THE average family gets through hundreds a year without a thought, but now the plastic bags handed out freely by supermarkets and high street shops could become as much a thing of the past as smoking in pubs.
Politicians, retailers and environme
ntal groups have declared war on the billion carriers given away each year in Scotland. Marks and Spencer is the latest chain to introduce a charge for them, while Gordon Brown says he would like to see them banned completely by the year's end.
Supporters see them as the ultimate symbol of our throwaway society, with many ending up littering our streets and parks as they are discarded after use. They say a similar ban in the Republic of Ireland has reduced bag use by 90 per cent.
But some opponents say these claims are exaggerated, and that banning bags will only have a minimum effect on waste while consumers and small business owners will suffer if a levy is introduced.
Marks and Spencer announced last week it would charge customers five pence per bag from May, joining Lidl, Ikea and B&Q, who already charge for bags.
Chief executive Sir Stuart Rose said a trial in 50 stores resulted in consumers taking away 70 per cent fewer bags. They also raised more than £80,000 for the environmental charity Groundwork.
He said: "We want to make it easy for our customers to do their bit to help the environment and our trials have shown us that they want to take action. Just imagine if M&S customers right across the UK cut the number of food bags they use by 70 per cent – that's over 280 million bags they'd be saving every year."
The Scottish Government has already set a target of reducing bag use by 25 per cent by the end of this year but many people think this does not go far enough, and they cannot rely on retailers to take action themselves.
Edinburgh South MSP Mike Pringle is leading calls for a compulsory levy on plastic bags. Although his bill was shelved last year, he hopes to persuade the Scottish Government to reconsider it.
He said: "If we really want to get rid of plastic bags, the only way is a charge. To be honest, voluntary agreements never work. Australia managed to get a 34 per cent reduction (although this figure crept up again) but Ireland has managed to achieve a 93 per cent reduction through a compulsory levy. And the great thing is small shopkeepers will actually save money."
One shopkeeper who supports a levy is Aslam Aziz, who owns a fruit and veg shop in Argyll Place.
He said: "I'm totally in favour of it. It would save me £4500 a year. People will come into my shop and ask for a bag for two onions. We can't really refuse as everyone gives them away."
But Graham Russell of the Federation of Small Businesses says a compulsory charge would be hard on smaller shops.
He said: "Legislation is not the answer. A tax on bags would be an administrative nightmare for shopkeepers.
"Small businesses are extremely careful about how many bags they hand out, as they're extremely expensive. They don't put them on the checkouts. Ninety-three per cent of bags are handed out by the top four supermarkets."
Carrier bag producers say they are being unfairly demonised, as bags make up only a small proportion of plastic sent to landfill sites. They say most consumers already reuse or recycle their plastic bags, while alternatives such as paper bags or heavier grade plastic bin bags could be more damaging to the environment.
Peter Woodall of the Carrier Bag Consortium: "When people are deprived of free plastic bags they just have to buy them, although the latest research shows than in excess of 70 per cent of people do reuse their plastic carrier bags.
"In Ireland, people had to buy more bin bags after the levy was introduced, and the amount of plastic was actually greater than before. Bin bags and refuse sacks are a heavier grade of plastic.
"We recycle about 3000 tons of plastic bags in the UK. We turn them into park benches, litter bins on the streets.
"Very often the first thing a politician wants to do is tax it or ban it. We'd rather be educating people than having a tax slapped on it."
But there are signs that Scottish shoppers are becoming more aware of the environment, even if they are slower to embrace the reusable bag than other European countries.
Campaigners in North Berwick aim to make it the first plastic bag-free town in Scotland. They have persuaded stores, including Tesco, to stop issuing free ones.
Meanwhile, Portobello traders are trying to rid the area of plastic bags by selling a range of canvas alternatives under the Porty Shopper brand. A similar scheme in Leith in 2006 saw thousands of cotton shopping bags distributed in the area.
One thing everyone agrees on is that we need to reduce the number of plastic bags we use, through taxation or education.
They may be convenient, but in terms of environmental impact, they are certainly not free.
The full article contains 921 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
