Recycling...

We soon have a charge per plastic carrier bag being introduced in England. Some parts of the UK are already running such a scheme. If you purchase a more robust carrier I understand that will still be replaced when it is no longer usable through wear and tear.

I tend to take my own bags anyhow and use rucksacks and/or a shopping trolley. I don't buy a lot. Just occasionally the shopping is a bit heavy to manage especially when you walk awkwardly and hold onto a stick with one hand.

I haven't the income for big shopping trips but being single I use less/eat less and throw away less anyhow. Most of my food is frozen(in bags)or fresh. So there's not a lot of rubbish to go out. I'm now even considering(probably for next year)a small compost bin and then food can be reworked into the garden as it breaks down.

My local council now puts even less waste into landfill and its taken away for incineration somewhere anyhow. They also take away more usual house hold rubbish than they used to because of this. Recycling wise around this area they are less likely to accept rubbish put into recycle bins if the items are in plastic(bin)bags especially if they are black.

I rarely buy refuse sacks and hope to buy even less in the future. An ordinary carrier bag works out cheaper for rubbish anyhow(even if they start charging)for now you can't get cheaper than free. But 2p-5p per carrier is still much cheaper than a roll of sacks. Unless the sacks are so flimsy and on a roll costing perhaps £1.

I will have to pay soon...the charge comes in at the start of October for many stores. The Government say that they are not going to take the money but that they will leave the money raised for each shop/supermarket to give to good causes or charities of their choice.

I'll admit for now in the past week or so I have been grabbing a handful here, a handful there and though I will have to pay quite soon like everyone else for now I have a fair few to use when I go shopping to re-use or for the rubbish I put in the wheelie bin.

I understand that there are some exceptions regarding the charge for some bags depending on the items purchased but I'm not sure what they happen to be at present.