Costing just a few pence, and coming with a guarantee of a free replacement, many shoppers don’t take up the offer and simply discard the used bag as soon as it shows signs of wear, the UK waste management company has found.
BusinessWaste.co.uk hopes that incoming legislation that forces supermarkets to charge for disposable bags – bringing England into line with the rest of the UK – will make people think again about throwing out perfectly good plastic bags.
BusinessWaste.co.uk spokesperson Mark Hall told Packaging News: “Some are charging now including Marks & Spencer but once it is law attitudes should change. If you look at the stats concerning Scotland, it’s definitely making a difference.”
According to Hall, millions of these bags are sent to landfill every year instead of being taken back to the supermarket for recycling or ethical disposal.
“We were given the same reasons for this alarming statistic time and time again and it’s all about the ‘British’ way of doing things.”
According to the survey of over 2100 supermarket shoppers:
70% would throw away their bag for life rather than ask for a new one 42% have thrown away a bag for life after a single use Only 7% keep shopping bags in their car to prevent the need for single-use bags Less than 1% keep one in their handbag or pocket ready for use
“Most people told us they bought reusable bags either on a whim, or when there were no other bags available,” Hall said.
Some of the reasons people gave for not claiming a free replacement bag included:
“I couldn’t be bothered” “I threw it out after the first use” “We didn’t want to create a fuss over a few pence” “We wouldn’t know who to ask for a new one” “I’d be too embarrassed taking that tattered thing back to the shop. People might see”
“All solid British reasons,” Hall joked, “From apathy to worrying that asking for a freebie isn’t quite the done thing.”
The sad fact, says Hall, is that of the hundreds of millions of single-use and reusable shopping bags handed out by Britain’s major supermarkets, over 90% are thrown out after the first use, usually ending up in one of the country’s already overflowing landfill sites.
“While we think we’re good as a nation at recycling, we’re still mid-table compared to our European neighbours. We need to change our attitude to our shopping to cut down on needless waste.”
“Come on Britain,” Hall added. “This is costing you money – make your bag for life actually last for life. It’s not difficult!”
