re-usable shopping bags are not the answer either. They are much thicker and more expensive, and a large number of them would be required for the weekly shopping of an average family. They are not hygienic unless cleaned after each use. Whilst sometimes called Bags for Life they have a limited life, depending on the treatment they receive, and they then become a very durable form of litter.
Starch-based plastic is not the answer, because it cannot be recycled, it is much too expensive, and it emits methane in landfill. Nor is there enough land or water to grow all the crops that would be required.
Michael Stephen
Chairman
Symphony Environmental Ltd
Borehamwood WD6 1LE
www.degradable.net
Simon Grover, St Albans says...
3:59pm Wed 9 Jan 08
Paper bags do take more energy to produce, but wood products are considered carbon neutral as the carbon dioxide they emit was originally taken up by trees a relatively short time ago.
If your products use the same ingredients as standard plastic bags, ie oil, they are not the best solution, as oil production is carbon intensive, a limited resource (fossil fuel) and can leave harmful residues when they do degrade.
Reusable bags come in many kinds - you are presumably referring to the supermarket style bag for life, which are of course made of plastic. Much better are those made of sustainable materials like jute, cotton and other natural fibres, as long as they are produced in a sustainable way. Of they are more expensive - plastic bags are free to consumers! That's why there should be a levy on them. In the lifetime of the bags there would then be a more equal cost - a plastic bag for 10p that you use once or twice, versus one that costs £5 or so but lasts for years.
www.plasticbagfree.c
om have done a lot of research into truly sustainable alternatives to plastic bags. They have a list of supplier/shops on their website.
It's a complex issue!
Leslie Harty, North Carolina says...
9:57pm Wed 9 Jan 08
Chris Smith, London says...
2:13pm Thu 10 Jan 08
This is a very emotive subject. But the reality is that plastics bags have a very small environmental impact if they are reused then recycled. Changing the way that consumers use and dispose of plastics bags makes a lot more sense that simply banning them.
Simon Grover, St Albans says...
4:18pm Thu 10 Jan 08
All bags, whatever they're made from, take energy and raw materials to make. Like all products, the sustainable answer is to manufacture them in the most resource- and energy-efficient ways, and them to use as few of them as possible, and then to dispose of them in the least troublesome way.
The problem with plastic bags is that they are given away free, so there are many more of them being made, used and disposed of than necessary. And when they are thrown away, they take hundreds of years to degrade, make up about 50% of litter blown off landfill sites, and cause a lot of environmental/wildli
fe damage.
Recent floods in Bangladesh were blamed in part on plastic bags clogging up drains. As a result the country has moved to reduce their use.
I also agree totally with your last point. And the quickest, most effective way of getting consumers to use less bags is to charge something for them.
Sarah Llewellyn-Jones, St Albans says...
6:52pm Thu 10 Jan 08
Mr Belgrave, St Albans says...
1:48pm Fri 11 Jan 08
1) I use the plastic bags from the supermarkets to put in my bin in the kitchen, and if i don't use them then i'll have to use bin liners. How is that helping because i would still be using the same amount of plastic?
2) If bin liners are biodegradable then why can't the supermarkets make their's bags biodegradable?
3)The supermarkets will welcome the bag ban because it means the don't have to pay for them in the first place, but will supermarkets pass on the savings and reduce food prices by a few pennies per item as a result?
4) I still have to use big plastic bags in my outside bin, so when will the council provide everyone with wheelie bins? Doesn't that defeat the purpose?
Liz Davies, St Albans says...
3:00pm Mon 14 Jan 08
David Aston, St Albans says...
5:22pm Wed 23 Jan 08
I wonder how many people have discovered in their home, flaking pieces of this substance that once were bags and they had intended to safely store items in. Alas no more, I'll just have to hunt for proper plastic bags.
bob, neverland says...
3:09pm Fri 1 Feb 08
chris hobson, footsteps childrens shoes says...
11:29am Thu 6 Mar 08
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Simon Grover, St Albans says...
9:33am Wed 9 Jan 08
Firstly, let's not forget that plastic bags are a serious environmental hazard. They are also symbolic of our throw-away society. It is not sustainable for us to treat our planet like a dustbin. By definition, because it is not sustainable, we have to change.
I don't know what 'green groups' you are referring to, but the Green Party for one is not in favour of a ban on plastic bags. And the council do not have the power to ban them, or to enforce such a ban.
The best way to reduce plastic bag use is to impose a small levy on their sale. That would require national legislation. This has been done in many countries. In Ireland, for example, it has reduced plastic bag sales by 95%.
St Albans Green Party has been encouraging retailers to sign up to our Green Bag Zone, which aims to reduce plastic bag use. Retailers are displaying our cards, which remind shoppers about the issue and ask them to bring their own reusable bags if they can. This actually saves the retailers money - plastic bags cost them money.
In the absence of national legislation, this voluntary scheme is a way to keep people aware of the issue. It's also much simpler than some kind of rewards/tickets system that you talk about, Martin.