As you point out, an issue is that sometimes we don't plan in advance so when we pop in a store/supermarkets we don't have any bags. We end buying one of those strong plastic bags because that's what's available and because they are only 10p (and single-use bags cost only 5p). We basically use these bags as single use ones.

IMHO, supermarkets should have continued to dispense single-use bags (could be paper instead of plastic) but sold at a price that really made people try to avoid them, say £1. Reusable bags should then be priced higher.

Problem is politics and pissing off customers/voters...

This. They stopped selling single use bags.

Now I just have the option to buy a "bag for life" or nothing. Bags need to be priced at £1-2 to get people to get in the habit of carrying a suitable bag to the shop.

They don't, clearly.

> Since 2015, when a 5p charge was introduced to tackle plastic pollution, the number being used is down by 90%.

My (anecdotal) evidence is before they were charged, people were using multiple bags without any consideration of whether they were necessary or not, whereas now people may still buy one bag every time they shop - is that better than the 4 they were getting before, as people might bring them occasionally? (I had a short look, but couldn't find any numbers to the number of times the 15p bags in sainsburys have to be reused, or the number of times it's estimated people reuse them).

This is such an important point! A relatively tiny charge had a massive impact on consumer behavior. This is real-world efficient market theory. If you put 5 cents on the counter and say "take it if you want it" then people will take it. What we have learned is that 90% of bags were essentially not needed, and so only the lightest touch was required.

Punitive measures ("we should charge $1-2 for a bag") are counter-productive because the harm to society actually exceeds the benefit to society. We are not trying to eliminate every plastic bag at any cost. This is not a plastic bag crusade. The goal cannot be absolutism, it must be based on efficient market economics where the new regulation actually benefits society.

I think you are missing the point of my comment above.

Many, if not most supermarkets in the UK no longer have single-use bags at all. The 5p charge has become irrelevant because there are no longer any such bags.

BUT now they have reusable plastic bags, that are much sturdier and thus made of more plastic, that they sell for 10p.

Most people do bring their own reusable bags with them but some don't, and as said sometimes you simply did not plan to shop and simply don't have a bag with you. In such cases people end up paying 10p for these reusable bags and probably throw them away.

Therefore, I think that single-use bags are still have a valid use: Sometimes you need a bag just for this one time and it would be best if such a bag could use the least material possible. They don't have to be plastic.

The more expensive price is intended at ensuring that people buy them only in emergency cases. Reusable bags should also be sold for more than 10p so that people care enough to actually keep them for a long time.

Note also that the article mentions statistics about single-use bags. Those 10p bags are not single-use so don't appear at all in the figures! A cynic would suspect supermarkets have found a loophole here...

Given the scale of environmental challenges facing the planet, that some people are so ignorant that bringing a bag to the shops with then is too much hassle really boils my piss.

It's really not hard. I have a couple of bags in my laptop bag and always carry a reusable folding bag in my jacket. We have a few in the boot of the car. That accounts for 90% of time I might need one.

>>I have a couple of bags in my laptop bag and always carry a reusable folding bag in my jacket. We have a few in the boot of the car. That accounts for 90% of time I might need one.

you must shop frequently.

I shop 1 to 2 times a month, and buy a large qty when I shop. I absolutely despise going to the store. It is not uncommon for me to need 20+ bags per shopping trip

When I go there are also often people that with 2+ carts, having had to wait in line behind such people using the reusable bags it increased the check out time by a factor of at minimum 2, and sometimes 5x what would be normal due to people attempting to shove as much as they can in a limited number of bags, and they often times have far fewer bags than are need which delay's everyone as they mess around with moving things to maximize space

Why not deliver to your home in that case? You won't use up bags, and it's more environmentally friendly than driving yourself to the shop because the drivers are making multiple stops. It's wonderfully convenient and you can choose how specific of time you want (price for delivery will vary)

I gave up ordering online because where I live they deliver the goods in disposable shopping bags. They even use more bags than I would because they separate the products by type. But I'm glad to see that in other places they seem to be smarter about it.

Delivery is not really an option where I live. Curb side pick up is but

1. I do not trust them to pick out produce for me

2. They do use plastic bags, we have no taxes or prohibition on the bags here

3. I am not willing to pay the Delivery Fee + Tip. Food prices are high enough as it is

sounds like you should be paying someone to do the shopping for you.

The headline would suggest they don't need to because people already do. To counter your anecdote, I no longer use plastic bags at all.

Can confirm. From the UK here and most supermarkets will now only sell 10p strong plastic bags rather than flimsy single-use bags. I have maybe 10 or so in a cupboard and I'll take 4 or 5 along on a shop. Maybe I'll be a bag short and have to pay another 10p for a bag, but that's better than 5 or 6 single-use bags.

This prompts a question I'd like to know the answer to. One of these thick new bags is equivalent to how many of the skinny old single-use ones in terms of environmental impact?

The supermarket Iceland (I think it was) said that after they stopped selling single-use bags they were now selling far fewer bags in total but the total amount of plastic sold had actually increased because the new bags are so much thicker.

Here's a link:

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1063859/supermarkets-plast...

'We have several in a drawer at home'

Same here and every so often we end up with so many that they get thrown away to make space.

Sometimes it's just not convenient to carry a bag around with you, especially not the 'bag for life' kind that are bulky and can't be carried discreetly in a trouser pocket.

How about something like this [0]? Weighs 46 grams, 25L volume, supports a 130kg load.

[0] https://seatosummit.com/product/travelling-light-shopping-ba...

Absolutely. I've had one similar to these for about 5 years and used it for almost every shopping trip, including hanging down from my bikes handlebar where they sometimes got into the spokes but still were fine after some cleaning. After those 5 years I lend it to my grandma and she lost the smaller bag you wrap it in and the handle got a bit lose so it needed some sewing. It may not last for 7000 times as others have claimed in this thread but 500 is easily doable. Anyways, absolutely recommended.

Thanks, now on my list of things to buy when I get around to it. ;)

> so often we end up with so many that they get thrown away to make space.

Please consider donating these instead of throwing them away.

At worst, they'll be shredded by the Goodwill machine, at best they'll be given to people when using a charity, whether that means a bag for shopping, schools, or to hold dog supplies in.