It's in the Bag.

I bought some goods the other day and was pointedly told by the shopkeeper that the carrier bag was free. It was free because he is a small business. If he had 250 employees, he would have been legally obliged to charge me for the bag and his shop would have been very crowded. He then went into a rant about police standing on street corners monitoring who charges for bags and who doesn't and the general pointlessness of un-enforceable laws in the way of bored English shopkeepers all over the country. Fundamentally though, I agree with the principle of the charge. 

I don't mind paying for carrier bags, it's only for a few pence and also I agree with the stated reasoning. Anyway, what's the alternative, I'm far to sartorially elegant to walk around with plastic bags sticking out of my pockets just in case I happen to need one. I certainly don't want one of those 'Roy Cropper shopping bags' as featured by the less than macho Mr Cropper on Coronation Street to carry backwards and forwards to my local Tesco nor one of those shopping trolleys used by old ladies. I couldn't stand the indignity, I would rather pay 50 pence a bag.

I'm clearly missing the point which is to make me think twice about my need for a bag and to save the world by not buying one. No doubt there are 'green minded' people who would reuse bags anyway and those for whom no amount of charge would make a difference and all the shades in between. For me, five pence isn't enough to persuade me to festoon myself with empty bags in case I might need some.

The DEFRA website says that is up to the individual retailers to spend the money on 'good causes' of their choice as long as they report the amount raised to the government annually. All the major retailers have got on board and nominated various charities to donate the money to. Many of the charities cover things that the councils used to cover but can't afford to now. Things like tiding up public land and 'community projects.'  

One can't help but be saddened by islands the size of small countries made of plastic and adrift in our oceans. The scientists seem to be agreed that there is nothing that can be done about them due to the cost and enormity of the clean- up operation and lack of political will. I would gladly pay 50 pence per bag if I thought it was going to an international effort to seriously tackle these 'great garbage patches and other worldwide environmental issues but it's not. It does however, seem to be going to further the stated Tory aim of de-centralising government. They have already said they intend to do this by using charitable donations and local community projects to help people take care of themselves; sound familiar? This seems to me like a landlord saying that he still wants you to pay the rent but now you have to do your own house repairs and improvements because he doesn't want the responsibility any more.

Call me a cynic but I'm suspicious of the government's motives for this carrier bag charge. I am sure overall people will use less bags but will the bag producers just ramp up their refuse sac output to cover the loss of revenue. Will there be less plastic manufactured? It's unlikely. An old phrase springs to mind, which, given a little twist and taken literally, seems to sum up the situation. Cameron is 'not as green as he is cabbage looking.' You can take that both ways.