What to line bins with post plastic bag ban?

LElwes on 20/06/2018 - 08:40

Woolies no longer gives free disposable plastic shopping bags from today. Coles is starting soon too. Like most Australians, after I unpack the groceries I save the bags and use them to line the bin in the kitchen. When my stockpile runs out, what am I going to use!?
What do other OzBargainers do? I find it hard to believe you pay good money for commercial bin liners.

This article has some good tips and some unhelpful ones:
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/woolworth-s-plastic-bag-ban-star…
Using old bread bags to pick up dog poo is a good suggestion. Wrapping prawn shells and lining bins with newspaper is no help - who reads newspapers any more?

Home & Garden Bin Plastic Bag

Comments

  • Johnny-2007 on 23/06/2018 - 06:44
    +2

    Why is this even a thing? Buy a role of bin bags and use them. If your relying on free bags from Woolies or Coles, you would save far more money buying your shopping from ALDI or a similar cheap store and would then easily be able to afford the bin liner bags that normal people buy.. like seriously it's sub $2 for a roll of bin liner bags.

    As for picking up dog poo. They sell rolls of those bags for less then $1.00 at most cheap stores…

    Why is this a thing? Maybe people are just jumping on the bandwagon.

  • Johnny-2007 on 23/06/2018 - 06:51

    Use these types of bags. I have been using these types of bags for the past 7 years, the same bags never needing to purchase others. They stay in the car and get used every time I shop.

    When I shop at Aldi, I pack items directly into the bag, Bypassing the trolley at the register.

    The bags I have and use are branded ALDI however this design is very similar.

    http://packingsorted.com.au/

  • 11112007 on 23/06/2018 - 10:47

    Plastic bags are cheap on eBay.

    0.016c per bag ($50 for 3000 medium size)

  • Rick505259 on 23/06/2018 - 11:01
    +6

    As a Melbourne garbo I'm expecting a large influx of bins filled with loose garbage thanks to this plastic bag ban. Considering at least 90% of bins bag their garbage with the Coles/Woolies bags.

    The interesting part is going to be the increase in garbage around the streets from birds picking open bins and from general wind from the motion of picking the bin up with the truck

    • muncan on 23/06/2018 - 11:43
      +2

      Don’t forget the rats and the plague. Everyone forgets.

    • Overall Hammock on 23/06/2018 - 14:01
      +1

      Those pesky ravens!

    • bargain huntress on 12/01/2019 - 13:39

      It's been a few months - did your prediction come true?

  • Drifta on 23/06/2018 - 16:57

    Go to the local markets for fresh produce. Problem solved! Get cheaper, generally better produce with plastic bags you can use as liners!

  • Untameable on 23/06/2018 - 18:21
    -1

    Bin liners are about $2 for a roll that will last you a few months of normal use.

    It’s a non issue

  • Earl of Lemongrab on 23/06/2018 - 20:28

    I ordered online and had to purchase reusable bags for $1. Half of the bags ended up in the bin due to large tears.

    • 2023 on 23/06/2018 - 21:06

      Multiple 15c thicker plastic, or individual canvas?
      If the latter, your user name checks out as those ones have a lifetime changeover warranty.

  • bennybaubles on 23/06/2018 - 21:05
    +6

    Our local woolies in Springvale used to keep a big box of spare plastic bags next to the self checkouts. For the last 5 months I’ve been grabbing about 50 bags whenever the staff were busy with other customers. Towards the last few weeks in the buildup to the bag ban I was coming out with sometimes 150-200 bags at a time. I reckon I’ve got 10 years worth of bags stashed away. 15c a bag plus buying bin liners = a win in my book. It turned into a bit of a rush when shoppping. My wife used to just shake her head. One time I was in that much of a rush to sneak out with an armful of bags under my arm I got back to the car only to realise that I’d left the baby behind at the checkouts. Sad days. I’m glad in a way that the ban has come in cos now I can put my bag thieving addiction to rest. Now it’s just back to putting garlic though the self checkout as onions. It’s not quite the same.

    • 2023 on 23/06/2018 - 21:11
      +1

      So much truth is ringing true with your tongue in cheek post.

      The people that justify putting through garlic as an onion, ginger straight in the pocket or truss as gourmet after picking them all off the vine are usually the first to complain about prices.
      What do you think adds to cost??

      Now we see them all complain about not getting their free 'bin liners' with shopping and up in arms that the 1c per bag should be given back to the shoppers.

      People have been shopping at aldi for years and bagging their own shopping or carrying it, at least Coles or woolworths will still bag it for you.

      • bennybaubles on 23/06/2018 - 22:48

        What came first the $30 kg garlic or the person putting the blatant rip-off through as an onion? . Asian supermarkets charge 1/3 of the price for the same garlic. I’m tipping the price of the garlic is just woolies wanting to fleece the punter. Their prices have always been a joke in regards to garlic and the like. Yes some of that price is the onion factor but the majority is just their ripoff tactics.

        • 2023 on 23/06/2018 - 23:19
          +1

          Inside info,loose garlic currently has around 27% gp.
          Gross profit. Before transport, Labor costs, stock loss (including theft which is what putting it through as onions is) as well as quality issues, etc.
          Also, I have strong doubts it's the same garlic.

          • bargain huntress on 12/01/2019 - 13:43

            @2023: garlic is very easy to grow. i'd rather grow it myself than steal it or pay those prices.

    • bargain huntress on 12/01/2019 - 13:48

      this seems so wrong, and yet ingenious. you're like those people in the big short.

  • [Deactivated] on 23/06/2018 - 23:21
    -2

    Based on the plastic bag ban justification we should ban all public toilets as well since some people cannot aim in the bowl or flush when using them. Sick of BS being passed as something legitimate.

    • [Deactivated] on 24/06/2018 - 08:08

      Ban public toilets and give people plastic bags to pee in.

      • bargain huntress on 12/01/2019 - 13:51

        they actually do use 'single use' shopping bags as toilets in some countries that don't have good sanitation of sewage. they also don't have good sanitation of rubbish obviously, so these bags pile up until some nice weather washes it all out to sea. but i'm sure banning them in australia will help the amount in the ocean a heap.

  • anastasiastarz on 24/06/2018 - 04:26
    +1

    Went to an asian shop today, plastic bags were 20c. Used to be free… It's like free money for them with no increase in expenses.

  • vicosads on 24/06/2018 - 08:20

    you can get shopping bags on aliexpress for $2 / 100

  • lollyball on 24/06/2018 - 09:26
    +1

    Rip the abuse of fruit/veg bags within the grocery stores as replacement for plastic bags at counter…

  • Lucky13 on 24/06/2018 - 10:38

    Home brand bin liners. Woolworths are better than Coles cos they're thicker and rip less - https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/64018/home…

    • [Deactivated] on 24/06/2018 - 12:54

      Lol. Thicker ones will take more time to break down as per other comments in this thread

  • Dr Prepper on 24/06/2018 - 10:46

    Put your rubbish in the skulls 💀 of your enemies.

  • frostman on 25/06/2018 - 08:23
    +1

    Woolies should ban the sturdy plastic one too and just subsidize the material ones so that they cost 15c.

    2 things happen as a result of this:

    1.) Sturdy plastic bags are no longer dumped after 1st or second use as they no longer are sold
    2.) Everyone uses the material bags which are better for environment.

    Those 15c Sturdy Bags are a cancer to the environment.

    • trapper on 25/06/2018 - 18:59

      Fabric bags have a far greater environmental impact on the production side though. Need to be used 173 times just to break even with a single use plastic bag.

      And that's before considering the large number of single use plastic bags that actually end up being reused as bin liners.

  • greater mimic on 25/06/2018 - 09:03
    +1

    On the topic of the plastic bag ban, Coles has started giving the option to not use any bags for their online shop (delivery). It was quite funny helping the delivery guy grab the fruit and veggies from the crates they use and placing them on the bench one by one.

    Which also gets me thinking, is the Coles online shop with no bags now the most environmentally friendly way to shop? Goes from crate to fridge

    • miicah on 25/06/2018 - 11:11
      +1

      Reusable crates would be the next step. You pay $30 or whatever on your first shop, the next delivery comes in crates and the guy picks up the empty ones.

      • greater mimic on 25/06/2018 - 12:05
        +1

        This was similar, except instead of leaving the crates behind we unloaded it onto the bench and the delivery person took the crates with them like normal.

        Leaving a crate behind to be picked up on the next delivery, as you said, would be more convenient for the delivery person. But honestly, it wasn't all that bad. Would be helpful if they bunched some things together somehow so we didn't have to pick up individual pieces of fruits and veggies. Maybe some mini crates in the crates haha

  • tazdevil76 on 25/06/2018 - 13:41
    +1

    Here in South Australia, we have not had plastic bags for years. The rest of you just need to get used to it.

    You can buy bin liners from any supermarket. Statistics showed that once the plastic bag ban was in place in SA, the sales of bin liners increased by 50%.

    • tooblue on 26/06/2018 - 13:03
      +1

      Stockholm syndrome

    • BadGiraffe on 26/06/2018 - 16:30
      +3

      Hmmmm… so the winners here are the plastic bag companies, not the environment. We need bags that are biodegradable. Made out of seaweed or something.

      • bobwokeup on 27/06/2018 - 18:51

        Agreed although they cost more so most don’t care about the environment and will go the cheap option, so no incentive for companies to change.

  • serpserpserp on 25/06/2018 - 20:24
    +3

    You haven't been hording bags like everyone else has for the last 12 months?

  • jace88 on 01/07/2018 - 18:05

    Anyone else notice how slow supermarkets/shopping malls are now without the bags as people put everything back into trolleys (at self scan checkouts), and then queue up to take few lifts to the carpark, to unload directly into their cars, etc…?

  • twig on 02/07/2018 - 08:52

    it's simple, we buy single use bags

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