It has been obvious for a while now that supermarkets have resiled somewhat from making us feel guilty about taking their plastic bags, while continuing to do their best to help us avoid the thin HDPE ones where possible. The disadvantages of trying to abolish them altogether became only too plain – slower checkouts, for one, as people had to take more time to properly pack their bags for life.
Now the Environment Agency has come up with a report which provides advice for retailers and shoppers on carbon footprint of carrier bags.
Two interesting facts which emerge from this lengthy report:
40% of supermarket carrier bags are already recycled or reused as bin liners in the home.
The average family bought 483 items of shopping from a supermarket each month during 2006/7 – that is nearly 6,000 a year or 16 a day.
Otherwise, the best way to reduce the environmental impact of plastic bags is to use each one as many times a s possible.
