Wednesday 29 October 2008

Snow Joke...part deux...

I got the computer and camera on speaking terms at last! So it's only fair that you all pretend that I wrote this last night as planned, when we still had snow and I still had a point....albeit a very small one....
It's snowing!! In Autumn, in October, before Halloween! It's about 3 months too early! And we still have strawberries growing in the garden on the plants that refuse to die no matter how much we neglect them...which is quite a lot in their case, that could well be my specialist subject on Mastermind "101 ways to neglect your garden". Don't they know the summers been (I blinked and missed it) and gone. They're about 3 months too late! Weird, weird weather!
And it's ALL my fault...Oh, yes according to the till lady in Sainsbury's who gives me the evil eye if I dare ask for a carrier bag. Forget cheap flights. Forget gas guzzling cars. The Eco disasters of the world are in fact a direct result of my carrier bag use. Yes, I agree one-use bags are irresponsible, if you only use them once...but if you re-use them instead of buying bin bags is there really any difference? Does an ordinary cheapo plastic bin bag (not talking super duper recycled bin bags-I'm not made of money!) break down significantly quicker than a reused carrier, anyone know?
My theory, and I freely admit I could be wrong here, is that there isn't actually a lot of difference between a bin bag or a filled carrier bag going to landfill and it's all become a bit of over-simplified fluffy publicity. After all clothes are still put in carrier bags when they're sold, and no one moans, how's that any different to how you carry home your apples and potatoes? As crafters, I think I'm safe to say we all try to recycle, reuse and generally not waste stuff, but the carrier bag thing has got me wondering....
So what's the general consensus then? (Apart from the fact that I probably need to get out more...)
Not a lot between the two, or do I have to start buying bin bags?

4 comments:

CurlyPops said...

I did read somewhere that sales of bin liners increased as people were using green bags for groceries and so weren't recycling their carrier bags for lining their rubbish bins.

Griffin said...

Well if that's why you're responsible for all Eco disasters because of plastic bags, then so are we, 'cos we use plastic shopping bags for the small bins in the house.

I don't think you need to get out more, I think you need to snuggle under a duvet with chocs, hot choc and a book. Send the children out for food every once in a while and you'll be fine.

jennyflowerblue said...

The concensus in this house is that the whole carrier bag thing is a bit of a red herring. Supermarets over-package stuff so spectacularly giving you hard stares for taking a bag seems mental. Everyone needs a placcy bag from tme to time, I needed an 'in-case' sick bag for a recent coach trip, we didn't have one in the house- I guess I could have taken a bin bag!

Sharon said...

Red Herring! That's exactly what I was trying to say!