The Daily Mail is wrong again

The Daily Mail hailed the budget as a success following its own Banish the Bags campaign, now that the Government wants shops to stop giving away plastic bags, or start charging 5p each for them.
Essentially both the Government and the Daily Mail believe plastic bags are bad and can be done away with. Don’t they think that if shops could get rid of them totally they would. They are a cost to retailers afterall.

Then of course we should look at the science of the plastic bag. I was in Homebase a couple of days ago and they offer paper bags – which are hugely more environmentally unfriendly than the much maligned plastics bag due to its weight and subsequent transport costs. Anyone who thinks paper bags are better are just wrong.

Then of course we should look at the waste argument. Plastic bags create so much waste don’t they. Well yes they create some waste. Around 0.1% of landfill. But if you look at other products – say disposable nappies which account for up to 6% of landfill it puts thinks into perspective.

Is the Daily Mail going to have a campaign against disposable nappies? Is the Government going to threaten to tax disposable nappies to force people to use alternatives? By the logic of its arguments on plastic bags it should. But will a Government want to be seen to be taking new born babies. Well I wouldn’t put it past the current Government, but even they wouldn’t dare go that far… would they?

Jonathan Sheppard