Plastic Bags

Ludotolive · February 2012

Hi there, I would like to help to put Stroud Green on the environmental map and see if we can work towards making a Stroud Green a plastic bag free zone. I am neither a hippy, nor a tree hugger, just someone who has lived in the area a long time and would like to do more to invest in our area - I am concerned, not by the vagrants they exist in every town centre, but by the number of empty shops. By creating 'buzz' for the area we may get more people wanting come and visit - Time Out already covered a cafe for us and I think that the number of real quaility restaurants from Japanese to Maurition on Stroud Green Road, together with the New Improved Finsbury Park can make Stroud Green Road a 'destination'. But it concerns me that Tesco has a mountain of plastic bags in it's recycle tent and there are things that we can do. I would rather do this as part of a 'working group'. And I have got a strategy, so I would like to propose a meeting. I have a couple of dates in mind and will doodle poll it, meeting at Old Dairy. So is anyone interested in trying to create something special out of Stroud Green Board.....? Deborah

ChangN4N6 · February 2012

Good idea. Count me and joyce in. The recent Dixie chicken and chippy plus wigshop explosion make competing with Highgate (where I go to work)a bit of a challenge, tho personally i wuite like fried food. But u r right about the plastic bags. Maybe we should invite the telscomanager along? They do get lits of money from this district after all. Chang

vetski · February 2012

@Ludotolive, isn't it a good thing that Tesco's has lots of bags in its recycle bin? It shows that they are being recycled! Fewer placcy bags is a good thing, but I don't think I'd ever be able to get my usage down to zero - not least because we use them to encase the bleeding remains of what the cats drag in... By the way, what on earth is doodle polling?! It sounds a bit like Rev Spooner describing his efforts at dressing up his doggy...

Ali · February 2012

<A href="http://doodle.com/">http://doodle.com/</A>;

ashman · February 2012

I would love to have plastic free shop. I have been researching since i opened the shop an counting how many people actually bring their own. There is a big number of people who do however i still give out bags to around 75% of customers. I cant really cant find a way around it as i would have to give them something to put their shopping in. I cant just say no. I have finished off a design and will be handing out 250 cotton bags to my regular customers free of charge. That will cut down some use of plastic im sure. As for other options ive looked into a few things but they are really pricey at 2-3 times the cost of plastic bags. I would love to hear some ideas from you guys. Maybe someone on here works or owns somewhere thts bag free? Any help would be great guys. Ash

JaneDoe · February 2012

Are paper bags (like used in the US) not an option? I like to take plastic bags from shops because I have a special bin that fits them, so they are re-used in that way.

vetski · February 2012

They work well in the US, I think, because generally the furthest you'll carry them is to a car. Many don't have handles, and the ones that do often break, leaving you chasing the contents of a punnet of blueberries (which broke when the bag hit the ground) all over the place...I can't imagine trying to balance a US paper bag weighed down with fruit & veg on my arm while I went round Tesco with a basket!

JaneDoe · February 2012

Yes, you do have a point vetski. Don't some of the fancy shops like Wholefoods (in the UK) do ones with handles that are quite sturdy?

ashman · February 2012

Yes i had a look into that and the ones with handles cost over 15-20p each which is very expensive considering i have to give out hundreds of them.

miss annie · February 2012

Bugger

Detritus · February 2012

I have a plastic bag farm on the top of the kitchen cupboard they grow there I had about 100 but I was made to cull them.Carrier bag carnage.But if anyone has any fancy plastic bags can I have them? I would like to try and laminate them and see what happens.

harpistic · February 2012

The cotton bags are a good idea - if they're sturdy enough you (@ashman) could sell them, and locals would be more than happy to use them for shopping etc. I've printed up cotton bags for merchandising in the past, and they've been impressively robust.

Arkady · February 2012

How about some I Heart Stroud Green ones that all the shops in SG could sell?

harpistic · February 2012

Would we want the proceeds to go towards anything in particular? Or just to cover costs?

vetski · February 2012

I seem to recall there being some proposal for I heart Stroud Green cotton bags, but can't remember who made it. It has also occurred to the WI...I heart Stroud Green WI!

miss annie · February 2012

On the old version of the site there was a shop with I heart SG things in it. They were rather nice, I really wanted to buy an I heart SG mug.

vetski · February 2012

I bought an I heart N4 mug at Home when it was still open. Did it totally shut down, or did it move somewhere else? They had some nice stuff in there.

Arkady · February 2012

I remember the guy who sold them threatening to punch Andy in the face due to the latter's design critique.

miss annie · February 2012

I seem to remember there was some scandal about copyright too.

harpistic · February 2012

So we'd need a new design....

andy · February 2012

There is some I heart N4 merchandise knocking about. We did have a shop that sold the stuff, I'll try and dig out the link. I've got a mug, there are a few cotton bags in the 'hood. <div> </div><div>Home copied what we'd done, using a more rubbish design.</div><div> </div><div>I just found the link. It was David he wanted to punch, not me:</div><div>http://www.stroudgreen.org/discussion/1666/i-crouch-end-bags-and-mugs/p1</div>;

andy · February 2012

http://stroudgreen.spreadshirt.co.uk/<div> </div><div>here's the shop. I have no idea if it still works, to be honest</div>

ashman · February 2012

I thought of that idea but i want to print something i can give out for free,thts why im going with my own fruit and veg design. But i might print some i heart stroud green ones to sell, im sure a lot of people would lik to rep the 'hood'

Idoru · February 2012

One way to get people to cut down on plastic bag use is to charge people. M&S cut plastic bag use by 81% by charging 5p for every bag and gave the money to goodly causes.

Arkady · February 2012

'Stroud Green' rather than 'N4' please. I want nothing to do with Manor House.

Mirandola · February 2012

Any other local traders like to join in?

dorothy · February 2012

As well as a mountain of plastic bags at home. I’ve got about fifteen cotton bags including: I Heart Peckham; I Love N16; Herne Hill Says No To Plastic Bags, a couple of Kath Kidsons and many Bags for Life. I don’t actually need more bags, I just need to remember to take one or preferably two out with me. My favourite one, is a little one which fits into my pocket, or even a large plastic bag. Obviously if there was a, I love Stroud Green edition I would add it to the collection. I agree with Idoru. I think charging is the way to really make a difference. If you’re charged once it tends to focus the mind the next time. I wonder if traders would have to do it altogether though to be really effective and for people to accept it.  I sat on a grants' panel a while ago, where a local group wanted to make a High St a plastic bag free zone. They needed around £2,000 to get enough bags printed up to really make a difference and had a stall with a petition one Saturday. I think it was quite effective at the time, no idea of the long-term effect.

emine · February 2012

I don't think I've had a new plastic bag for at least a year and my old collection of around 100 is now almost gone (use them as bin bags). Yes, smug me. It takes anything from a couple of weeks to two months to form a new habit - I would write them at the top of my shopping list and now it feels weird to leave the house without one. I agree with charging too. And I'd like a Stroud Green or N4 bag please.

[Deleted User] · February 2012

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Ludotolive · February 2012

Reading all of your comments it is appears that there are clear themes that we can focus on 1. Attitudes 2. Practical needs 3. Costs 4. Change of habits 5. Design options for alternatives We also need to have a business angle on it to get Tesco's on board which I will try and research. I propse that we meet the week after next ' I am away at present. Really pleased this has lead to an active discussion. Deborah

gardener-joe · February 2012

Use Less Stuff has an interesting and counter-intuitive take on this issue. "Legislation designed to reduce environmental impacts and litter by outlawing grocery bags based on the material from which they are produced will not deliver the intended results. While some litter reduction might take place, it would be outweighed by the disadvantages that would subsequently occur (increased solid waste and greenhouse gas emissions). Ironically, reducing the use of traditional plastic bags would not even reduce the reliance on fossil fuels, as paper and biodegradable plastic bags consume at least as much non-renewable energy during their full lifecycle." See: <http://biotech-products.net/documents/The Plastic Bag vs Paper Bag.pdf> It seems you would have to use a fibre 'reusesble' bag squillions of times to recoup the energy used in making it and in getting into your ownership. Having several or more unused is really very bad and utterly counter productive. See also Re-use-it: <http://www.reuseit.com/learn-more/myth-busting/mythbusting-bag-bans>; I reckon the way to go is to use fewer plastic bags, and use them over and over, then recycle them. Not sure how you get folks to do that ... charge a couple of pence on each bag would help.

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