The Student Room Group

Do you agree with the 5p bag charge in England?

Poll

Do you agree with the 5p plastic bag charges in England?

I was just wondering about this, personally i agree with the charge as hopefully it will deter people from using plastic bags when they don't need to. Plastic bags are unsustainible and are terrible for the environment as they don't degrade easily and can harm wildlife. Personally i always carry a rucksack or a bag for life and hopefully these new measures will ensure people do this and if they really want a bag it is only 5p which hopefully won't bankrupt anyone. I am also glad to hear that all the proceeds from these charges will go to charities and good causes.
:h:

everything you need to know about the changes is here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34346309

feel free to vote on the issue as i am interested in what everyone thinks about the issue
(edited 8 years ago)

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5p won't affect anyone's behaviour. If they really wanted to do something about it they'd make it 50p or £1. Then everyone would start using those perfectly cheap and serviceable 'bags for life'.

edit: although it seems to have in Wales, which I find surprising. I suppose I'm in favour on that basis, but it still seems a little half-hearted to me.
(edited 8 years ago)
It's a step in the right direction. Disposable plastic bags are extremely wasteful so any attempt to decrease their use is a good thing but as @TimmonaPortella said, it might be more effective if charges were higher.
We've had it in Scotland for a year now, and I think it's a good idea. Like you said, it helps deter people from adding unnecessary waste to the environment. I like that the money goes to charity as well. Even before the charge I would usually use a bag for life anyway because they're just better, especially if you're carrying heavy stuff :yep:
Original post by CoolCavy
I was just wondering about this, personally i agree with the charge as hopefully it will deter people from using plastic bags when they don't need to. Plastic bags are unsustainible and are terrible for the environment as they don't degrade easily and can harm wildlife. Personally i always carry a rucksack or a bag for life and hopefully these new measures will ensure people do this and if they really want a bag it is only 5p which hopefully won't bankrupt anyone. I am also glad to hear that all the proceeds from these charges will go to charities and good causes.
:h:

everything you need to know about the changes is here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34346309

feel free to vote on the issue as i am interested in what everyone thinks about the issue


I too agree with the charge, if proceeds went to the Department of Energy and Climate Change, it would allocate them extra resources for investment in renewables.

5p may not seem like much, but millions of shoppers paying 5p more quickly adds up to a lot of extra wonga :smile:
Original post by TimmonaPortella
5p won't affect anyone's behaviour. If they really wanted to do something about it they'd make it 50p or £1. Then everyone would start using those perfectly cheap and serviceable 'bags for life'.

edit: although it seems to have in Wales, which I find surprising. I suppose I'm in favour on that basis, but it still seems a little half-hearted to me.


Original post by Plagioclase
It's a step in the right direction. Disposable plastic bags are extremely wasteful so any attempt to decrease their use is a good thing but as @TimmonaPortella said, it might be more effective if charges were higher.


When you're someone who has to count your pennies, you definitely consider the bag charge, as it does add up over time, especially considering how often you go shopping and sometimes to several shops in one trip. Trust me, I'm a poor student :p:
Original post by TimmonaPortella
5p won't affect anyone's behaviour. If they really wanted to do something about it they'd make it 50p or £1. Then everyone would start using those perfectly cheap and serviceable 'bags for life'.

edit: although it seems to have in Wales, which I find surprising. I suppose I'm in favour on that basis, but it still seems a little half-hearted to me.


i don't really think it is the price so much that is intended to stop people using them. Nowadays everyone is in such a hurry that if someone asks 'do you want a bag' most people just say yes out of ease, if the person says 'have you got 5p for a bag please?' i think imo people would be more inclined to say no as it would require more effort to find 5p than say no. i am quite shy and a bit awkward so it would put me off (i don't use them anyway but hypothetically) as standing there rooting in my purse for 5p would be embarrasing for me :colondollar:

i can see where you are coming from tho and maybe a larger sum like 50 p would make more sense :smile:
(edited 8 years ago)
Wales has had it for years moving to England I thought it was a bit behind really. It worked well to stop people using bags unnecessarily so don't see why it won't do the same in England
Original post by KommunistCake

5p may not seem like much, but millions of shoppers paying 5p more quickly adds up to a lot of extra wonga :smile:


Which is good if the aim is to raise money, but merely an incidental benefit if the aim is to discourage use.

Original post by CherryCherryBoomBoom
When you're someone who has to count your pennies, you definitely consider the bag charge, as it does add up over time, especially considering how often you go shopping and sometimes to several shops in one trip. Trust me, I'm a poor student :p:


Well, the evidence in wales would seem to bear out what you're saying. But there are still an awful lot of people for whom 5p per bag won't have that much of an impact.
Original post by CoolCavy
i don't really think it is the price so much that is intended to stop people using them. Nowadays everyone is in such a hurry that if someone asks 'do you want a bag' most people just say yes out of ease, if the person says 'have you got 5p for a bag please?' i think imo people would be more inclined to say no as it would require more effort to find 5p than say no.

i can see where you are coming from tho :smile:


I didn't think of that. Good point. That might be a better explanation for the 70 something percent fall in usage in wales.

Although if you're doing a big shop I guess it will just be a case of adding 35p or whatever it is to your card bill. In that circumstance I don't suppose it will make much difference, whereas if it were an extra £7 people doing shops like that might think ahead and bring textile bags.

It's a step in the right direction whichever way you look at it though.
Reply 10
Supermarkets have to earn more profit by law but not lowering prices? I think if the money gained from selling the bags went to cleaning up the country. That would be brilliant.
Original post by TimmonaPortella
I didn't think of that. Good point. That might be a better explanation for the 70 something percent fall in usage in wales.

Although if you're doing a big shop I guess it will just be a case of adding 35p or whatever it is to your card bill. In that circumstance I don't suppose it will make much difference, whereas if it were an extra £7 people doing shops like that might think ahead and bring textile bags.

It's a step in the right direction whichever way you look at it though.


:five: totally agree :h: we both make good points lol :lol:
It's worked really well in Wales (especially for my family :h:) so I'm in favour.
And there's absolutely no way they can make bio-degradable carrier bags? Sounds a bit like them restricting using ethanol in engines to prevent people avoiding petrol tax.....
Original post by JoshLL
Supermarkets have to earn more profit by law but not lowering prices? I think if the money gained from selling the bags went to cleaning up the country. That would be brilliant.


well apparently although intially the money goes to the supermarket cashier, the chain is expected to donate all the revenue from the bags to good causes, one which may be local projects like cleaning up the streets, who knows :h:
I think it's great, it'll stop that awkward moment when the cashier bags your stuff and then you say 'uh I don't need a bag ' xD
Yes. I don't know why England is the last part of the UK to have it, it should've been introduced years ago. Since it was introduced in Wales, usage has dropped 80% or thereabouts as we were talking about in a lecture briefly the other day. One of our lecturers was talking about the fact that she left Germany over twenty years ago, and they had a plastic bag charge (or something like that) back then, so once again we've fallen behind on being more environmentally friendly. Plastic bags are bloody awful in so many different ways, and while there is so much more to do, if it reduces pollution just a little bit, it's great. Besides, canvas bags look so much better and are so much stronger!
The money should be given to research organisations to help make plastic bags easier to throw-away and to help keep our environment cleaner.

The five pence charge could also be refundable through a bag collection scheme. Anything that helps reduce plastic bags causing problems for the environment.
Original post by billydisco
And there's absolutely no way they can make bio-degradable carrier bags? Sounds a bit like them restricting using ethanol in engines to prevent people avoiding petrol tax.....


well, i have studied this briefly in product design and apparently corn starch can be incorporated into some polymers. Some disposable forks and knifes are already using this. It dosen't break the plastic (polythene) down completely rather into timy bits that are mixed in with soil. in some ways tho this is worse as it is easy for the little particules of plastic to enter the food chain and poison creatures so i am in favour of reducing out usage of bags if posssible :smile:
Original post by CoolCavy
I was just wondering about this, personally i agree with the charge as hopefully it will deter people from using plastic bags when they don't need to. Plastic bags are unsustainible and are terrible for the environment as they don't degrade easily and can harm wildlife. Personally i always carry a rucksack or a bag for life and hopefully these new measures will ensure people do this and if they really want a bag it is only 5p which hopefully won't bankrupt anyone. I am also glad to hear that all the proceeds from these charges will go to charities and good causes.
:h:

everything you need to know about the changes is here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34346309

feel free to vote on the issue as i am interested in what everyone thinks about the issue


I thought they found a solution of disposing of plastics by making combustible bags. I don't know why they are charging plastic bags for?

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