One of the points about modern society that I totally hate is the disposable nature of so many products. Buy it, use it once, throw it away. It is an obscene waste of resources and it piles up mountains of waste for which even more resources are needed to accommodate. Something my friends joke about is the way I reuse everything in my self-sufficient lifestyle in which waste is regarded as a heinous crime. We simply cannot go on as a society plundering resources for single use activities. Single use disposable carrier bags are chief among the wasteful products that we should stop producing.
Back in 2008 at party conference in Bournemouth, when I was working for the party, I organised an anti carrier bag photo op for members. Party policy was to introduce the levy and the photo op promoted this. So, it is great to see the policy coming into operation today. Another positive legacy of Lib Dems in government as England catches up with the rest of the UK.
I don't actually want people to pay the levy, for the simple reason that I don't want them to use disposable carrier bags. As someone who rarely uses a supermarket, I no doubt missed the mayhem and chaos that some in the press predicted. Quite how using a proper shopping bag, brought with you from home, is chaos is beyond me. I remember when I was a kid being sent to the local corner shop - Moores Store on Rothbury Gardens, Lobley Hill - by my parents to do the shopping. We took a string bag with us. It lasted for most of my childhood. I can't recall any mayhem and chaos when putting the groceries into it.
No comments:
Post a Comment