5 November 2015

Ask RiotACT: Lightweight plastic bags at Kippax Woollies

| MsDG
Join the conversation
22
Ask RiotACT

I’m pretty sure that lightweight plastic bags are banned in the ACT. Kippax Woolworths is currently using them, because apparently there is a problem with the supplier. A checkout attendant informed us that it ‘would probably only be for a couple of days’. Is that allowed? Can a shop just put that rule on hold for a bit?

Join the conversation

22
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest

rosscoact said :

I’m admiring the time, expense and effort that some people will go to so they can avoid doing something almost imperceptibly inconvenient, just to stick it to the man.

I salute you rebels without a cause.

It is interesting to me that people are still so passionate about not being able to get ‘free’ bags from supermarkets when it’s been in place for 4 years. FOUR YEARS! Seriously guys, it’s time to buy some re-usable bags and get over it.

You may be getting your “free” plastic shopping bag in ways you did not expect:

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/lifestyle/diet-and-fitness/why-our-salt-is-packed-with-plastic-20151103-gkq51o.html

Poetic justice if it didn’t affect all of us. Even though I avoid salt, I am aware of just how much is added to virtually everything we consume now.

rubaiyat said :

rosscoact said :

I’m admiring the time, expense and effort that some people will go to so they can avoid doing something almost imperceptibly inconvenient, just to stick it to the man.

I salute you rebels without a cause.

The Pursuit of Convenience, no matter how inconvenient!

The forces of reaction. Illogical, reflexive and counterproductive.

Kalliste said :

miz said :

All I’ve got from the plastic bag ban is a stash of heavier plastic bags than the ones I had before, and now I have to pay for them. But I’m sure someone, somewhere, who has no comprehension of other people’s lives, gets a warm glow for this daft policy.

If having free plastic bags from the supermarket is such a big deal to you, why not shop online? I do it every week and I have more plastic bags than I know what to do with that I end up chucking most of them out.
Then you don’t have to remember (because it’s obviously quite difficult to think “Oh I’m going to do the shopping, have to remember to take some bags”) to take your 10 carrybags (or pay an incredible $1.50 for them, which if you’ve bought enough stuff to fill 10 bags is probably a very small percentage of your total shop) and you get free bags.

They aren’t free, never were. The shops charged you and you never complained until someone made it clear what you were paying for.

The same as credit charges are built into your purchases. Aldi makes it clear by separating the charge which you can avoid by paying cash.

But what you are really offended by is they have taken that little feeling of accomplishment when you take the symbol of consumption, the shopping bag and put it in your car to drive it all the way home then complete your allotted task in life by throwing it away, so you can do it all over again.

With the illusion of it being free you loved it. Now you get exactly the same thing but have to pay (less than you waste on a lot of other things in your life), it has taken all the joy out of throwing it away.

rosscoact said :

I’m admiring the time, expense and effort that some people will go to so they can avoid doing something almost imperceptibly inconvenient, just to stick it to the man.

I salute you rebels without a cause.

The Pursuit of Convenience, no matter how inconvenient!

I’m admiring the time, expense and effort that some people will go to so they can avoid doing something almost imperceptibly inconvenient, just to stick it to the man.

I salute you rebels without a cause.

crackerpants1:06 pm 01 Nov 15

Kalliste said :

miz said :

All I’ve got from the plastic bag ban is a stash of heavier plastic bags than the ones I had before, and now I have to pay for them. But I’m sure someone, somewhere, who has no comprehension of other people’s lives, gets a warm glow for this daft policy.

If having free plastic bags from the supermarket is such a big deal to you, why not shop online? I do it every week and I have more plastic bags than I know what to do with that I end up chucking most of them out.
Then you don’t have to remember (because it’s obviously quite difficult to think “Oh I’m going to do the shopping, have to remember to take some bags”) to take your 10 carrybags (or pay an incredible $1.50 for them, which if you’ve bought enough stuff to fill 10 bags is probably a very small percentage of your total shop) and you get free bags.

If you’re stockpiling bags from online shopping, take them to your local daycare centre – they will love you for it! It’s what we do with ours. They have trouble getting enough bags to bag up all the soiled clothing they deal with.

Online grocery shopping is wonderful, but you do pay for the convenience. Possibly not suitable for some who balks at an extra $1.50 a week.

No_Nose said :

The bags are just so useful so every time I go up to Sydney I duck into Woolworths and buy a couple of items and put each on in a separate bag. I usually try to get a few extra bags as well, slipping four or five into each plastic bag. So for three items I will usually come home with around 10-15 bags.

Its become a bit of a family joke with relatives who live interstate. Last birthday my brother who lives in Queensland sent me about 200. He said he just took all the bags from self serve checkout on a few occasions.

Best birthday present ever!!!!

You could just go across the border to Qbn or Yass they are both in NSW.

But you clearly don’t have rellos in SA or NT. Both have also banned these bags. In fact SA was first by a number of years. Also think SA has now banned all plastic shopping bags.

The bags are just so useful so every time I go up to Sydney I duck into Woolworths and buy a couple of items and put each on in a separate bag. I usually try to get a few extra bags as well, slipping four or five into each plastic bag. So for three items I will usually come home with around 10-15 bags.

Its become a bit of a family joke with relatives who live interstate. Last birthday my brother who lives in Queensland sent me about 200. He said he just took all the bags from self serve checkout on a few occasions.

Best birthday present ever!!!!

$1.50 may seem like peanuts, but it adds up. $1.50 per fortnight is $40 ish a year which we previously did not incur. We never used to have to buy bags until this policy came in.
There are a surprising number of people doing it tough in our town, and lots of small cost increases have a cumulative impact.
I am a pretty organised person, but I am time-poor and somehow I always forget to take the bags back out to the car after unloading the shopping, or forget to take them into the shop with me!
I agree that online shopping could be one solution to the bag problem, though. I will look into it.

miz said :

All I’ve got from the plastic bag ban is a stash of heavier plastic bags than the ones I had before, and now I have to pay for them. But I’m sure someone, somewhere, who has no comprehension of other people’s lives, gets a warm glow for this daft policy.

If having free plastic bags from the supermarket is such a big deal to you, why not shop online? I do it every week and I have more plastic bags than I know what to do with that I end up chucking most of them out.
Then you don’t have to remember (because it’s obviously quite difficult to think “Oh I’m going to do the shopping, have to remember to take some bags”) to take your 10 carrybags (or pay an incredible $1.50 for them, which if you’ve bought enough stuff to fill 10 bags is probably a very small percentage of your total shop) and you get free bags.

miz said :

All I’ve got from the plastic bag ban is a stash of heavier plastic bags than the ones I had before, and now I have to pay for them. But I’m sure someone, somewhere, who has no comprehension of other people’s lives, gets a warm glow for this daft policy.

Why don’t you change the way you shop? As the bags are reusable you could unpack, fold and return them to your glovebox for the next time you are at the shops. It’s only a minor change and simply implemented. You save money and accidentally help reduce the amount of waste being produced.

MERC600 said :

Send it to mayor rattenbury. He seems to be desperately looking for something to hang his green credentials on.
( Can see the mayor followed by cars full of his advisers converging on Kippax. Possibly followed by that huge HazMat vehicle. )

Incidentally ,, when labour anointed the mayor as king maker, he asked for extra staff , which they obligingly did. Anyone know how many extra staff WE are paying for.

No tell us, how much are we paying for you?

rommeldog56 said :

Th plastic bags issue is a prime example of the Canberra Nanny State over regulation. I for one now do my weekly shop in Queanbeyan just to get those bags – and to stick it up the ACT Government of course.

Must we really dob in a supermarket who is just trying to help its customers. Why not take your own bags if you are so committed to the plastic bags ban.

I’m currently on the end of a long os trip. Attitudes here Italy are much, much more flexible than in that over regulated, over governed Nanny State called Canberra.

Plastic bags is a prime example.

I can not wait to get home so I can dob in a neighbour who

might want to chop down a tree in his backyard, complain about defence posters at the airport, think that the light rail will make Canberra grow up and transform it, etc. Canberra and I’m afraid, judging by many of the posts on RA since I’ve been away, many of the people in it, are far removed from reasonableness – and reality.

What do you use all your plastic bags for? For rubbish, one bag will last a person two to three weeks before it’s full. Anymore and you are generating excessive rubbish.
Sorry, I know. To store other plastic bags of cause.

Prohibition never works. The shop involved probably simply ran out of standard bags briefly and is aware that not everyone has 10 carrybags on them at any given time. It’s called ‘customer service.’

All I’ve got from the plastic bag ban is a stash of heavier plastic bags than the ones I had before, and now I have to pay for them. But I’m sure someone, somewhere, who has no comprehension of other people’s lives, gets a warm glow for this daft policy.

Th plastic bags issue is a prime example of the Canberra Nanny State over regulation. I for one now do my weekly shop in Queanbeyan just to get those bags – and to stick it up the ACT Government of course.

Must we really dob in a supermarket who is just trying to help its customers. Why not take your own bags if you are so committed to the plastic bags ban.

I’m currently on the end of a long os trip. Attitudes here Italy are much, much more flexible than in that over regulated, over governed Nanny State called Canberra. Plastic bags is a prime example.

I can not wait to get home so I can dob in a neighbour who might want to chop down a tree in his backyard, complain about defence posters at the airport, think that the light rail will make Canberra grow up and transform it, etc. Canberra and I’m afraid, judging by many of the posts on RA since I’ve been away, many of the people in it, are far removed from reasonableness – and reality.

Back on topic, it doesn’t sound that Woolworths should be using those bags. I don’t know why all plastic bags in supermarkets aren’t banned for carrying shopping home in, except perhaps for meat. If people can remember to bring their purse/wallet, they are capable of remembering to bring shopping bags.

Send it to mayor rattenbury. He seems to be desperately looking for something to hang his green credentials on.
( Can see the mayor followed by cars full of his advisers converging on Kippax. Possibly followed by that huge HazMat vehicle. )

Incidentally ,, when labour anointed the mayor as king maker, he asked for extra staff , which they obligingly did. Anyone know how many extra staff WE are paying for.

Ellen Harvey2:37 pm 30 Oct 15

Please remember to stay on topic.

I was in one of the busier Woolies in South Canberra last week and was told they had run out of bags, but was not offered anything as an alternative and had to hobble to the car with an arm full of pepsi and catfood. I wished i had gone shopping a Jerra ww where they haven’t run out of the free bags that take up less space in my bin. Ban the thick bags i say.

Depends on the thickness. If they are less than 35 microns, they are banned. Get out your ruler and tell us!

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.