Carrier bags ( plastic or paper)

In light of the article on News24 today and them saying it takes 1,000 years for plastic bags to decompose, it's time they brought the old style brown paper carrier bags back.

I think one of the reasons shops stopped using them was the "save the trees" nutters, they have no argument anymore cos the amout of junk mail, leaflets and flyers that come through my door would keep me supplied in 3 carrier bags a week, they can be recycled easier than plasic, they wont blow around the coutry hanging from fences and trees like the plastic ones, if they are discarded, they decompose in a matter of weeks.

What's your thoughts on this folks.

We use cloth bags so rarely use plastic.

I don't use either, I have proper shopping bags but I watched something on tv yesterday that reckoned paper bags are worse because they take longer to degrade than bio degradable plastic. Didn't make much sense to me, have you ever seen a soggy paper bag, it's mush in minutes.

I worked for the largest plastics manufacturer in the UK, the only thing that degrades plastic is daylight, the ultra violet rays from the sun make it go brittle and it falls to pieces eventually, after a while all you're left with is a crumbly powder, but it does take time to reach that stage.

Yeah I understand that so how can a paper bag take longer?
I think it was on the wright stuff yesterday, it just didn't make sense to me paper turns to mush pretty quickly.

Being an ecologist by training (alongside animal behaviour ) I would not denigrate tree-savers by calling them "nutters", nor would I advocate the continual use of plastic bags (my late friend Frank found a Cumming and Spence bag in St. Lucia - Cumming and Spence was a supermarket in Kirkwall!). Mrs S and I use canvas bags, which are sufficiently durable to do numerous shopping runs. They also have zips, which make it harder for some yob to half-inch Mrs S' purse or my whisky

Keeping the planet clear of plastic bags and other rubbish goes hand-in-hand with saving trees: they are not mutually exclusive

Snorri

It don't make sense to me either, the presenters on that prog should put a poly bag over their heads so folks can't hear them.

Yeah well I was probably too busy telling the tv what a load of boll**ks it was to hear the answer if the truth be known.
I've never really understood why they did away with Sainsbury's paper carriers, they were big and strong held a lot and could be reused so why change to plastic. I do think though before too long all supermarkets will only give bags if you ask for them, it will become the norm for people to use their own shopping bags. I keep them in the car all the time but sometimes I forget to take them in the shop, but I'm getting better. They hold more are easier to pack etc. and I prefer them.

We have a charge for plastic bags here for the past few years and its amazing how quickly people become eco-conscience when it affects their pockets

It has been found that although there was a huge downturn in plastic bag sales to begin with, it seems that the litter problem is as big again now as before the levy

That must be rubbish about the paper bags taking longer than plastic.
I am now plastic bag free as I have 4 large reusable shopping bags in my boot and one freezer bag (though rarely use that).
The only plastic bags I use are my kitchen bin bags (they are made to fit the bin) and doggy poop bags.

I do think M&S starting to charge for bags will be the start of others following suit, and it's a good thing, though I have to say when I have bought a sandwich and snack bar there and said no to a bag you do feel a bit like a shoplifter carrying them in your hands out the store.

One thing I do wish M&S would do though is stop those stupid gift cards. I got given vouchers for Xmas by a client and everytime I pop in to buy something with them I get the change, no matter how small the amount, on a plastic gift card! I've got loads, all with silly amounts on and it doesn't tell you how much is on there til you get to pay.
Rant over.