Plastic carrier bags to be chargeable and not free anymore in England.
Smoking banned in all vehicles with a person under 18 also in it.
Discuss
Tesco are giving away free bags for life. Both laws are great moves IMO.
2nd one I agree with.
1st one I don't think will make one iota of difference. And don't forget it only applies to Large shops, so not smaller Express types or corner shops.
Carry on discussing..
Can't see why we can't ban smoking in vehicles totally, but saying that using phones whilst driving is banned but definitely not on the decrease, until there is enough police out there to do more enforcement is not going to happen.
We've had the 5p bag charge in Scotland for a while. I think it's a good thing, it has changed behaviour in our office. We all take bags to the shop for lunch now. It's cut our bag use from 1 per person per day to probably a few a week.
Placcy bag law should have come in ages ago - as in Wales, where it has made a huge difference to shoppers habits
Aldi donating profits from plastic bags to the RSPB ..... *Aplauds*
Whilst I get the not smoking in cars and WHY I dont really see how you can enforce it or why we have bothered as they will still do it in their homes.
I am not sure what has been achieved by it either ban it or dont but this is s strange creeping draconianism
Non smoker FWIW
Scotland here, I reckon quite strongly that the charge is reducing use of them. My local Coop told me they're getting through loads less.
Smoking banned in all vehicles with a person under 18 also in it.
Not going to be enforced, according to a police source. So says The Times, anyway. But then the police aren't enforcing mobile phone use, red light jumping, speeding, or other dangerous driving.
The smoking in cars one I pretty much agree with. It's already seen as being unacceptable and harmful by a big majority I'd say. The law is just reflecting thst rather than trying to alter or lead public opinion.
1st one I don't think will make one iota of difference
Seems to have had a huge impact in Wales. The main difference isn't the 5p, it's the fact that they don't automatically give you one. So you buy a few things, you pick them up and leave. When I come to England now I'm slightly horrified to see how they automatically hand out bags like nobody's business with one or two small items in.
We used to have a cupboard stuffed with the things, even when we tried to remember to bring our own bags, but the charge and the habits of the shop helped make us remember. Cupboard is now empty.
If people don't care enough about their kids to not smoke in an enclosed tin box with them I doubt they give a hoot if it's made illegal.
Use of carrier bags in Scotland is down by 80% since the 5p rule came in, that's pretty amazing tbh, and it generated a million quid in charitable donations too. Usage increased in England, in the same period.
I buy my lunch at Sainsbury's because it comes with a free bright orange carrier bag. I don't buy my lunch at M&S because they charge you 5p for a boring green one. Carrier bags have a multitude of uses.
If they start charging 5p every where, at least I might end up with a healthier lunch.
When I come to England now I'm slightly horrified to see how they automatically hand out bags like nobody's business
This
It's really bad news for anyone who owns a business making plastic bags 🙁
How does this affect a seventeen year old who wants to smoke in their own car?
Just make them slightly larger and call them bin liners
Co-op do biodegradable ones for 6p now too which are really good, if you forget your bag you can get some of them and then use in the food recycling bin.
Only problem is every so often I need a few plastic bags and have to pop out and buy some 😳
midlifecrashes - Member
How does this affect a seventeen year old who wants to smoke in their own car?
It doesn't, since 2011 the legal age to smoke is 18 so they're not allowed to smoke anywhere or at any time.
Bag charge has made a massive difference here (Scotland).
We had "bags for life" for supermarket shopping and reused most other bags we got but we still had a surplus. Now we are working through that and I reckon I've only bought about 10 bags since the charge came in.
The balancing skills of people in Sainsburys and Boots at lunchtime are pretty astonishing too, I reckon if they brought back Crackerjack the Scots would beast it.
Smoking in cars should be banned anyway, on what level does it make sense to let people hold something that's on fire in a vehicle when they are meant to be concentrating?
Huge LOLsI reckon if they brought back Crackerjack the Scots would beast it.
It doesn't, since 2011 the legal age to smoke is 18 so they're not allowed to smoke anywhere or at any
That applies to buying cigarettes, not smoking them.
Under 16 police can confiscate cigarettes, over 16 there's nothing they can do.
I've probably spent a few quid on carrier bags since this came in! doesn't bother me tbh.
on what level does it make sense to let people hold something that's on fire in a vehicle when they are meant to be concentrating?
They are addicted to it and it them saty calm and concentrate
Its safer than having them driving angrily whilst rushing home for a smoke.
point of order
the smoking in cars thing is about public health...not the environment.
As others have commented..in Wales the carrier bag thing had huge amount of media gnashing and wailing in advance which turned out to be hysterical over reaction. people just got on with it and it became normal within weeks. I now wear a baffled look when the assisstant tries to foist bags on me, until it dawns on me that I must be in England
on what level does it make sense to let people hold something that's on fire in a vehicle when they are meant to be concentrating?
A regular smoker isn't distracted in the slightest by smoking a cigarette. Totally second nature.
Far more dangerous to have a driver desperate for a fag and unable to have one.
I'm a regular phone user. Doesn't distract me using it while driving
In the shop where I work in Scotland, before the charge we were giving away about 30 bags a day. Now it's about 6 a month. I haven't bought one yet - I just use the bags for life and chuck them back in the car once I've emptied them. Not exactly hard...
You dont need any bags when you have two young kids, just be prepared for bruised fruit and squashed bread when they drop it...
[i]1st one I don't think will make one iota of difference. And don't forget it only applies to Large shops, so not smaller Express types or corner shops.[/i]
It's made a difference in Scotland, we use far less bags.
this is a great day for the supermarkets.. they ve been trying for 20years to reduce the cost of carrier bags and here in one fell swoop is the answer delivered on a plate.. the last tesco store i managed used about 3600 quids worth a month.. thats one store out of 1000 12 years ago.. they ll be dancing in the streets of cheshunt tonight..
1st one I don't think will make one iota of difference. And don't forget it only applies to Large shops, so not smaller Express types or corner shops.
According to high heid yin in Morrisons the reduction in use of new plastic bags in Scotland is down between 80-90%
I'm a regular phone user. Doesn't distract me using it while driving
Fair enough.
project - Member
Plastic carrier bags to be chargeable and not free anymore in England.Smoking banned in all vehicles with a person under 18 also in it.
You think they would have compromised.
Make it ok to smoke in a vehicle so long as you have a plastic bag over your head.
We've used the same bags for several years. I don't see why fresh plastic bags are needed every time you shop.
How does this affect a seventeen year old who wants to smoke in their own car?
It is legal so long as they are the only occupant. If any other occupant it would be illegal (even if the second occupant were an adult and also smoking!)
"Far more dangerous to have a driver desperate for a fag and unable to have one."
Does their car not stop.
And the door not open.
Or can they only smoke at home ?
I had a chuckle this morning at the lady the BBC interviewed in Waitrose about he new rules about charging for bags.
She said something along the lines of "Well I'll just have to buy my shopping as normal and then pay 20p extra" Said with a smug grin that implied 20p was noting and she wasn't going to change her habits.
Or can they only smoke at home ?
Pretty much these days. Yes.
(Non smoker btw)
Does their car not stop.And the door not open.
Or can they only smoke at home ?
Its like a BBC adversarial interview where you dont really address what I said but attack it with questions anyway
Shall I give a politicians answer back and not really answer?
An addict in need of their fix wont make good decisions
Would you like to dispute this or would you rather than do that ?
Sounds like they shouldnt be driving then.
Its a baby robins face at stake here !
I've already decided I'll be asking for a quids worth of bags when I go shopping. Can't see how they're any worse than using swing bin liners etc.
No bags in most of Oz, everyone uses the fabric or tough plastic reusable ones. Up in Queensland this week and was back in the UK recently and you get so many bags it's embarrassing. Also the fabric ones are much better for carrying heavy stuff like beer.
As for smoking there was an idea circulated that you could increase the minimum age for smoking every year...
