How you can fight the ACT Government's Bag Ban

My personal fave, take a roll of the clear bags from the fruit and Veg section and when they ask if you have any bags just hand them the roll, with a smile!

if some prick did this to me while i was at work, i would go nuts.
im generally nice enough to just give the 15c bags for free.

johnboy said :

his youtube channel isn’t enough for you?

Hey, link or it doesn’t exist!

I’ll admit to morbid curiosity. It will be a good argument for the licensing of Internet users in future.

Between this and the allegations I was faking Samuel Gordon Stewart I have to say I’m flattered you guys think I’m capable of creating such outlandish characters.

Truth is stranger than fiction as they say!

johnboy said :

his youtube channel isn’t enough for you?

you sure put a lot of thought into this JB

johnboy said :

his youtube channel isn’t enough for you?

he has a youtube channel? Is it as entertaining as John Moulis twitter?

pajs said :

I don’t think Mr Gillespie is real. I think he is a character created by Johnboy for the purposes of troll-posting and driving site traffic. The newsreader fetishism, the speeding, now the bags stuff… no way that is a real cluster of issues. I won’t believe otherwise until Mr G has his own blog.

I have always suspected that he, Captain RAAF, that uni student and Homeless are the same person, whether that same person is JB I am not so sure…

I don’t think Mr Gillespie is real. I think he is a character created by Johnboy for the purposes of troll-posting and driving site traffic. The newsreader fetishism, the speeding, now the bags stuff… no way that is a real cluster of issues. I won’t believe otherwise until Mr G has his own blog.

I’m suprised that you would complain about the plastic bag costs rather than the costs of the things in them, you astound even me good sir. Not that I think they are overly priced (but what do I have to compare to?) but if you think you deserve plastic bags for free, why not the food you carry in them? I don’t understand.

Also ‘gubiment’ cracks me up every time

I’m in favour of the ban. Loads more people are bringing re-usable bags and keeping a fold up bag in their handbags.

I”m not sure why they couldn’t keep the old style thin bags in supermarkets and just charge 5c for them, and likewise the really thick plastic bags they use in coles are a bit too strong for the purpose, but too ugly for much re-using, but overall I think it is working as a policy and will work even better as people get more used to supplying their own bags.

Ok then poll time. 6 Pages in what is the general consensus here?

The Plastic bag ban is is a well thought out policy or the ban is a waste of time and effort?

Also, is Mr Gillespie for real on this post or just trying to get this month’s Mully award with a silly post.

The plastic bag law is a joke. I can go into a supermarket and buy 30 items of fruit putting each item in its own plastic bag (the ones you tear off near the vegies), but I cant put 30 items in one plastic bag supplied by the store.

If anyone is a rabid beast that should be put down in this situation, it’s Labor-Greens bureaucrats who make stupid, idiotic decisions that are a whole lot dumber than any comment made on any Internet message board by users such as me, Dr Koresh!

Mr Gillespie said :

It’s not up to us to “set an example”!! If we want to set a rotten example and set a precedent showing that it is OK to cause unnecessary extra annoyances and inconveniences in people’s lives, then I want no part of that!

Since when did we become the guinea pig state, and since when did Australia become the guinea-pig country of the world for some Marxist’s socialist ideals??

May I ask you, Sandman, why you voluntarily chose to use flimsy plastic bags before the ban coerced that choice away for everyone then complain about how the bag split open spilling its contents? Why didn’t you at least nest the bags inside each other so they wouldn’t have split open like this??

Please, for the love of God, shut-up. You are so dumb and, as your gratuitous use of ‘?’s and ‘!’s seems to indicate, suffering from severe mental deficiencies. I would argue against your points but clearly you’re beyond rational discussion and, like all rabid beasts, should just be put down.

You know, six pages in (and not having read all of them), it occurs to me that the OP is based on a flawed premise; plastic bags were never free; how would a business person stay in business if they were paying for plastic bags and not passing that overhead on, just as they pass on the cost of the building, lighting, and so on. The only change is that the cost is now itemised on the bill rather than built into the pricing structure… although I expect few businesses will have reduced their markups in response to the change!

spinact said :

If this thread doesn’t win a mully I’ll be very disappointed! May RiotAct needs a Super Troll award as well.

Those pesky Greens with their women only pools might win out.

I don’t go swimming anymore, as I have no plastic bags to put my wet stuff in afterwards.

The Traineediplomat said :

……..Shop online and have the groceries delivered if you hate waiting in queues and parking 5m from the store.

It’s the same as any stick or carrot approach. Eventually it will change people’s behaviour. Like drink driving, remember how widespread and ‘normal’ that was in the 1970s etc? Now only arsehats continue to do it.

Maybe I’ve worked out Mr Gillespies ‘thing’, he’s a 1970s arsehat that refuses to change.

To clarify that tiny point, the parking 5m away from the shop comment I made earlier on, was not about the parking. It was a slight to show how ridiculous paying for bags is, to show the checkout operator that they can’t include the price of the bag when ringing up the groceries on the till.

You can’t compare shopping bag usage to drink-driving. The laws concerning drink-driving are a GENUINE, USEFUL law designed with safety in mind, however, the laws about plastic bags are designed only as a feel-good measure by the Labor-Greens Coalition, and their environmentally obsessed, brainwashed supporters. We’re meant to be doing something positive to help the environment, which means we ALL have to do without those low-cost, yet evil, nasty, non-biodegradeable plastic bags made of nasty, poisonous, petroleum-based environmentally unfriendly plastic that could cause an apocalypse worse than the dreadful climate-change scenarios their friends in the Federal Parliament are always dreaming up.

Go figure!

If this thread doesn’t win a mully I’ll be very disappointed! May RiotAct needs a Super Troll award as well.

Mr Gillespie said :

p1 said :

……….There is really only one thing in this whole thread I see worthy of real debate. That is – whether the advantage to the environment and society of less plastic bags being used outweighs the inconvenience and frustration that the change from thin free bags to thick 10c bags imposes on us all.

Personally, I think it is worth it.

….and I don’t — and that is why I started this thread in the first place.

Thing is, I have to get the groceries, otherwise I will run out of food (any idiot can work that one out). I don’t have the time to support some green nutter’s crusade to make themselves feel good about the environment. The only time I have for when I go shopping, is to get the groceries, wait in those stupid queues (an unavoidable hassle but not put there deliberately unlike this stupid bag ban), pay for them through the checkout, and get out and take them back home. I don’t feel it is right to be compelled to pay for something to carry the groceries home in, just because they no longer meet some “standards” about micron thicknesses, that have nothing to do with PEOPLE’S health and safety.

I’m sorry a lot of people disagree with me so much they fling insults back at me, telling me to “get a life” and “build a bridge and get over it”, and be mocked and have my argument turned into a laughing stock and have my words twisted around to suit themselves.

Shop online and have the groceries delivered if you hate waiting in queues and parking 5m from the store.

It’s the same as any stick or carrot approach. Eventually it will change people’s behaviour. Like drink driving, remember how widespread and ‘normal’ that was in the 1970s etc? Now only arsehats continue to do it.

Maybe I’ve worked out Mr Gillespies ‘thing’, he’s a 1970s arsehat that refuses to change.

So this is a new human right. Food, shelter, water and thin plastic bags.

Maybe you should write a letter to the federal government to tell them about this blatent abuse of human rights.

bitzermaloney said :

Holden Caulfield said :

bitzermaloney said :

Jim Jones said :

If you really think that all the plastic bags were being used as bin liners, then I’ve got an awesome bridge to sell you.

The multicultural bridge?

That’s no good, with all the road closures nobody will be able to drive across it.

Given it was suppose to be a footbridge that’s probably a good thing. Also, given how many cars are in Civic Walk today it probably won’t stop them either.

Yes, I realise it was supposed to be a footbridge. London Circuit is also supposed to be a road, but it’s not this weekend due to the ? festival (see if you can find the missing word).

😉

p1 said :

……….There is really only one thing in this whole thread I see worthy of real debate. That is – whether the advantage to the environment and society of less plastic bags being used outweighs the inconvenience and frustration that the change from thin free bags to thick 10c bags imposes on us all.

Personally, I think it is worth it.

….and I don’t — and that is why I started this thread in the first place.

Thing is, I have to get the groceries, otherwise I will run out of food (any idiot can work that one out). I don’t have the time to support some green nutter’s crusade to make themselves feel good about the environment. The only time I have for when I go shopping, is to get the groceries, wait in those stupid queues (an unavoidable hassle but not put there deliberately unlike this stupid bag ban), pay for them through the checkout, and get out and take them back home. I don’t feel it is right to be compelled to pay for something to carry the groceries home in, just because they no longer meet some “standards” about micron thicknesses, that have nothing to do with PEOPLE’S health and safety.

I’m sorry a lot of people disagree with me so much they fling insults back at me, telling me to “get a life” and “build a bridge and get over it”, and be mocked and have my argument turned into a laughing stock and have my words twisted around to suit themselves.

p1 said :

Mysteryman said :

Banning the free supply of something that consumers are continuing to purchase and discard is certainly not the most effective way of dealing with waste. Regardless of your name calling, that’s what’s happening.

This is not what was happening. People were previously being supplies bags thinner then 35 microns at checkouts to carry their goods home in. The government have mandated that all bags supplies at checkouts for this purpose must now meet a standard (which means they must be thicker then 35 microns, amongst other things).

The decision to stop supplying bags at the checkout (or to charge for their supply) is one which the supermarkets have made for financial reasons to do with the cost of making bags to standard.

While some people are continuing to purchase bags, (a) some people aren’t, so less bags are being used and (b) the bags that are being purchased are now made to conform to the Australian Standard.

There is really only one thing in this whole thread I see worthy of real debate. That is – whether the advantage to the environment and society of less plastic bags being used outweighs the inconvenience and frustration that the change from thin free bags to thick 10c bags imposes on us all.

Personally, I think it is worth it.

You’re right. The ban isn’t on supplying free bags, just thin bags. My mistake.

Mysteryman said :

Banning the free supply of something that consumers are continuing to purchase and discard is certainly not the most effective way of dealing with waste. Regardless of your name calling, that’s what’s happening.

This is not what was happening. People were previously being supplies bags thinner then 35 microns at checkouts to carry their goods home in. The government have mandated that all bags supplies at checkouts for this purpose must now meet a standard (which means they must be thicker then 35 microns, amongst other things).

The decision to stop supplying bags at the checkout (or to charge for their supply) is one which the supermarkets have made for financial reasons to do with the cost of making bags to standard.

While some people are continuing to purchase bags, (a) some people aren’t, so less bags are being used and (b) the bags that are being purchased are now made to conform to the Australian Standard.

There is really only one thing in this whole thread I see worthy of real debate. That is – whether the advantage to the environment and society of less plastic bags being used outweighs the inconvenience and frustration that the change from thin free bags to thick 10c bags imposes on us all.

Personally, I think it is worth it.

Jim Jones said :

Mysteryman said :

Learn to read what you’re responding to, and then maybe you’ll be in a credible position to comment on who does, or doesn’t, look like an arse. Right now, you’re just an example.[/quote>

If you actually think that ‘some people use some plastic bags as bin liners’ is an actual argument against the idea that the bag ban will reduce unnecessary consumption then you’re more stupid than I’ve given you credit for.

Crowing about reading comprehension is a (failed, unsurprisingly) attempt at distraction.

So what’s your argument in support of the ban, then? Do you have one? Apart from “I don’t agree with you so I’ll call you an idiot”. You never actually have any argument for any of the posts you criticise, besides calling people stupid and acting like you’re more intelligent than them. Most people move away from that behaviour after high school. Maybe you should, too.

Banning the free supply of something that consumers are continuing to purchase and discard is certainly not the most effective way of dealing with waste. Regardless of your name calling, that’s what’s happening.

Holden Caulfield said :

bitzermaloney said :

Jim Jones said :

If you really think that all the plastic bags were being used as bin liners, then I’ve got an awesome bridge to sell you.

The multicultural bridge?

That’s no good, with all the road closures nobody will be able to drive across it.

Given it was suppose to be a footbridge that’s probably a good thing. Also, given how many cars are in Civic Walk today it probably won’t stop them either.

KB1971 said :

bitzermaloney said :

Jim Jones said :

If you really think that all the plastic bags were being used as bin liners, then I’ve got an awesome bridge to sell you.

The multicultural bridge?

With food on a stick?

Naturally.

Really hope I can join the old chinese guy fishing for carp on it? Reckon he could do with an alternate to the noisey Commonwealth Ave bridge.

Mysteryman said :

Learn to read what you’re responding to, and then maybe you’ll be in a credible position to comment on who does, or doesn’t, look like an arse. Right now, you’re just an example.[/quote>

If you actually think that ‘some people use some plastic bags as bin liners’ is an actual argument against the idea that the bag ban will reduce unnecessary consumption then you’re more stupid than I’ve given you credit for.

Crowing about reading comprehension is a (failed, unsurprisingly) attempt at distraction.

I understood your correctly made point. I was just trying to keep it simple. Legally permitted bags cost more to produce. Ignoring any environmental justification, many are becoming aware of the true cost of producing these bags. Presumably this is leading to an increasing number of retailers (who can’t justify part or all of the production cost in any self promotion on the side of the bag) charging for these bags rather than giving them away.

By keeping it simple you are missing the main point of the original rant: Are you sick of having to pay for your own shopping bags these days because of the ACT Government’s Plastic Shopping Bag Ban?. The key point is who has decided to take away the free plastic bags and it is clear that it is the retailers that have decided it is fantastic idea to charge you 15-20 cents for a bag that only costs them less than 4 cents than the old ones they use to give away.

Jim Jones said :

Mysteryman said :

Jim Jones said :

Mysteryman said :

Jim Jones said :

Mr Gillespie said :

It’s not up to us to “set an example”!! If we want to set a rotten example and set a precedent showing that it is OK to cause unnecessary extra annoyances and inconveniences in people’s lives, then I want no part of that!

How about we set an example by not acting like spoilt, self-entitled jerkwads and instead try to reduce unnecessary consumption and waste?

Acting less like spoilt, self-entitled jerkwads is always good.

The new law doesn’t reduce unnecessary consumption in many cases as the free shopping bags were often used as bin liners, which now have to be purchased separately and still end up getting thrown in the garbage.

If you really think that all the plastic bags were being used as bin liners, then I’ve got an awesome bridge to sell you.

There’s a reason I said ” in many cases” and not “every single time”. Use the money from your bridge sale to buy books, and practice reading comprehension.

Ah, *some* bags are used for bin liners – what compelling support for your argument that the ban doesn’t reduce unnecessary consumption.

How about I reduce the price on that bridge just enough for you to buy a book on ‘how not to make a gigantic arse of yourself’.

Learn to read what you’re responding to, and then maybe you’ll be in a credible position to comment on who does, or doesn’t, look like an arse. Right now, you’re just an example.

I don’t think these laws make much of a difference. I still use as many plastic bags as I used to, only now I either pay for them at the check-out or I buy them on a roll to use as bin bags. Even though I do now often remember to take my own bag, it doesn’t make me feel like I am saving the environment at all. It just shows that I am more adaptable than I thought, but I am not sure how that helps in saving the whales.

But to mount a protest about it because it is inconvenient – and months after it came into force? Puh-lease! Move on.

PS: the only useful secret Santa present I ever got was when someone gave me a reusable shopping bag that folds into a tiny parcel and fits into my handbag. It still gets left on the kitchen table very regularly, but I feel so clever when I do get to use it. To put my roll of bin bags in.

If Mr Gillespie promises that the next plastic bag he recieves will be put over his head and attached around his neck via a rubber band for thirty minutes, I will gladly sign a petition for their reintroduction.

demanding to be given free plastic bags (which effectively would be subsidised by other customers) when a Government has decided this should no longer be the case

Ah yes, the continuing myth that the government has decided that you can no longer be given a free bag. As I asked Mr G, where exactly in the act does it ban retailers from giving you a free bag?

Guinea Pigs on a stick?

Served in plastic bags?

http://www.zazzle.com.au/guinea_pig_shopping_spree_recipes_binder-127673839091063307

First buy your ingredients.

(Note lack of plastic bags.) (And flashing joke indicators.)

Mr Gillespie, does your idea about your right to not be annoyed apply to all situations? Or just ones that are not really going to test you? If I am trying to meditate, and the next door neighbour’s baby is screaming (I have a right to peace and quiet in my own home), how shall I take of this? I’d like some of your enlightening ideas please.

KB1971 said :

bitzermaloney said :

Jim Jones said :

If you really think that all the plastic bags were being used as bin liners, then I’ve got an awesome bridge to sell you.

The multicultural bridge?

With food on a stick?

Guinea Pigs on a stick?

Served in plastic bags?

Those fancy 35 micron bags no less!

Afterwards you can use the bag as a bin liner and be part of the Marxist Greenie conspiracy against people with severe self-entitlement-related anger issues.

bitzermaloney said :

Jim Jones said :

If you really think that all the plastic bags were being used as bin liners, then I’ve got an awesome bridge to sell you.

The multicultural bridge?

That’s no good, with all the road closures nobody will be able to drive across it.

Mysteryman said :

Jim Jones said :

Mysteryman said :

Jim Jones said :

Mr Gillespie said :

It’s not up to us to “set an example”!! If we want to set a rotten example and set a precedent showing that it is OK to cause unnecessary extra annoyances and inconveniences in people’s lives, then I want no part of that!

How about we set an example by not acting like spoilt, self-entitled jerkwads and instead try to reduce unnecessary consumption and waste?

Acting less like spoilt, self-entitled jerkwads is always good.

The new law doesn’t reduce unnecessary consumption in many cases as the free shopping bags were often used as bin liners, which now have to be purchased separately and still end up getting thrown in the garbage.

If you really think that all the plastic bags were being used as bin liners, then I’ve got an awesome bridge to sell you.

There’s a reason I said ” in many cases” and not “every single time”. Use the money from your bridge sale to buy books, and practice reading comprehension.

Ah, *some* bags are used for bin liners – what compelling support for your argument that the ban doesn’t reduce unnecessary consumption.

How about I reduce the price on that bridge just enough for you to buy a book on ‘how not to make a gigantic arse of yourself’.

dixyland said :

If this isn’t a stitch-up, I feel sorry for you.

You’re obviously new to the musings of one Mr G.

If this isn’t a stitch-up, I feel sorry for you.

Jim Jones said :

Mysteryman said :

Jim Jones said :

Mr Gillespie said :

It’s not up to us to “set an example”!! If we want to set a rotten example and set a precedent showing that it is OK to cause unnecessary extra annoyances and inconveniences in people’s lives, then I want no part of that!

How about we set an example by not acting like spoilt, self-entitled jerkwads and instead try to reduce unnecessary consumption and waste?

Acting less like spoilt, self-entitled jerkwads is always good.

The new law doesn’t reduce unnecessary consumption in many cases as the free shopping bags were often used as bin liners, which now have to be purchased separately and still end up getting thrown in the garbage.

If you really think that all the plastic bags were being used as bin liners, then I’ve got an awesome bridge to sell you.

There’s a reason I said ” in many cases” and not “every single time”. Use the money from your bridge sale to buy books, and practice reading comprehension.

colourful sydney racing identity said :

Mr Gillespie said :

Since when did we become the guinea pig state?

Since the guinea pigs took over with the tacit approval of the reptoids

I bow to our new guinea pig overlords.

Besides, much cuter than reptoids…

I will never bow to the collaborating Vichy guinea pig scum!

Me no fry said :

NoImRight said :

In my youth I worked as a grocery packer. Remember them? WE packed your groceries and then carried them to the car.

Yes Im that old.

So am I. Growing up in Newcastle, I remember shopping with mum at Woolies, and having the groceries packed in paper bags (then, instead of taking them with you, you could either get the bags home delivered – at a cost – or pick them up in the car from a sort of drive-through hatch. What a great idea that was).

I never was convinced that the switch to plastic bags was such a great idea. But you get used to things. I’m sure people will get used to the plastic bag ban in the ACT, even if it isn’t as environmentally friendly as is being claimed.

Yes!! They use to do this at Westfield Kotara /nee Garden City /nee Kotara Fair.

bitzermaloney said :

Jim Jones said :

If you really think that all the plastic bags were being used as bin liners, then I’ve got an awesome bridge to sell you.

The multicultural bridge?

With food on a stick?

Jim Jones said :

If you really think that all the plastic bags were being used as bin liners, then I’ve got an awesome bridge to sell you.

The multicultural bridge?

Mysteryman said :

Jim Jones said :

Mr Gillespie said :

It’s not up to us to “set an example”!! If we want to set a rotten example and set a precedent showing that it is OK to cause unnecessary extra annoyances and inconveniences in people’s lives, then I want no part of that!

How about we set an example by not acting like spoilt, self-entitled jerkwads and instead try to reduce unnecessary consumption and waste?

Acting less like spoilt, self-entitled jerkwads is always good.

The new law doesn’t reduce unnecessary consumption in many cases as the free shopping bags were often used as bin liners, which now have to be purchased separately and still end up getting thrown in the garbage.

If you really think that all the plastic bags were being used as bin liners, then I’ve got an awesome bridge to sell you.

What a crock of crap. Why not get a different band wagon? What about all the global companies who package their items too much? Individually wrapped soaps for instance………

Rusalka said :

As all my opinions have been expressed more eloquently by most other people already, I will just say that if you can’t remember to take your bags to the supermarket watch this and you’ll never get the idea out of you head. Worked wonders for me, I have a shopping song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFgtIziShmc&feature=related

This is gold!

Jim Jones said :

Mr Gillespie said :

It’s not up to us to “set an example”!! If we want to set a rotten example and set a precedent showing that it is OK to cause unnecessary extra annoyances and inconveniences in people’s lives, then I want no part of that!

How about we set an example by not acting like spoilt, self-entitled jerkwads and instead try to reduce unnecessary consumption and waste?

Acting less like spoilt, self-entitled jerkwads is always good.

The new law doesn’t reduce unnecessary consumption in many cases as the free shopping bags were often used as bin liners, which now have to be purchased separately and still end up getting thrown in the garbage.

Mr Gillespie said :

It’s not up to us to “set an example”!! If we want to set a rotten example and set a precedent showing that it is OK to cause unnecessary extra annoyances and inconveniences in people’s lives, then I want no part of that!

How about we set an example by not acting like spoilt, self-entitled jerkwads and instead try to reduce unnecessary consumption and waste?

Mr Gillespie said :

Maybe because they “forget”?? And now “forgetting” comes at a price, a penalty, the 10c or 5c or 15c or whatever fee the shop charges to cover the cost of the more expensive >35µm bags they have to sell because of this law.

Would you like to have a guess at how much it would actually cost retailers to provide you with a bag?

A 20 Litre checkout singlet bag that compiles with AS4736 costs 6.2 cents the non-biodegradable version costs 2.5 cents. That’s right, the evil government has increased the cost of a supermarket providing you with a plastic bag by 3.7 cents.

This thread has been very entertaining. I hope it wins the Mully. And I am also hoping for a FOTW from Mr Gillespie when the fact that some people approve of this policy, in spite of his increasingly bizarre arguments, finally goes from causing a mere nervous tic to a full-on brain explosion.

Mr Gillespie said :

Since when did we become the guinea pig state, and since when did Australia become the guinea-pig country of the world for some Marxist’s socialist ideals??

Clearly you don’t have the slightest glimmering of an idea what Marx’s socialist ideals actually are. I’m not even going to touch the implied One World UN-run conspiracy theory in there, refreshing though it is to see it at the local level.

Here’s an action plan for you:

1. Stop listening to Alan Jones.
2. Start doing some independent thinking.
3. See your GP and get on some appropriate meds.
4. Remember to take a bag when you go shopping. I think you’ll find it’s quite easy and will save you the added risk of a cardiac event over the long run.

Any argument that has “I’m too arrogant and lazy to remember to do one simple thing that saves me a small amount of money” is doomed to failure. Do you get this incensed when you forget to pay for parking and get a ticket?

Mr Gillespie said :

Since when did we become the guinea pig state?

Since the guinea pigs took over with the tacit approval of the reptoids

It’s not up to us to “set an example”!! If we want to set a rotten example and set a precedent showing that it is OK to cause unnecessary extra annoyances and inconveniences in people’s lives, then I want no part of that!

Since when did we become the guinea pig state, and since when did Australia become the guinea-pig country of the world for some Marxist’s socialist ideals??

May I ask you, Sandman, why you voluntarily chose to use flimsy plastic bags before the ban coerced that choice away for everyone then complain about how the bag split open spilling its contents? Why didn’t you at least nest the bags inside each other so they wouldn’t have split open like this??

geetee said :

This issue is reaching boiling point.

At Woden Interchange recently I was approached by two young scruffs, who asked if I had 50c ‘for plastic bags’.

On another occasion, while I was having coffee my green bag was stolen from my table, while I was perusing the Financial Review.

A friend claims he saw a bloke at an intersection at Tuggeranong with a large sign saying ‘will work for shopping bags’.

Who knew this was such an issue? I always figured people on the dole didn’t need bags anyway as they just filled a shopping trolley with coke and disposable nappies and frozen pizzas and wheeled the whole thing back to their guvvie….

😉

gold, thank you 🙂

Bosworth said :

•If you haven’t brought your own bags, wait for the shop assistant to finish pricing all your groceries and you are ready to pay, before they ask you if you want any bags. Don’t accept the assistant’s question about wanting to “buy” any bags. Instead, refuse to pay for your shopping, and leave all items at the checkout counter.

I like this idea!

Yes, what a great idea. I love shopping so much I will gladly wander around a store selecting items only to leave them at the counter and repeat ad nauseum. *facepalm*

Ever since the ban came in I haven’t had a single moment out in the Dickson Woolies carpark where my flimsy bag loaded with mildly heavy objects has split dumping the contents all over the ground while my other hand is busy stopping my 20 month old running into traffic.
If on the off chance there are no green bags in the car it cost’s me 30c to buy 2 nice sturdy bags that can be used for multiple purposes multiple times. 30c, big deal. I don’t even bend over to pick up 30c if it falls out of my pocket.
Sure, we’re a pissy little state no-one cares about and our bag ban will make buggger all difference on a global scale, but someone has to set an example for it to become widespread. Unlike the OP, I’m proud to be a part of that. You can be a part of the problem or you can be a part of the solution.

Postalgeek said :

Mr Gillespie said :

……so playing into the greenie’s hands by penalising shoppers for “forgetting” to bring their own bags??

Can you tell me the “real” reason shoppers don’t bring their own “bags”. Is it a “protest thing” to make their lives even more “inconvenient” than not being “given” “free” “bags”?

Maybe because they “forget”?? And now “forgetting” comes at a price, a penalty, the 10c or 5c or 15c or whatever fee the shop charges to cover the cost of the more expensive >35µm bags they have to sell because of this law.

poetix said :

‘I am looking for ideas to send Simon the message that we will not accept decisions about shopping bags being forced down our throats each and every time we go to the corner shop to get the groceries.’

I wasn’t aware that there was a law to force shopping bags down our throats on such a regular basis. What do they think we are, endangered sea turtles?

Politicians, hey? Always forcing things down our throats! Actually, this is one of the reasons why I’ve always wanted Fiona Patten and the sex party to take the reins…or whips, boots and spurs…of power. I’m sure the whole throat-forcing caper would suddenly become a lot more interesting 🙂

KB1971 said :

Grail said :

Do you LOOK IN THE MIRROR IN THE MORNING? If you do, just write “BAGS!” ON YOUR FOREHEAD. That should serve as a reminder to get the bags out of the car when you go shopping. Then when you unpack the shopping, make sure to pack the bags inside one bag and put that collection back in the car. Nice and organised, and it’s very easy to turn that into a habit.

There, fixed it for you 😉

I would /facepalm, but that might cover up the reminder notice and I’d end up having to buy those bags which are the symbol of the Green devil incarnate!

Manny?

SERIOUSLY …. get over it!

Mr Gillespie said :

Why this limit of 35 microns?? Is that designed so that the only way you can make a bag 35 microns or thicker is to increase the cost, so passing the cost onto the consumer and so playing into the greenie’s hands by penalising shoppers for “forgetting” to bring their own bags??

Now thats as good as the conspiracy theory that the government is designing roads to get rid of cars………..

Mr Gillespie said :

…so playing into the greenie’s hands by penalising shoppers for “forgetting” to bring their own bags??

Can you tell me the “real” reason shoppers don’t bring their own “bags”. Is it a “protest thing” to make their lives even more “inconvenient” than not being “given” “free” “bags”?

Shop at IGA – they have biodegradable bags for 10c. They’re quite big, so still cheaper than buying bin liners. Besides – more than half the time the staff forget to charge.

I wasn’t fussed either way about the bag ban, other than losing the free bin liners that the old plastic bags provided. If it helps preserve the environment & all it costs is a measily 15cents (if I forget my green bags) for an alternative, I’m all for it.

Imagine living a life, where one of your biggest concerns, is no longer recieveing free plastic bags at the super market. What happens when you face a real problem?

Mr Gillespie said :

Why this limit of 35 microns?? Is that designed so that the only way you can make a bag 35 microns or thicker is to increase the cost, so passing the cost onto the consumer and so playing into the greenie’s hands by penalising shoppers for “forgetting” to bring their own bags??

I would guess that 35 microns is a divider between the thin t-shirt bags you get at the supermarket and the heavier bag you get at a fashion shop.

As I pointed out there is no requirement in the act for businesses to charge you for a bag. If they choose to do so then that is their choice, they haven’t been forced to do so by the government.

Mr Gillespie said :

davo101 said :

Mr Gillespie said :

like the “free” ones we no longer are allowed to be given at the checkout

I’m sorry, exactly where in the act does it say that shops can’t give you free bags?

All it says is that they can’t give you a non-biodegradable polyethylene bag less than 35 microns thick.

Why this limit of 35 microns?? Is that designed so that the only way you can make a bag 35 microns or thicker is to increase the cost, so passing the cost onto the consumer and so playing into the greenie’s hands by penalising shoppers for “forgetting” to bring their own bags??

Whats a micron or two between friends?

KB1971 said :

Grail said :

Do you LOOK IN THE MIRROR IN THE MORNING? If you do, just write “BAGS!” ON YOUR FOREHEAD.

There, fixed it for you 😉

Mean and cruel! You realise that Mr G (and Mr Grail) might now be identifiable by all Riot readers because they have BAGS! scrawled on their foreheads?

davo101 said :

Mr Gillespie said :

like the “free” ones we no longer are allowed to be given at the checkout

I’m sorry, exactly where in the act does it say that shops can’t give you free bags?

All it says is that they can’t give you a non-biodegradable polyethylene bag less than 35 microns thick.

Why this limit of 35 microns?? Is that designed so that the only way you can make a bag 35 microns or thicker is to increase the cost, so passing the cost onto the consumer and so playing into the greenie’s hands by penalising shoppers for “forgetting” to bring their own bags??

Mysteryman said :

I know the trend here is to rip on Mr G for just about anything he posts

Because he writes such utter plop.

How about a 10c deposit scheme for bottles (sorry if it’s already mentioned, I didn’t read all the posts)?

As all my opinions have been expressed more eloquently by most other people already, I will just say that if you can’t remember to take your bags to the supermarket watch this and you’ll never get the idea out of you head. Worked wonders for me, I have a shopping song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFgtIziShmc&feature=related

Mr Gillespie said :

SupaSal said :

sure abuse the poor shop assistant, leave your groceries. This is not pissing of the gov but annoying the shop. Assistant who many get abused, verbally and physically.

Then the assistant has OH&S grounds for suing the Government for making a legislative framework that makes for a less safe environment for the shop assistants.

I really am disappointed at the amount of negativity that’s directed at me once again for starting this thread, just like all the negativity and cynicism (often of a personal nature, and often side-tracking the issue at hand) directed towards me, like with speed enforcement, feminist politics, and so on……

As for the claim that life is full of inconveniences, well, what I say to that is this:

There are some inconveniences that are worth it, that really are unavoidable, but then there are the inconveniences that are put there on purpose which are not only avoidable, but not put there deliberately, which serve little purpose other than to cause annoyance — in this case, haranguing people into buying bags they’ll only throw away (like the “free” ones we no longer are allowed to be given at the checkout) as part of the social engineering by making people “think” and “change their behaviour” by penalising them for not bringing their own bags……

I’m sure my words will get twisted around again, like with the other issues I have commented on here on RiotACT, but it was worth a try, for the sane people who do use this site.

You really are one twisted douche. There are lots of things in life that cause everyday annoyance, like Kyle Sandilands and ATM queues on pay day .. but seriously man, take a chill pill before you blow a mental fuse and go postal at everyone.

Grail said :

Do you LOOK IN THE MIRROR IN THE MORNING? If you do, just write “BAGS!” ON YOUR FOREHEAD. That should serve as a reminder to get the bags out of the car when you go shopping. Then when you unpack the shopping, make sure to pack the bags inside one bag and put that collection back in the car. Nice and organised, and it’s very easy to turn that into a habit.

There, fixed it for you 😉

I know the trend here is to rip on Mr G for just about anything he posts, but I think it’s good that he is actually prepared to do something about a policy/law that he doesn’t agree with.

I don’t really think his suggestions are ideal, but more power to him. At least he’s trying to put his money where his mouth is.

davo101 said :

dundle said :

I suppose having to buy them ensures they will be used for their purpose rather than littered about.

Exactly the point of the ban I think you’ll find.

Yeah. I think I just talked myself out of my major issue with it. It’s annoying for those of us who don’t litter bags and reuse well, but it makes more sense than I thought.

Eyl said :

I never really saw plastic bag floating around the streets anyhow. I see bottles more than anything else.

i usually see fast food chain refuse – what does that say?

but to the op, what response #1 said… and i’d also lose the bit where you piss off the local businesses by leaving when the goods are checked through. also stupid – clearly, i wanted to buy those things ’cause i needed them, so i leave without them? um, right…

I was under the assumption (and I may very well be wrong) that the new heavier 10c bags are more bio-degradable than the old free ones the supermarkets used to give away? So therefore you’re paying for environmentally friendlier bags which are sturdier.
I also assume that it was only brought in at a cost as the supermarkets would not bend to pay for these more expensive yet more practical bags.

Mr Gillespie said :

I really am disappointed at the amount of negativity that’s directed at me once again for starting this thread, just like all the negativity and cynicism (often of a personal nature, and often side-tracking the issue at hand) directed towards me, like with speed enforcement, feminist politics, and so on……

Do you ever stop and wonder whether maybe everyone else isn’t wrong? This has never been a site that I’ve considered overly lefty – rabidly talk-back style right wing perhaps with a few notable exceptions but not lefty.

Be warned people, I hear that the AFP have put special patrols on the NSW border at QBN. They have infra red detectors and special sniffer dogs. The crackdown on the illegal carrier bag trade is going to bite hard.

Mr Gillespie said :

like the “free” ones we no longer are allowed to be given at the checkout

I’m sorry, exactly where in the act does it say that shops can’t give you free bags?

All it says is that they can’t give you a non-biodegradable polyethylene bag less than 35 microns thick.

Mr Gillespie said :

Then the assistant has OH&S grounds for suing the Government for making a legislative framework that makes for a less safe environment for the shop assistants.

Why don’t you sue the Government for putting the bag ban in place? Or at least complain to your local member? You’ll get far more sympathy from them than you will from me, for starters. If you write to the Liberal or Labor parties, they’ll make huge political capital out of your complaint.

You seem to be constantly trying to blame the rest of the world for your personal problems. You forgot to take your bags to the supermarket, now it’s the government or the shop or the shop assistant who is at fault. It couldn’t be your fault for being disorganised, could it?

What a peculiar creature you are.

Do you use a shopping list when you go shopping? If you do, just write “BAGS!” at the top. That should serve as a reminder to get the bags out of the car when you go shopping. Then when you unpack the shopping, make sure to pack the bags inside one bag and put that collection back in the car. Nice and organised, and it’s very easy to turn that into a habit.

Mr Gillespie said :

SupaSal said :

sure abuse the poor shop assistant, leave your groceries. This is not pissing of the gov but annoying the shop. Assistant who many get abused, verbally and physically.

Then the assistant has OH&S grounds for suing the Government for making a legislative framework that makes for a less safe environment for the shop assistants.

I like how you don’t want the government to tell you what to do, but expect them to take responsibility for your actions when you deliberately expose someone to unsafe conditions by being a jackass.

Kind of blows your “principled” argument out of the water.

LOL – everyone knows this is a “gateway” ban. First it’s plastic bags – then it’s our right to vote for a democratically elected Government! Isn’t this Julia’s fault?

Whitewhine. Or a troll. Maybe a little of both – either way can’t believe people are getting emotionally invested in this sh!t.

If this kind of thing gets on your tits so badly that you have to rant and rave about it then I politely suggest you move elsewhere. You’d probably wanna make sure they don’t have posted speed limits there – ‘cos I’m sure we all remember how much the enforcing of speed limits gets on your tits too.

Am I sensing a theme here/

Dear Mr Gillespie.

You could never apologise enough for sounding stupid.

But if you get rid of all the 15 cent shopping bags, what would be left to put over the speed cameras?

While you continue to remind me that you exist, my belief in the tinfoil hat brigade will remain alive.

Yours in continued disbelief,

Disinformation.

SupaSal said :

sure abuse the poor shop assistant, leave your groceries. This is not pissing of the gov but annoying the shop. Assistant who many get abused, verbally and physically.

Then the assistant has OH&S grounds for suing the Government for making a legislative framework that makes for a less safe environment for the shop assistants.

I really am disappointed at the amount of negativity that’s directed at me once again for starting this thread, just like all the negativity and cynicism (often of a personal nature, and often side-tracking the issue at hand) directed towards me, like with speed enforcement, feminist politics, and so on……

As for the claim that life is full of inconveniences, well, what I say to that is this:

There are some inconveniences that are worth it, that really are unavoidable, but then there are the inconveniences that are put there on purpose which are not only avoidable, but not put there deliberately, which serve little purpose other than to cause annoyance — in this case, haranguing people into buying bags they’ll only throw away (like the “free” ones we no longer are allowed to be given at the checkout) as part of the social engineering by making people “think” and “change their behaviour” by penalising them for not bringing their own bags……

I’m sure my words will get twisted around again, like with the other issues I have commented on here on RiotACT, but it was worth a try, for the sane people who do use this site.

Jungle Jim said :

Bosworth said :

•If you haven’t brought your own bags, wait for the shop assistant to finish pricing all your groceries and you are ready to pay, before they ask you if you want any bags. Don’t accept the assistant’s question about wanting to “buy” any bags. Instead, refuse to pay for your shopping, and leave all items at the checkout counter.

I like this idea!

Then you’re a jerk too.

+1

Do you punch the mailman in the mouth for delivering bills to you?

sure abuse the poor shop assistant, leave your groceries. This is not pissing of the gov but annoying the shop. Assistant who many get abused, verbally and physically.

If anyone’s interested I can do you a good line in cheap carrier bags, fresh off the boat from China. They have “Hong Kong Special Market, you me we go up friends special buy not you” on the sides.

3c each if you take more than a hundred off me, you can’t say fairer than that.

Bosworth said :

•If you haven’t brought your own bags, wait for the shop assistant to finish pricing all your groceries and you are ready to pay, before they ask you if you want any bags. Don’t accept the assistant’s question about wanting to “buy” any bags. Instead, refuse to pay for your shopping, and leave all items at the checkout counter.

I like this idea!

Then you’re a jerk too.

Mr Gillespie said :

Sorry to have to break it to you greenie supporters but I kinda don’t like having to pay for my own bags when I forget to walk from the checkout back to my car 5 metres away in the carpark to “BYO” bag!!

It is that kind of apathy that makes the green movement think it is OK to just walk all over us and impose their own agenda on all of us, with “little” changes that add up to their own satisfaction of their wishes and to hell with the majority!!

I kinda don’t like it that I’m not allowed to belt the christ out of my petulant neighbour when he fails to see reason, but I live with it.

In the greater skeem of things your issue is really quite petty.

I’ve been taking my own bags to the shop for decades, and I don’t ever vote green (nor would I ever contemplate it).

I suggest you just swallow your pride and take your own bags. You can even buy some with whatever slogan you like on them. Hell, screenprint your own if you have to.

If I had my way the manufacture of all plastic would be outlawed. There’s enough of the stuff already in the world. Reuse and recycle.

If you keep going down this track your going to blow a fuse dude.

arescarti42 said :

snakenuts said :

Why, if there is a “ban” can we still use the bags, only if we pay for them? Why are they not banned altogether? Doesn’t a ban mean “not allowed to be used” with the presumption being “under no circumstances”. I think this reflects a larger mentality that capitalism drives, in that we can pay for our way out of issues. Eg, as long as I pay some sort of dues, everything will be OK. This is stupid and does not help us change the way in which we see the environment and the way we think about how it is to be helped.

I think you’ll find the law in question bans plastic bags under a certain thickness. I don’t believe there is anything to stop retailers giving away plastic bags over a certain thickness for free (and I can think of a few that do so). As far as I can tell some retailers choose to charge for plastic bags to encourage people to use non-plastic bags.

Also, I doubt that you’d actually find the word “ban” anywhere in the legislation.

This issue is reaching boiling point.

At Woden Interchange recently I was approached by two young scruffs, who asked if I had 50c ‘for plastic bags’.

On another occasion, while I was having coffee my green bag was stolen from my table, while I was perusing the Financial Review.

A friend claims he saw a bloke at an intersection at Tuggeranong with a large sign saying ‘will work for shopping bags’.

Who knew this was such an issue? I always figured people on the dole didn’t need bags anyway as they just filled a shopping trolley with coke and disposable nappies and frozen pizzas and wheeled the whole thing back to their guvvie….

😉

Bosworth said :

•If you haven’t brought your own bags, wait for the shop assistant to finish pricing all your groceries and you are ready to pay, before they ask you if you want any bags. Don’t accept the assistant’s question about wanting to “buy” any bags. Instead, refuse to pay for your shopping, and leave all items at the checkout counter.

I like this idea!

An idiotic idea. Why p!ss off the checkout girl,, create more work for them, p!ss off other customers would would have to wait, and create antipathy to your, “campaign?”

Oh, and why not get a life instead?

snakenuts said :

Why, if there is a “ban” can we still use the bags, only if we pay for them? Why are they not banned altogether? Doesn’t a ban mean “not allowed to be used” with the presumption being “under no circumstances”. I think this reflects a larger mentality that capitalism drives, in that we can pay for our way out of issues. Eg, as long as I pay some sort of dues, everything will be OK. This is stupid and does not help us change the way in which we see the environment and the way we think about how it is to be helped.

I think you’ll find the law in question bans plastic bags under a certain thickness. I don’t believe there is anything to stop retailers giving away plastic bags over a certain thickness for free (and I can think of a few that do so). As far as I can tell some retailers choose to charge for plastic bags to encourage people to use non-plastic bags.

A few bin liner comments on here I noticed – the supermarkets do sell rolls of bio-degradeable bags for this very purpose. In three sizes! We have been buying them for years because they actually fit our bin, unlike the old supermarket bags which don’t do a satisfactory job and mean you have to have a whole load of them for a weeks waste, when in reality one or two nice paid for bio-degradeable bag will suffice. We compost most of our food waste so our rubbish is minimal anyway.

p1 said :

I hope this thread wins a Mully, it deserves to.

+1 .. this post, and the following comments really had me in stitches.

MissChief said :

They could offer incentives (rather than penalties) for people doing the right thing, make boxes more accessible to customers and offer paper bags at the checkout (as has been suggested here).

+1 for the box idea. Bunnings already does this. I don’t think they’ve ever provided bags and they won’t let you carry their baskets out to the carpark, but they pile all the smallish boxes up near the checkouts for customers to pack small items in. It can be challenging to find one the right shape, but they are convenient and easily recycled once you get home. Boxes would be great for packing groceries in, as they wouldn’t fall over in the car and spill everything all over the boot.

Aldi in particular could do this readily, as customers already have to pack their own items and they have a packing bench that empty boxes could be stacked under. I’ll often hunt around the store for an empty (or almost empty) box for that purpose; it would be easier if they were available in the packing area.

If you use this passion for something useful… who knows, you could actually save the world!

Mr Gillespie said :

Sorry to have to break it to you greenie supporters but I kinda don’t like having to pay for my own bags when I forget to walk from the checkout back to my car 5 metres away in the carpark to “BYO” bag!!

It is that kind of apathy that makes the green movement think it is OK to just walk all over us and impose their own agenda on all of us, with “little” changes that add up to their own satisfaction of their wishes and to hell with the majority!!

You accuse the Greens of apathy, when you can’t be bothered to fetch your bags from your car?

The other night I was in Woolworths Kambah and the person in front of me had a trolley load of goods, but had forgotten their bags. The customer asked the checkout operator (teller? cashier?) to ring up the goods while the customer went to fetch their bags. The customer returned with their bags and started packing the rung-up goods at which point the checkout operator helped pack the bags and then took the payment.

Another time I was shopping at the same store, someone was in line for the express checkout, realised they’d left their bags in the car, so handed the basket to the service desk and let them know what was going on. The service desk held on to the basket (well, left it behind the counter) and the customer returned with their bags and got back into the express checkout line with their basket of goodies.

When shopping with my partner, if we’ve forgotten our bags one of us will dash back to the car to get the bags while the other keeps picking the stuff that’s on our shopping list.

There are many ways to address the issue of leaving your bags behind. One option could even be to buy enough bags while you are at the counter.

Mr Gillespie might want to investigate the Gold Coast ban on helium balloons: it relates only to mass releases of helium filled balloons at State-sponsored events. They’re not telling parents that party balloons are evil, but they are telling the State that five thousand balloons released at once for a few seconds of “ooh, ahh” at a sporting event is probably a bad idea.

Sometimes being concerned about the environment is also economically sound.

Leaving the bag ban aside for a moment, I would like to address the comment about he carbon tax. A price on carbon is exactly the same as a price on going to the tip and dropping off a trailer load of waste. Where are the calls in the media for businesses to not pay tip fees because the added cost will send us all broke and ruin he economy?

I hope this thread wins a Mully, it deserves to.

Sounds like someone was allowed to play with plastic bags and put them over their head as a young child…

NoImRight said :

In my youth I worked as a grocery packer. Remember them? WE packed your groceries and then carried them to the car.

Yes Im that old.

So am I. Growing up in Newcastle, I remember shopping with mum at Woolies, and having the groceries packed in paper bags (then, instead of taking them with you, you could either get the bags home delivered – at a cost – or pick them up in the car from a sort of drive-through hatch. What a great idea that was).

I never was convinced that the switch to plastic bags was such a great idea. But you get used to things. I’m sure people will get used to the plastic bag ban in the ACT, even if it isn’t as environmentally friendly as is being claimed.

“Shop in Queanbeyan”

Funnily enough – this is exactly what I said to my Mrs this morning when I was replacing the bin bag,
“Oh, look”, I said, “we’re almost out of plastic bags for the rubbish bin – maybe we should shop in Queanbeyan in future?”.

Forgive me for speaking my mind in advance, but this is such a stupid comment. Really really moronic, and only signifies the depth of understanding that “anti-climate change” “protesters” have, and instead rely on arguments that can be reduced to physical action, eg the “advice” to put the shopping clerk out by leaving all your items there. Wow.

However, there is a point I find with Plastic Bag Ban that I am most frustrated with. And no, I am in no way coordinating my thoughts with the stupid post above.

Why, if there is a “ban” can we still use the bags, only if we pay for them? Why are they not banned altogether? Doesn’t a ban mean “not allowed to be used” with the presumption being “under no circumstances”. I think this reflects a larger mentality that capitalism drives, in that we can pay for our way out of issues. Eg, as long as I pay some sort of dues, everything will be OK. This is stupid and does not help us change the way in which we see the environment and the way we think about how it is to be helped.
If there is to be a ban, lets actually rally to have them banned altogether, without the option to pay for them at all, even if it is 10c.

Perhaps the numbat above is right. Everyone should take their own bag to the shops, or at least charge for paper bags. Perhaps the ACT gov should tell us (yes, please do nanny state.) that by such and such time we will all need our own bags because plastic ones wont be available, or charge us for paper bags. Because a ban is a ban, not a “OK you can use it if you pay me and I’ll turn a blind eye” policy.
Anyone else feel the same?

chewy14 said :

Sure it’s probably hurting the environment more with these new, thicker plastic bags but that’s what the ban was for wasn’t it?

The thicker bags are easier to dispose of since they don’t shred as easily. It’s the cleaning up of shredded bags that’s the issue, more than the consumption of fossil fuels required to create them in the first place.

•If you haven’t brought your own bags, wait for the shop assistant to finish pricing all your groceries and you are ready to pay, before they ask you if you want any bags. Don’t accept the assistant’s question about wanting to “buy” any bags. Instead, refuse to pay for your shopping, and leave all items at the checkout counter.

I like this idea!

Mr Gillespie said :

What??? Why the fuck should I buy them!!!! Do you like throwing your money away on waste? because I don’t!!! It is MY DECISION ONLY if I want to use a reusable shopping bag or not!!!

It’s not the money, it’s the principle. It is bad form to just take people’s money when they don’t consent to supporting a cause they don’t believe in.

Hahahaha!! I’ve never been particularly concerned about the plastic bag ban (reusable bags can fit heaps more in them anyway, and don’t feel like the arse is going to fall out of them on the way to the car, so I much prefer them), but now I COMPLETELY support the ban – just on a matter of principle.

Don’t forget your reusable bag when you head to the shops to buy the paper towel you must now need to wipe the spittle from your monitor.

I bet you’re one of those morons who asked for a plastic bag for your 1 chocolate bar, or 1 packet of chips or your bottle of soft drink just because it’s free. As much as people say they use the bags for their bins, despite how useless they are as garbage bags, most of the bags went to waste. Time to pull your head out of your ass and realise that you will need to have other bags to carry your shopping or pay for them like people in pretty much every other western country in the world.

Jetsam said :

“I apologise in advance for sounding stupid when offering my own ideas”

Simple, but I like it.

Damn! you beat me to it – I was going to say: “Appology accepted. Now don’t do it again!”

But seriously, it’s _supposed_ to be a P.I.T.A.
We’ve always paid for bags, we just now pay slightly more for them and see the cost on a direct per-unit basis (Rather than being hidden in the markup).

The idea is to give an economic motivation for us to stop using disposable bags and start using our own reusable ones.

The main downside for me personally now is that I used to use the bags in the kitchen bin (but I always had far more bags than I needed anyway). Now I shop in QBN whenever I need a new bin-bag.

Mr Gillespie said :

I kinda don’t like having to pay for my own bags when I forget to walk from the checkout back to my car 5 metres away in the carpark to “BYO” bag!!

It is that kind of apathy…

Look up “cognitive dissonance” and preach to us again about how it’s everyone else that’s lazy, not you.

I reckon you should get that guy who had the pallet of bricks and build a bridge

I live in NSW, but I’ve used my Coles bags since they first invented them, and wish they’d get more active with limiting plastic bag use in NSW. I recycle the bags containing things as my rubbish bags, and the container that holds my various plastic bags is in no danger of getting empty. Any bags will serve… dog biscuit bags, potato bags, pizza bases bags, they all do just fine for rubbish. And in time I imagine we’ll be tipping our rubbish straight into the bin, as we do with recycling, with no bag containing them.

Some businesses have never offered plastic bags… think of Aldi, Costco.. remember Cannons in Fyshwick? You had to grab a few cardboard boxes for your stuff even then.

Having to remember bags isn’t that bad when I specifically go to a shopping centre, but it is very inconvenient when you go to a major shopping centre (Westfield for example), and then want to do some shopping and either have to go back to the car and get them, or carry around a pile of bags.

They can obviously make bags recyclable so there is no reason why Coles and Woolworths can’t cover the costs (especially when IGA can). Instead they lower the price of fruit and vegetables and destroy independent grocers and our farmers. Pretty soon we will all be sick from eating the crap (literally) from asian countries.

your “free” bags were never “free” to start with. There was always a price built into the products you bought from Woolies or Coles to cover the cost of those plastic bags. The only difference now is that you can see how much they’re charging you for a bag.

RedDogInCan said :

madamcholet said :

For some reason, you seem to believe that the bags were previously “free”. Of course the cost of their manufacture and “free” distribution was rolled into the overall cost of your purchases.

Just look at how much the price of milk has come down since the bag ban and a major supermarket has recently announced it can now afford to reduce the price of fruit and vegies by up to 50%. Not only that but I’m now getting 8c a litre discount on my fuel since the bag ban.

Coincidence? I think not.

My hairs growing back too.

“Don’t carry green-coloured bags around, or display any bag that bears “save the planet” or other environmental propaganda messages”

What the hell did the environment ever do to you. You have way too much time on your hands, get over it .. re-use the standard plastic bags if it makes you feel better.

RedDogInCan said :

Just look at how much the price of milk has come down since the bag ban and a major supermarket has recently announced it can now afford to reduce the price of fruit and vegies by up to 50%. Not only that but I’m now getting 8c a litre discount on my fuel since the bag ban.

Coincidence? I think not.

And that’s just from the ACT and SA – just imagine how cheap stuff would be if they instituted the ban Australia-wide!

madamcholet said :

For some reason, you seem to believe that the bags were previously “free”. Of course the cost of their manufacture and “free” distribution was rolled into the overall cost of your purchases.

Just look at how much the price of milk has come down since the bag ban and a major supermarket has recently announced it can now afford to reduce the price of fruit and vegies by up to 50%. Not only that but I’m now getting 8c a litre discount on my fuel since the bag ban.

Coincidence? I think not.

Oh and to stop the myth this is just about stopping rubbish in teh oceans, believe it or not there has been some historical disaster attributed to the humble plastic bag.

http://buddingplanet.com/plastic-bags-causing-flooding-problems

Nasb said :

You know, I actually agree with one of your ideas, paper bags would be an awesome idea, they won’t work for anything cold, but hey, maybe the shops would consider giving away free (thicker) plastic bags for cold goods (and possibly fruit and veg) and free paper bags for everything else. I’d be happy to reuse paper bags for my bins.

In my youth I worked as a grocery packer. Remember them? WE packed your groceries and then carried them to the car. Yes Im that old. Anyway it was in the days of paper bags and we were actually taught how to pack a bag so that it held its shape etc.One of the things we did was wrap all meat and fridge/frozen products in newspaper for exactly that reason.

Could be done now. Double win for recycling and maybe employing some packers will help us all too. Of course I imagine the wage costs would be passed on.

Otherwise Plan B seems to be stand at the counter and shout at some poor checkout chick. I know which Id choose.

For some reason, you seem to believe that the bags were previously “free”. Of courset the cost of their manufacture and “free” distribution was rolled into the overall cost of your purchases.

I might start protesting very loudly against the cost of just about everything until SImon decides to provide us with charity based supermarkets that give us things for free, because I DON”T WANT TO HAVE TO PAY for a product that has been produced and cost the company legitimate dollars to do so.

On the plus side – nice to see those who don’t agree with the ban and those who do finding some common ground and just telling the OP to get over it!

davo101 said :

Mr Gillespie said :

Sorry to have to break it to you greenie supporters but I kinda don’t like having to pay for my own bags when I forget to walk from the checkout back to my car 5 metres away in the carpark to “BYO” bag!!

Wow, where do you shop? I can never get a parking spot that close.

Im impressed you got something out of that paragraph.I wasnt quite sure what the particular hysteria was there.

My Dad is probably the most reactionary fascist right wing everythingist I know. When this came in I waited for him to carry on about the doo gooders rooning the country but he just said well it cant hurt to see if this works.. Hes probably right.

G. There are lost of other things made of plastic still out there true. So you would be OK if we banned them all at once instead?

I’m having trouble believing that people still think this is an issue but even more unbelievable is that you think treating a cashier poorly will somehow achieve anything. Here’s a little secret that everyone who’s worked in retail knows, nobody cares about the person standing behind the register, not the store manager, not the customers, no-one.

You know, I actually agree with one of your ideas, paper bags would be an awesome idea, they won’t work for anything cold, but hey, maybe the shops would consider giving away free (thicker) plastic bags for cold goods (and possibly fruit and veg) and free paper bags for everything else. I’d be happy to reuse paper bags for my bins.

I don’t agree with pretty much everything else you said, even ignoring your propensity to accuse everyone who disagree’s with you a “greenie” for a second, the fact is that since the ban, I no longer see plastic bags in every gutter near shopping centres, so your claim that this has nothing to do with saving the environment is at best, speculative, since it has already had a noticeable affect on my immediate environment. I’d say that’s a win for an extra 10/15c everytime I need a bin bag

colourful sydney racing identity said :

Mr Gillespie said :

I am stupid, I should just move on and get a life.

Wow, for once I completely agree with something you said!

+1

Mr Gillespie, people don’t have to share your concern and support your petty cause. What’s more, abusing people who already disagree with you generally won’t cause them to change their minds.

Mr Gillespie said :

The bag ban is undoubtedly a feelgood, do nothing policy, however, it costs 10-15 cents to buy a bag.

In the whole scheme of things this is nothing.

Just buy them.

What??? Why the fuck should I buy them!!!! Do you like throwing your money away on waste? because I don’t!!! It is MY DECISION ONLY if I want to use a reusable shopping bag or not!!!

It’s not the money, it’s the principle. It is bad form to just take people’s money when they don’t consent to supporting a cause they don’t believe in.

The government takes a heap of my money to support causes I don’t believe in…

There are a lot of flaws with the plastic bag ban, and I agree with you that a focus on reduce other plastic packaging would arguably have greater environmental benefit. But on the whole I don’t have a problem with it. We’ve been using “green bags” for the weekly shop for years and years, my biggest problem now is lack of bin liners (although it’s amazing what can be used as a bin liner with a little thought), and the added strain on my handbag when I forget a green bag for those few items grabbed from the supermarket in my lunchbreak.

My biggest problem with shopping is actually getting to the checkout, with supermarkets seemingly unaware of the queues extending back into the fruit&veg…a hissy fit at the checkout isn’t going to help anyone, and will make no lasting impact beyond annoying everyone around you for 5 minutes.

I can see the benefits but there’s still some big flaws that need ironing out.

Aside from the fact that people can still buy thick non-biodegradable bags (more plastic than the old thin bags), I recently heard that there has been more than a 20% increase in the amount of bin liners being purchased. I also expect shopping centres will start finding more of their shopping baskets ending up at the tip or in recycling centres.

If the Government really wants to do it properly, they need to stop plastic bags entirely and look at other plastic wrapping being used by businesses, i.e. the silly legislative loophole that means some businesses can use as many thin plastic bags as they like because its classified as a food barrier.

They could offer incentives (rather than penalties) for people doing the right thing, make boxes more accessible to customers and offer paper bags at the checkout (as has been suggested here).

I would love to see us get it right and be a shining example for other places in Australia. There’s something very odd now about going to the coast and having plastic bags offered even for the smallest of purchases. Perhaps if nothing else, our improved awareness of the issue is one achievement (so far) that the Government can be proud of…. but there’s still a way to go on this issue.

Even in the most remote chances that you were successful in this crusade of yours, I doubt the supermarkets are going to scramble to start handing out free bags again. Some of us are prepared to pay for them, some have gotten used to bringing reusables, and some learn to carry more than two things at a time. Whatever the case may be, if there is one less thing the retailers have to pay for (and indeed, can now MAKE money on – albeit a pittance!), they probably won’t want to start paying for it again!

Mr Gillespie said :

AnimosiTy said :

at first it was a bit frustrating but when it comes to the bottom line it’s good to not have heaps of plastic bags… well non bio degradable ones.
suck it up.. it’s not that much if you NEED to buy a bag. or be more onto of your life and remember to bring them with you!
and remember to have a good laugh at people juggling their piles of groceries to the car! lol!
everything is over priced now adays any way… just be grateful that we are doing good for the environment in the long run! 🙂

Sorry Animosity, but that’s the sort of “feel-good” greenie reasoning that is used to justify this unnecessary annoyance. As I said, there are a lot more things made of plastic than just bags, that go to waste into landfill.

For God sake, there is enough stress in our lives, how many more unnecessary problems are people prepared to let lunatics like the Greens impose on us all, while we just sit back and make a mockery of all the “little things” without thought to the fact that these little things have a habit of adding up to a day’s worth of stress, annoyance and inconvenience!!!

Face it, Mr G., when the inevitable day comes when you completely freak out and start picking off random shoppers at Woolworths with an assault rifle, it won’t be the plastic bag ban that is to blame.

You’ve got ‘issues’ that go way beyond that.

Mr Gillespie said :

Sorry Animosity, but that’s the sort of “feel-good” greenie reasoning that is used to justify this unnecessary annoyance. As I said, there are a lot more things made of plastic than just bags, that go to waste into landfill.

For God sake, there is enough stress in our lives, how many more unnecessary problems are people prepared to let lunatics like the Greens impose on us all, while we just sit back and make a mockery of all the “little things” without thought to the fact that these little things have a habit of adding up to a day’s worth of stress, annoyance and inconvenience!!!

You know, Mr Gillespe, life is full of inconveniences but that is all it is, an inconvenience. 99% of people cope quite well taking their own bags to the shop. Its not that hard.

If day to day stuff makes you stressed then maybe you need to take up meditation.

Mr Gillespie said :

The bag ban is undoubtedly a feelgood, do nothing policy, however, it costs 10-15 cents to buy a bag.

In the whole scheme of things this is nothing.

Just buy them.

What??? Why the fuck should I buy them!!!! Do you like throwing your money away on waste? because I don’t!!! It is MY DECISION ONLY if I want to use a reusable shopping bag or not!!!

It’s not the money, it’s the principle. It is bad form to just take people’s money when they don’t consent to supporting a cause they don’t believe in.

So what you are complaining about is having to spend 10-15c??? wow

Heh. this is the silliest post I have read on here.

First world problems huh?

Mr Gillespie said :

What??? Why the fuck should I buy them!!!! Do you like throwing your money away on waste? because I don’t!!! It is MY DECISION ONLY if I want to use a reusable shopping bag or not!!!

Why don’t you try complaining to your friendly retailer? There is nothing in the law that says they have to charge you for bags. Ask, nicely, why they are not providing you with biodegradable bags and explain that if they don’t you’ll take your business elsewhere (Queanbeyan).

AnimosiTy said :

at first it was a bit frustrating but when it comes to the bottom line it’s good to not have heaps of plastic bags… well non bio degradable ones.
suck it up.. it’s not that much if you NEED to buy a bag. or be more onto of your life and remember to bring them with you!
and remember to have a good laugh at people juggling their piles of groceries to the car! lol!
everything is over priced now adays any way… just be grateful that we are doing good for the environment in the long run! 🙂

Sorry Animosity, but that’s the sort of “feel-good” greenie reasoning that is used to justify this unnecessary annoyance. As I said, there are a lot more things made of plastic than just bags, that go to waste into landfill.

For God sake, there is enough stress in our lives, how many more unnecessary problems are people prepared to let lunatics like the Greens impose on us all, while we just sit back and make a mockery of all the “little things” without thought to the fact that these little things have a habit of adding up to a day’s worth of stress, annoyance and inconvenience!!!

Mr Gillespie said :

The bag ban is undoubtedly a feelgood, do nothing policy, however, it costs 10-15 cents to buy a bag.

In the whole scheme of things this is nothing.

Just buy them.

What??? Why the fuck should I buy them!!!! Do you like throwing your money away on waste? because I don’t!!! It is MY DECISION ONLY if I want to use a reusable shopping bag or not!!!

It’s not the money, it’s the principle. It is bad form to just take people’s money when they don’t consent to supporting a cause they don’t believe in.

like spending tax dollars on the military?

Mr Gillespie said :

The bag ban is undoubtedly a feelgood, do nothing policy, however, it costs 10-15 cents to buy a bag.

In the whole scheme of things this is nothing.

Just buy them.

What??? Why the fuck should I buy them!!!! Do you like throwing your money away on waste? because I don’t!!! It is MY DECISION ONLY if I want to use a reusable shopping bag or not!!!

It’s not the money, it’s the principle. It is bad form to just take people’s money when they don’t consent to supporting a cause they don’t believe in.

Why is it you think you’re entitled to FREE shopping bags anyway?

Free bags are no longer offered. Live with it. Either bring your own bags or only buy what you can carry in your arms each time you shop. You’re not being forced to use (and therefore pay for) plastic bags.

“I apologise in advance for sounding stupid”

You can’t help how you were born.

The bag ban is undoubtedly a feelgood, do nothing policy, however, it costs 10-15 cents to buy a bag.

In the whole scheme of things this is nothing.

Just buy them.

What??? Why the fuck should I buy them!!!! Do you like throwing your money away on waste? because I don’t!!! It is MY DECISION ONLY if I want to use a reusable shopping bag or not!!!

It’s not the money, it’s the principle. It is bad form to just take people’s money when they don’t consent to supporting a cause they don’t believe in.

…. the 10 or 15c bag will be the CHEAPEST thing you can buy from wollies! lol

poetix said :

‘I am looking for ideas to send Simon the message that we will not accept decisions about shopping bags being forced down our throats each and every time we go to the corner shop to get the groceries.’

I wasn’t aware that there was a law to force shopping bags down our throats on such a regular basis. What do they think we are, endangered sea turtles?

This kind of mockery is just a reflection of your stupidity and ignorance, not mine.

at first it was a bit frustrating but when it comes to the bottom line it’s good to not have heaps of plastic bags… well non bio degradable ones.
suck it up.. it’s not that much if you NEED to buy a bag. or be more onto of your life and remember to bring them with you!
and remember to have a good laugh at people juggling their piles of groceries to the car! lol!
everything is over priced now adays any way… just be grateful that we are doing good for the environment in the long run! 🙂

‘I am looking for ideas to send Simon the message that we will not accept decisions about shopping bags being forced down our throats each and every time we go to the corner shop to get the groceries.’

I wasn’t aware that there was a law to force shopping bags down our throats on such a regular basis. What do they think we are, endangered sea turtles?

Mr Gillespie said :

Sorry to have to break it to you greenie supporters but I kinda don’t like having to pay for my own bags when I forget to walk from the checkout back to my car 5 metres away in the carpark to “BYO” bag!!

Wow, where do you shop? I can never get a parking spot that close.

What garbage.

The plastic bag ban is at its worst a law with questionable environmental credentials that mildly inconveniences or imposes trivial costs on some people. Had you proposed a sensible and reasonable way address it, for example, by writing to the government or making people aware of the reasons why it is environmentally questionable, you may have gotten some support.

Instead you blow the issue out of proportion, calling the law a “menace”, and make a bunch of stupid and unreasonable suggestions. Explain to me how wasting my time, ruining some poor cashier’s day and wasting the resources of local businesses is going to send a message to the government, or achieve anything at all.

And to top it all off, you use the issue as a guise to voice your own personal, general opinion of how political parties that aren’t the Liberal Party are terrible and out to destroy the country.

Mr Gillespie said :

I am stupid, I should just move on and get a life.

Wow, for once I completely agree with something you said!

I see that all of a sudden, everybody is supporting this greenie rubbish and sweeping it under the carpet as a “non-issue”, I am “stupid”, making a complete mockery of me for speaking out, and I should just “move on” and “get a life”.

Sorry to have to break it to you greenie supporters but I kinda don’t like having to pay for my own bags when I forget to walk from the checkout back to my car 5 metres away in the carpark to “BYO” bag!!

It is that kind of apathy that makes the green movement think it is OK to just walk all over us and impose their own agenda on all of us, with “little” changes that add up to their own satisfaction of their wishes and to hell with the majority!!

dundle said :

I suppose having to buy them ensures they will be used for their purpose rather than littered about.

Exactly the point of the ban I think you’ll find.

Why direct all of your anger at the government? Retailers are allowed to keep giving you plastic bags provided that they comply with AS4736-2006. I’m guessing they don’t because they cost a few cents more than the cheapies they were importing from China and they have a financial incentive to give you no bag and tell you it’s the “government’s fault”.

I don’t think it’s worth getting worked up about. In general reducing plastic bags will help a little. To make any environmental change it’s a small step. It’s easy and cheap to get re-useable bags. If you’re really cheap you can even steal the plastic ones for fruit.

The only thing that bothers me is that I’m going to have to buy bin liners soon, I don’t understand how they didnt think of that considering that’s what most people use the bags for. I suppose having to buy them ensures they will be used for their purpose rather than littered about.

“Despite what Labor and the Greens say, this ban is not about saving the environment. It is about penalising people financially for using plastic shopping bags, much like how Julia Gillard is penalising people financially, with her Carbon Tax.”

And once people are “penalised financially” by having to pay for bags (or carbon), they will tend to do less of the thing they were penalised for and look for more cost efficient options, thereby helping to save the environment.

Clearly I was wrong in thinking swimming pools for sheilas story was the biggest political melodrama in town.

I might start up a 10¢ donation for tight arses fund. Would likely get more support than this tosh.

If even my lazy self can remember to take his green bags with him for the weekly shop, I suspect 99% of the population is managing just fine.

I hate the ban and think it’s stupid, I also think that anyone who endorces it is stupid, but it’s so insignificant that I don’t care enough to do anything about it.

So the plan is to be a dick as much as possible and do it publicly. Ive been on board for years and didnt even know!

Shhh! There is a certain interstate retailing enterprise which visits here most weekends which still distributes good old plastic bags. I went there last Saturday, bought something and received it in a bag. It felt like the Berlin Wall coming down.

Is it really that difficult to keep a stash of bags in your boot? Surely, if you’re that lazy, the dole payment you get from the gubmint should cover the cost of the bags they’re making you buy?

I must admit to an involuntary expletive every time I see the “Saving the Plant, One Bag at a Time” signs in Coles. At the end of the day, though, this just is just another entry into my “arguably stupid things that just aren’t worth getting worked up about” file.

I actually like the ban now that it’s in place.

I get to buy much thicker and reliable plastic bags for about one tenth of a percent of what I’m spending at the shops.

Sure it’s probably hurting the environment more with these new, thicker plastic bags but that’s what the ban was for wasn’t it?

“much like how Julia Gillard is penalising people financially, with her Carbon Tax.”

Sorry, couldn’t keep reading after this…

Too much to respond to here. But basically, go and find a real problem. I don’t think persecuting the cashiers is going to work – you’ll probably end up being ejected from the shop and forfeit your goods into the bargain.

They have been charging for bags in Target for ages and the world has not fallen in.

I never really saw plastic bag floating around the streets anyhow. I see bottles more than anything else. Isn’t it law that if you require assistance to have items taken to your car they have to help? or is that just a rumor?

If you haven’t brought your own bags, wait for the shop assistant to finish pricing all your groceries and you are ready to pay, before they ask you if you want any bags. Don’t accept the assistant’s question about wanting to “buy” any bags. Instead, refuse to pay for your shopping, and leave all items at the checkout counter.

An idiotic idea. Why p!ss off the checkout girl,, create more work for them, p!ss off other customers would would have to wait, and create antipathy to your, “campaign?”

Oh, and why not get a life instead?

Mate, what is the big deal about taking reusable bags with you to the supermarket? I honetly don’t get it. I agree that it is probably not going to solve all the worlds environmental issues, but if it means that it will dramatically reduce the number of plastic bags blowing around the streets, in waterways, less pollution from production of the billions of plastic bags that are made every year, then they are good enough reasons.
I think the whole attitude of “lets fight this” is just a selfish attitude towards “no one is gonna tell ME what to do”… Honestly, just get into the habit of grabbing your bags when you also grab your shopping list, wallet, keys, etc, to go to the shops… ALDI customers have been doing it for years…

“I apologise in advance for sounding stupid when offering my own ideas”

It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.– Mark Twain (1835-1910)

They don’t care about basic facts like the ACT is a small, landlocked state away with very, very little access to the open ocean where the world’s waste collects into gyres like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. They don’t take into account the fact that there are a whole lot of other things made of plastic or something else non-biodegradeable that goes to waste in mass quantities. The Greens can reason all they like, but it doesn’t alter the fact that their policies intrude into our day-to-day lives to unacceptable levels.

Oh good grief! Where to start?

So are you trying to say that bags in the ocean are the most significant problem caused by the proliferation of plastic bags? And if so, that therefore we shouldn’t be so worried?

Of course there are many other things made of plastic. But if we use the argument ‘other things are bad too, so don’t change this’, change can never occur for the better.

Oh, but a helium balloon ban?!?!? Won’t someone think of the children!!

“If you haven’t brought your own bags, wait for the shop assistant to finish pricing all your groceries and you are ready to pay, before they ask you if you want any bags. Don’t accept the assistant’s question about wanting to “buy” any bags. Instead, refuse to pay for your shopping, and leave all items at the checkout counter.”

“Shop in Queanbeyan (sounds a bit silly, and not cost-effective if you don’t live in that side of Canberra)”

So, penalise shopkeepers for a decision that was out of their hands? Way to support local business…

I’m actually completely cool with the plastic bag ban. Yeah, I often forget my green bags, and as a non-driver, not having bags makes things difficult.

But maybe instead of saying, “WE WANT FREE PLASTIC BAGS BACK!” and being jerks to those working on checkouts, we could try, “Can I please have a *paper* bag?” I think that’s the only problem with this ban – there’s no free alternative for those without cloth bags on them. If the demand is there, I’m sure stores will be glad to oblige.

Last time I went shopping, I asked the fruit & veg department for one of their empty boxes to carry my gear in. Worked a treat! Maybe give that a go? After all, you’re saving someone just taking it to the compactor.

Relax. We survived in the years before plastic bags, and by thinking outside the square, we can do so again.

Love from a 22 year old who doesn’t remember the time before plastic bags.

“I apologise in advance for sounding stupid when offering my own ideas”

Simple, but I like it.

Life must be pretty good if this is the worst thing happening to you.