Quote:
Originally Posted by Accyexplorer
It's not so much about cost, it's the principal of it.
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It's a good job it's not about the cost, because 5p is a massive markup on what plastic bags cost to make. The "reasonable costs" for the scheme go to the retailer, and they are expected to donate the remainder to charity.
You pay for your bags already. The cost is hidden in the price of the goods you buy. It's so small (per item) it's not noticeable. This scheme is about trying to reduce the number of bags we use.
Not only do bags use an irreplaceable resource in their manufacture (oil) they take forever to decompose. The figure is often given as 500 years, but that's just a euphemism for "we don't know but it's a very long time". Modern plastic bags break down through exposure to ultraviolet light, so the ones you see flapping about in trees will decompose eventually. The ones that go into landfill will probably never break down.