Sainsbury's to boost Scots jobs

Sainsbury's has announced plans to expand in Scotland, creating 1,300 jobs by next summer.

The new posts will be created through new stores at Strathaven in Lanarkshire and Prestwick, in Ayrshire, and the extension of existing shops.

Sainsbury's also said the move would give Scottish suppliers more opportunities to sell their produce.

Sainsbury's has embarked on a nationwide expansion Supermarket giant

The announcement came amid a drive by the company to open 150 convenience stores by 2010-11.

read full article at recession2009 - Food

McDonalds to open 1,000 stores this year

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McDonald's to open 1,000 stores

McDonald's US sales were up 5% on the year before US fast-food chain McDonald's says it plans to open 1,000 new restaurants this year. The world's largest hamburger chain also said fourth-quarter net income fell 23% to $985.3m (£710m), from $1.27bn a year before. Revenue fell to $5.57bn from $5.75bn, even though global same-store sales rose 7.2%, as the firm was hit by the strong dollar. In the US, the firm raised the price of its Double Cheeseburger in November. Announcing the results, chief executive Jim Skinner said: "For 2009 we plan to invest $2.1bn in capital to open about 1,000 new restaurants and reinvest in our existing locations." Despite beef, cheese, and other ingredients rising in price, the company reported an 8% fall in total operating costs and expenses. McDonald's has seen sales rise in the economic downturn, helped by its low prices and ubiquity of its outlets. In the quarter, its same-store sales in the US rose 5% on the year before. International same-store sales were also ahead, rising 7.6% in Europe and 10% in the Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa division. sourced from The BBC

McDonald's to open 1,000 new stores

Despite falling short of Wall Street expectations, the burger chain experiences better-than-expected profit and will open 1,000 new restaurants.

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- McDonald's Corp. reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit on Monday though revenue fell short of Wall Street expectations due to a stronger U.S. dollar, and its shares fell more than 2%.

The world's largest hamburger chain also said it would open 1,000 restaurants this year.

Fourth-quarter net income fell about 23% to $985.3 million, or 87 cents per share, from $1.27 billion, or $1.06 per share, a year earlier, when results included a large tax-related benefit.

Analysts on average were expecting earnings of 83 cents per share, according to Reuters Estimates.

sourced from CCN Money read full article

McDonalds to open 1,000 stores this year

[polldaddy poll="1314875"]

McDonald's to open 1,000 stores

McDonald's US sales were up 5% on the year before US fast-food chain McDonald's says it plans to open 1,000 new restaurants this year. The world's largest hamburger chain also said fourth-quarter net income fell 23% to $985.3m (£710m), from $1.27bn a year before. Revenue fell to $5.57bn from $5.75bn, even though global same-store sales rose 7.2%, as the firm was hit by the strong dollar. In the US, the firm raised the price of its Double Cheeseburger in November. Announcing the results, chief executive Jim Skinner said: "For 2009 we plan to invest $2.1bn in capital to open about 1,000 new restaurants and reinvest in our existing locations." Despite beef, cheese, and other ingredients rising in price, the company reported an 8% fall in total operating costs and expenses. McDonald's has seen sales rise in the economic downturn, helped by its low prices and ubiquity of its outlets. In the quarter, its same-store sales in the US rose 5% on the year before. International same-store sales were also ahead, rising 7.6% in Europe and 10% in the Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa division. sourced from The BBC

McDonald's to open 1,000 new stores

Despite falling short of Wall Street expectations, the burger chain experiences better-than-expected profit and will open 1,000 new restaurants.

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- McDonald's Corp. reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit on Monday though revenue fell short of Wall Street expectations due to a stronger U.S. dollar, and its shares fell more than 2%.

The world's largest hamburger chain also said it would open 1,000 restaurants this year.

Fourth-quarter net income fell about 23% to $985.3 million, or 87 cents per share, from $1.27 billion, or $1.06 per share, a year earlier, when results included a large tax-related benefit.

Analysts on average were expecting earnings of 83 cents per share, according to Reuters Estimates.

sourced from CCN Money read full article

UPDATED: Supermarkets on employment drive

As the Supermarkets go from strength to strength will this have an effect on the downturn. The supermarket go on a big employment drive will this take the sting out of the recession.

But this growth in the supermarkets  will have a down side,  if the supermarkets continue to open new stores (small and large) then the smaller local produce shops will disappear even more than ever.

New jobs created

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="142" caption="Iceland created 2,500 Jobs"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="142" caption="Waitrose create 4,000 new jobs"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="142" caption="Sainsbury's create 5,000 new jobs"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="142" caption="Tesco create up to 10,000 new jobs"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="110" caption="Creating up to 5,000 new jobs"][/caption]

Seasonal Produce

I work for a food manufacture. I think we should start buying seasonal produce, this will halp local producers and local growers. local produce. Why should we be able to buy strawberry's in December, we buy so much food from around the world, do we care about who and how our food is manufactured.

[polldaddy poll="1283004"]

visit full article

Morrisons to create 5,000 new jobs

A Morrisons customer in Tynemouth. The company wants to add 90,000 sq metres of store space in coming years Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA

Morrisons has pledged to create 5,000 jobs this year, bucking the rise in unemployment as it looks to grow despite the economic downturn.

Britain's fourth-largest supermarket group said this morning that it would create new positions across its chain of stores. The new roles will include working on Morrisons' butchery, fish and bakery counters, said the personnel director, Norman Pickavance, although full details were not available.

"Even in these challenging economic conditions, Morrisons is committed to hiring and training new people to keep retail as the engine room of the economy and support our continuing growth," Pickavance said.

sourced from The Guardian read full article

UPDATED: Supermarkets on employment drive

As the Supermarkets go from strength to strength will this have an effect on the downturn. The supermarket go on a big employment drive will this take the sting out of the recession.

But this growth in the supermarkets  will have a down side,  if the supermarkets continue to open new stores (small and large) then the smaller local produce shops will disappear even more than ever.

New jobs created

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="142" caption="Iceland created 2,500 Jobs"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="142" caption="Waitrose create 4,000 new jobs"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="142" caption="Sainsbury's create 5,000 new jobs"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="142" caption="Tesco create up to 10,000 new jobs"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="110" caption="Creating up to 5,000 new jobs"][/caption]

Seasonal Produce

I work for a food manufacture. I think we should start buying seasonal produce, this will halp local producers and local growers. local produce. Why should we be able to buy strawberry's in December, we buy so much food from around the world, do we care about who and how our food is manufactured.

[polldaddy poll="1283004"]

visit full article

Morrisons to create 5,000 new jobs

A Morrisons customer in Tynemouth. The company wants to add 90,000 sq metres of store space in coming years Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA

Morrisons has pledged to create 5,000 jobs this year, bucking the rise in unemployment as it looks to grow despite the economic downturn.

Britain's fourth-largest supermarket group said this morning that it would create new positions across its chain of stores. The new roles will include working on Morrisons' butchery, fish and bakery counters, said the personnel director, Norman Pickavance, although full details were not available.

"Even in these challenging economic conditions, Morrisons is committed to hiring and training new people to keep retail as the engine room of the economy and support our continuing growth," Pickavance said.

sourced from The Guardian read full article

UK jobless 'to reach 3.4 million'

Unemployment will soar to 3.4 million as the financial crisis deepens, forecasters predict ahead of official jobless figures this week.

The Ernst & Young Item Club says the number of those out of work in the UK will pass 3.25 million by the end of 2010, and hit 3.4 million in 2011.

"All of the economic statistics are now in free-fall," it said in its forecast.

It warned the next 12 months would see the UK economy suffer its largest contraction since 1946.

The UK's gross domestic product would shrink by 2.7% in 2009 and another 0.5% the following year, the Item Club said in its latest report on the UK economy.

The official unemployment total reached a 10-year high of 1.86 million last October and some analysts expect the figure to increase to two million when new figures are published on Wednesday.

'Depression' warning

The group says that inflation and interest rates will stay close to zero, helping pensioners and those with tracker mortgages.

However, it said these conditions will do little to aid the housing market, set to fall 22% more over the next 18 months as it remains starved of finance for new mortgages. Meanwhile banks will be unable to lend to companies and consumers until the US sorts out its own banking problems.

"The government has failed to stop bankers hoarding cash and it seems this panicky behaviour is spreading out to the rest of the economy," the group warned.

The Item Club predicts that business investment will fall by nearly 17% this year, dropping almost another 6% in 2010 as worried company treasurers sit on cash.

In addition, consumer spending is expected to shrink 2.6% in 2009 as employees fearing for their jobs become "much more cautious" consumers.

sourced from The BBC read full article

UK jobless 'to reach 3.4 million'

Unemployment will soar to 3.4 million as the financial crisis deepens, forecasters predict ahead of official jobless figures this week.

The Ernst & Young Item Club says the number of those out of work in the UK will pass 3.25 million by the end of 2010, and hit 3.4 million in 2011.

"All of the economic statistics are now in free-fall," it said in its forecast.

It warned the next 12 months would see the UK economy suffer its largest contraction since 1946.

The UK's gross domestic product would shrink by 2.7% in 2009 and another 0.5% the following year, the Item Club said in its latest report on the UK economy.

The official unemployment total reached a 10-year high of 1.86 million last October and some analysts expect the figure to increase to two million when new figures are published on Wednesday.

'Depression' warning

The group says that inflation and interest rates will stay close to zero, helping pensioners and those with tracker mortgages.

However, it said these conditions will do little to aid the housing market, set to fall 22% more over the next 18 months as it remains starved of finance for new mortgages. Meanwhile banks will be unable to lend to companies and consumers until the US sorts out its own banking problems.

"The government has failed to stop bankers hoarding cash and it seems this panicky behaviour is spreading out to the rest of the economy," the group warned.

The Item Club predicts that business investment will fall by nearly 17% this year, dropping almost another 6% in 2010 as worried company treasurers sit on cash.

In addition, consumer spending is expected to shrink 2.6% in 2009 as employees fearing for their jobs become "much more cautious" consumers.

sourced from The BBC read full article

Q&A: What is a recession?

The dreaded R-word - recession - is in the air as every day seems to bring more gloomy economic news.

Many commentators are now openly talking about the current slowdown turning into a recession.

But how do economists define a recession and when will we know if the UK is going through one?

What is the definition of a recession?

This is a thorny question on which experts still disagree.

However, technically speaking, the UK economy would slide into recession when it experiences two successive quarters of what is known as "negative growth".

For this to happen, the total amount of goods and services produced by the UK - known as gross domestic product (GDP) - would have to contract on a quarter by quarter basis for a total period of six months.

read full article at The BBC

Q&A: What is a recession?

The dreaded R-word - recession - is in the air as every day seems to bring more gloomy economic news.

Many commentators are now openly talking about the current slowdown turning into a recession.

But how do economists define a recession and when will we know if the UK is going through one?

What is the definition of a recession?

This is a thorny question on which experts still disagree.

However, technically speaking, the UK economy would slide into recession when it experiences two successive quarters of what is known as "negative growth".

For this to happen, the total amount of goods and services produced by the UK - known as gross domestic product (GDP) - would have to contract on a quarter by quarter basis for a total period of six months.

read full article at The BBC

Sainsbury's boost over Christmas

As recession is looming nearer. Sainsbury's has had a good Christmas and is creating 5,000 near jobs this year.

Sainsbury's served a recorded 22.5 million customers

Supermarket to employ 5,000 extra staff

A record-breaking Christmas is helping Sainsbury's to create 5,000 jobs this year.

The supermarket - which already employs 150,000 - had its best ever festive season with sales for the last three months of the year up 4.5 per cent on the same period in 2007.

The group hired 20,000 temps to help cope with the surge in trade - 8,000 more than originally planned.   read more

 

Carrier bags and Re-usable bags

 

 

 

"Plastic shopping bags, or carrier bags or plastic grocery bags, are a common type of shopping bag in several countries. Most often these bags are intended for a single use to carry items from a store to a home: reuse for storage or trash is common. Heavier duty plastic shopping bags are suitable for multiple uses as shopping or storage bags." sourced from Wikipedia

I use a re-usable bag for my shopping (onya bags), I looked in a couple of kitchen cupboards and found lots of carrier bags - we accumulate them without knowing it. In the last year Sainsbury's has re-moved it carrier bags from the check outs (still available if you ask for one) and M & S are charging. I remember when we had to pay for carrier bags in all supermarkets.

• Every year, an estimated 13 billion plastic carrier bags are given away by Supermarkets; this is the equivalent to over 290 bags to every person in the UK.

• We produce and use 20 times more carrier bags then we did 50 years ago.

[youtube=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=dNsDxRytmXQ]

A short carrier bag film from the BBC 

As seven major supermarkets agree to reduce the number of carrier bags used by spring 2009, this should see a reduction of an estimated 5 million fewer bags, but we as consumers must also start acting responsible.

 

"In Ireland a 15c tax on plastic bags that was introduced in March 2002 saw usage drop by 90%. Other European countries including Denmark and Switzerland have also introduced such taxes." 

Sourced from An Inconvenient Blog

So why do not all use re-usable bags, if you search on the Internet thousands of sites will appear offering different type of bags for sale.

The problem we have are the consumers who just don't care and the consumers who impulse buy. Also the consumers who can afford each time to buy a shopping bag (5p or 10p) but buy one each time their go shopping. 

 

How about supermarkets ban carrier bags altogether from the check outs - if you need something to carry your shopping in you use a box (most products delivered to supermarkets are in boxes) - a shop near Chichester (read more about (Clough's Delicatessen) has started this, it gave its customers warning that carrier bags will no longer be available, also this has helped customers to remember to bring their own bags. 

 

[polldaddy poll="1283059"]

In 21 years time enough plastic bags will have been produced to cover the whole of Britain. But, we must remember Supermarkets are not the only big offenders. A lot of high street shops hand out plastic carrier bags for the smallest of purchases. Also a lot of shops especial high end and small boutiques use the bags as a way of advertising. Also a lot of the Supermarket carrier bags are either biodegradable or partly recycled, but a lot of high street shops (especially fashion shops) have very posh (no recycled or biodegradable) bags. 

I way of reducing the number of carrier bags would be to use brown paper bags - like used in America. 

 

 

 

 

 

History of the carrier bag

"Plastic was first introduced by Alexander Parkes in 1862, and the name was coined by Leo H Baekeland in 1909. Plastic bags are often made from polyethylene, which consists of a long chain of monomers called ethylene. Ethylene is derived from natural gas and petroleum, and it wasn’t until 1977 that polyethylene was used in forms of plastic grocery bags. The real change in grocery bags didn’t start until 1982, when the two of America’s largest grocery companies Safeway and Kroger started replacing paper bags with more affordable plastic bags. From then on, plastic bags have been our #1 choice of taking our daily groceries from the store, to our vehicles, and finally to our homes." sourced from Wikipedia

Carrier bag use around the world.

 

Australia

In Australia shoppers are now encouraged to buy bags called "green bags" which cost about a dollar, but can be reused many times. The bags are coloured depending on the company that sells them. Some "green bags" are insulated for the carrying of hot or cold items. Locally, the town of Coles Bay, Tasmania banned plastic shopping bags in April, 2003. In early 2008, the Australian Federal Government stated it would consider action that would result in plastic bags being phased out by the end of 2008. Australians used 4.84 billion plastic bags in 2007, at a wholesale cost of $0.0018 each. The bags each weigh 35grams and are used to wrap many Australian products such as fruits and vegetables. The shopping bags themselves account for 10% or less of the plastic Australian shoppers carry home from supermarkets. In South Australia free single use plastic bags will banned as of the end of 2008.

Bhutan

Plastic shopping bags have been illegal in Bhutan, on the grounds that they make the country less happy. See Gross National Happiness.

However,the ban has not been successful at all and no current initiatives address the issue.Alternatives to plastic bags are not being encouraged, segregation of any waste is not currently undertaken and recycling or waste-energy facilities are not available within the country.

China

Beginning on June 1 2008, China, prohibited the use of ultra-thin plastic bags and required retailers to charge for plastic bags. Stores must clearly mark the price of plastic shopping bags and are banned from tacking that price onto products. The production, sale and use of ultra-thin plastic bags - those less than 0.025 millimeters, or 0.00098 inches, thick - are also banned. The State Council calls for "a return to cloth bags and shopping baskets.In this environment, there is a Chinese environmental protection bag manufacturers, they have their own brand: the source of one mind, their company, based in Beijing, the capital of China.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong enjoys a set of different laws as one of China's Special Administrative Regions. The city has not prohibited the use of giving out free plastic bags yet even if the problem is of growing concern. Supermarkets play a large role in giving out free plastic bags for their customers. The problem has raised awareness amongst the people when a "No Plastic Bag Day" was launched back in 2006, a campaign co-organized by the Environmental Protection Department and several green groups such as Green Student Council, Friends of the Earth, The Conservancy Association and Green Power. However, as the campaign is voluntary and only takes place on the first Tuesday of each month, it did very little to halt the problem. Government statistics show that the city currently disposes of 23 million bags a day. For a city of almost 7 million, this means an average of 3 bags disposed of per person per day. In December 2007, a Product Eco-responsibility bill was introduced. The bill proposes charging 50 cents HKD per plastic bag, with phase one being implemented in 2009. It is hoped that this bill will not only reduce the plastic bag problem the city faces, but also bring in 100,000,000 HKD per year.

France

Growing awareness of the ecological impact of plastic bags has led main mass retailers to force customers to buy reusable plastic or non-woven bags. This has been adopted by E.Leclerc on 1996 and soon followed by others. which has managed to improve its image and save itself the purchase of the former plastic bags. Nonfood related retailers such as Cloth tend to prefer to switch to paper bags, allowing them to match the ecological demand and upgrade their image on two aspects: ecology and quality. On May 23, 2003 Corsica has been the first region to ban plastic bag. In most of regions, like Morbihan (since 2006) or Paris,(since 2007), retailers stopped supplying bags. A nationwide ban is scheduled to take effect on 1 January 2010.

Spain

In Spain, supermarkets give free plastic bags except some as Día which charge 3 cents per bag. Recently, Spanish Government wants to adopt the National Plan of Integrated Waste which has among its objectives in 2010 to ban plastic bags single-use non-biodegradable.

The government of Catalonia issued a law prohibiting the free distribution of plastic bags from January 2009. Shops will decide how much they will charge for plastic bags, and whether to directly charge for them or to apply discounts when customers do not use bags. This decision was criticized both by shops associations, that argue the measure was not discussed enough with them, and by ecologist organizations, that would like the establishment of a minimum price for the bags. Catalonia is the first Spanish autonomous community to ban free plastic bags.

Spain is the leading producer of plastic bags for a single use and the third consumer in Europe. Each year 10,500 million plastic bags are distributed in Spain, with a total weight of 96,000 tons. 62% of plastic bags are reused as garbage bags and 10% are recycled through the yellow containers.

Germany

Generally, most German supermarkets charge between 5 and 25 cents per single-use bag, depending on the type of bag. Most shops also offer cloth bags or sturdier, woven plastic bags for about €1, encouraging shoppers to re-use them. Many high-street retail shops will provide bags free of charge. Most people will re-use single-use shopping bags, i.e., for collecting deposit bottles or using them as bin liners.[citation needed]

Ireland

On March 4, 2002, the Republic of Ireland introduced a €0.15 levy on every plastic shopping bag. This led to a 90% reduction in use of plastic bags and increased use of reusable bags. The money gathered by the levy was used to raise money for environmental initiatives. Many retailers in Ireland switched to supplying (untaxed) paper bags, or simply stopped supplying bags. Most supermarkets continued to supply plastic bags, subject to the tax. The charge was increased to €0.22 on July 1, 2007. Most supermarkets supply reusable woven bags, or heavy reusable plastic bags for about €1.00

Israel

The entire country of Israel has enacted legislation to add a surcharge for every plastic bag. Bags that contain fish, meat, poultry or fresh produce won't incur any charge. Aside from that, every plastic bag given to a customer will incur a charge of 1 NIS which will be shown as a separate item on their receipt. The proposal will also subsidize for 6 months the sale of reusable bags, in order to create public awareness of the law.

New Zealand

In recent years cloth bags have been promoted and sold by some supermarkets as an alternative to plastic bags. In August 2006 the Collingwood community in Golden Bay declared itself shopping bag free by a group of local residents who promoted the idea. In early 2007 a nationwide campaign was kicked off with the aim of introducing a shopping bag levy similar to Ireland's.

In the town of Wanaka in the South Island the Bag the Habit Campaign has converted almost 50% of shoppers to say no to plastic bags. This saves around 1,500 plastic bags from ending up in the landfill every day. Wanaka has a permanent population of around 7,000 and visitor numbers of around 600,000. 30% of retail stores are now plastic bag free and Wanaka looks set to have the first plastic bag free supermarket in New Zealand with the 4 Square supermarket committing to removing plastic bags from their operation within 12 months. The end goal is for the town to be plastic bag free and over summer campaigners will be targeting the masses of visitors that come to enjoy the natural beauty of the town.

South Africa

Mohammed Valli Moosa, the Environment and Tourism Minister of South Africa, jokingly named plastic bags the "national flower" of that country, and worked to introduce a minimum legal thickness of 30 micrometres to increase their cost, re-usability, and recycle. They may not be legally given away to shoppers, and must instead be sold; however this rule is not always enforced strictly.[citation needed] The South African government collects a 3 cents per shopping bag environmental levy.

Turkey

The littering of plastic shopping bags has created major environmental problems throughout Turkey. Currently, Turkish people use on average 1.2 bags per day each, most of which end up not being disposed of properly. The government has launched a feasibility study into the movement towards environmental bags; however, this is not due until late 2008. However, Turkey has made the most success over the past time.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, plastic shopping bags are commonly known as carrier bags.

Growing awareness in the United Kingdom of the problems caused by indiscriminate use of plastic bags is encouraging some large retailers to reward customers who bring their own bags or who reuse or recycle ] announced on 13 November 2007 that the 10Th London Local Authorities Bill would include a provision to ban the distribution of free throw-away shopping bags in the capital. The London Local Authorities (Shopping Bag) Bill was deposited inParliament on 27 November 2006. If the Bill is passed by Parliament, it is expected to become law by mid-2009.

On 12 January 2008 Girton, Cambridgeshire became the first village in the East of England to declare itself a "Plastic Bag Free Community". The scheme comes from Sustainable Girton, an environmental group made up of local residents.

On 28 February 2008 Marks and Spencers announced that with effect from 6Th May 2008 it will begin charging customers 5p per bag in order to bring awareness to ecological living. All the money raised will be on single use carrier bags in 2009.

United States

Plastic bags have largely displaced paper bags as the most common type of shopping bag during the late 1980s and early 1990s. There has been no broad government action against the litterproblem; proper household waste management (reuse when possible and not littering) is considered a personal responsibility or a locally enforced misdemeanor. Some local governments have enacted ordinances, and many stores allow customers to return the bags forrecycling. Empty bags carried on the wind are popularly known as "urban tumbleweed."

On March 27, 2007, the City and County of San Francisco became the first city to ban non-compostable plastic shopping bags, followed shortly thereafter by nearby Oakland. In 2008 the Oakland ban was overturned in the courts as the city could not prove that the ban would improve environmental conditions by transitioning consumers to paper bags. Since July 1, 2007, all large supermarkets in the state of California will be required, by law, to take back and recycle plastic shopping bags.

Portland, Oregon, is next to propose a debagte on banning plastic bags according to Thanh Tan of news Channel KATU.

Plastic shopping bags are banned in at least several small villages and towns in Alaska, including the towns of Emmonak, Galena, and Kotlik.

Seattle, Washington, recently proposed a 20 cent "green fee" or tax on plastic bags, which would go into effect on January 1, 2009. The fee was proposed by Mayor Greg Nickels and approved by city council July 28, 2008. Just days after its passage, opponents to the fee mobilized a petition to remove it; a referendum will be presented to voters in 2009 after petitions showed strong opposition to the fee.

Los Angeles, California, has also suggested it would place a ban on plastic bag starting in 2010 but now ordinance has been drafted to date.

New York City is suggested a 6 cent plastic bag tax shortly after it implemented a recycling ordinance and the collapse of the economy in 2008 created a large budget short fall for the city. The tax is being advertised to the public as environmentally friendly and an innovative way to raise needed revenue. If this tax is to take effect, state approval is required.

IKEA, the home furnishings retailer,no longer provides plastic bags

Zanzibar

The island of Zanzibar banned the import and use of plastic shopping bags in November 2006. People who litter used bags are responsible for a significant problem, and government officials enacted the ban to protect tourism, an economic mainstay for the island.

sourced from Wikipedia

 

So in conclusion; 

 

we all need to start taking responsibility our self's. Simply carry a re-usable bag with you at all times - even if you use one less carrier bags each day this will have an effect. Lets think about our carrier bag use in every day use, pop out to get some milk from your local corner shop - morning newspaper - use a re-usable bag. Also remember I don't think its just the Supermarkets fault, it also every shop in the high street. I not saying never use a carrier bag again but do you need it. Maybe when you are asked in a shop if you want the item in another bag - say no and place it in another bag.

So lets all start using reusable bags or reuse carrier bags handed out by shops.As the supermarkets are doing somethings towards this issue, make sure you do something as well.

Sainsbury's boost over Christmas

As recession is looming nearer. Sainsbury's has had a good Christmas and is creating 5,000 near jobs this year.

Sainsbury's served a recorded 22.5 million customers

Supermarket to employ 5,000 extra staff

A record-breaking Christmas is helping Sainsbury's to create 5,000 jobs this year.

The supermarket - which already employs 150,000 - had its best ever festive season with sales for the last three months of the year up 4.5 per cent on the same period in 2007.

The group hired 20,000 temps to help cope with the surge in trade - 8,000 more than originally planned.   read more

 

Carrier bags and Re-usable bags

 

 

 

"Plastic shopping bags, or carrier bags or plastic grocery bags, are a common type of shopping bag in several countries. Most often these bags are intended for a single use to carry items from a store to a home: reuse for storage or trash is common. Heavier duty plastic shopping bags are suitable for multiple uses as shopping or storage bags." sourced from Wikipedia

I use a re-usable bag for my shopping (onya bags), I looked in a couple of kitchen cupboards and found lots of carrier bags - we accumulate them without knowing it. In the last year Sainsbury's has re-moved it carrier bags from the check outs (still available if you ask for one) and M & S are charging. I remember when we had to pay for carrier bags in all supermarkets.

• Every year, an estimated 13 billion plastic carrier bags are given away by Supermarkets; this is the equivalent to over 290 bags to every person in the UK.

• We produce and use 20 times more carrier bags then we did 50 years ago.

[youtube=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=dNsDxRytmXQ]

A short carrier bag film from the BBC 

As seven major supermarkets agree to reduce the number of carrier bags used by spring 2009, this should see a reduction of an estimated 5 million fewer bags, but we as consumers must also start acting responsible.

 

"In Ireland a 15c tax on plastic bags that was introduced in March 2002 saw usage drop by 90%. Other European countries including Denmark and Switzerland have also introduced such taxes." 

Sourced from An Inconvenient Blog

So why do not all use re-usable bags, if you search on the Internet thousands of sites will appear offering different type of bags for sale.

The problem we have are the consumers who just don't care and the consumers who impulse buy. Also the consumers who can afford each time to buy a shopping bag (5p or 10p) but buy one each time their go shopping. 

 

How about supermarkets ban carrier bags altogether from the check outs - if you need something to carry your shopping in you use a box (most products delivered to supermarkets are in boxes) - a shop near Chichester (read more about (Clough's Delicatessen) has started this, it gave its customers warning that carrier bags will no longer be available, also this has helped customers to remember to bring their own bags. 

 

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In 21 years time enough plastic bags will have been produced to cover the whole of Britain. But, we must remember Supermarkets are not the only big offenders. A lot of high street shops hand out plastic carrier bags for the smallest of purchases. Also a lot of shops especial high end and small boutiques use the bags as a way of advertising. Also a lot of the Supermarket carrier bags are either biodegradable or partly recycled, but a lot of high street shops (especially fashion shops) have very posh (no recycled or biodegradable) bags. 

I way of reducing the number of carrier bags would be to use brown paper bags - like used in America. 

 

 

 

 

 

History of the carrier bag

"Plastic was first introduced by Alexander Parkes in 1862, and the name was coined by Leo H Baekeland in 1909. Plastic bags are often made from polyethylene, which consists of a long chain of monomers called ethylene. Ethylene is derived from natural gas and petroleum, and it wasn’t until 1977 that polyethylene was used in forms of plastic grocery bags. The real change in grocery bags didn’t start until 1982, when the two of America’s largest grocery companies Safeway and Kroger started replacing paper bags with more affordable plastic bags. From then on, plastic bags have been our #1 choice of taking our daily groceries from the store, to our vehicles, and finally to our homes." sourced from Wikipedia

Carrier bag use around the world.

 

Australia

In Australia shoppers are now encouraged to buy bags called "green bags" which cost about a dollar, but can be reused many times. The bags are coloured depending on the company that sells them. Some "green bags" are insulated for the carrying of hot or cold items. Locally, the town of Coles Bay, Tasmania banned plastic shopping bags in April, 2003. In early 2008, the Australian Federal Government stated it would consider action that would result in plastic bags being phased out by the end of 2008. Australians used 4.84 billion plastic bags in 2007, at a wholesale cost of $0.0018 each. The bags each weigh 35grams and are used to wrap many Australian products such as fruits and vegetables. The shopping bags themselves account for 10% or less of the plastic Australian shoppers carry home from supermarkets. In South Australia free single use plastic bags will banned as of the end of 2008.

Bhutan

Plastic shopping bags have been illegal in Bhutan, on the grounds that they make the country less happy. See Gross National Happiness.

However,the ban has not been successful at all and no current initiatives address the issue.Alternatives to plastic bags are not being encouraged, segregation of any waste is not currently undertaken and recycling or waste-energy facilities are not available within the country.

China

Beginning on June 1 2008, China, prohibited the use of ultra-thin plastic bags and required retailers to charge for plastic bags. Stores must clearly mark the price of plastic shopping bags and are banned from tacking that price onto products. The production, sale and use of ultra-thin plastic bags - those less than 0.025 millimeters, or 0.00098 inches, thick - are also banned. The State Council calls for "a return to cloth bags and shopping baskets.In this environment, there is a Chinese environmental protection bag manufacturers, they have their own brand: the source of one mind, their company, based in Beijing, the capital of China.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong enjoys a set of different laws as one of China's Special Administrative Regions. The city has not prohibited the use of giving out free plastic bags yet even if the problem is of growing concern. Supermarkets play a large role in giving out free plastic bags for their customers. The problem has raised awareness amongst the people when a "No Plastic Bag Day" was launched back in 2006, a campaign co-organized by the Environmental Protection Department and several green groups such as Green Student Council, Friends of the Earth, The Conservancy Association and Green Power. However, as the campaign is voluntary and only takes place on the first Tuesday of each month, it did very little to halt the problem. Government statistics show that the city currently disposes of 23 million bags a day. For a city of almost 7 million, this means an average of 3 bags disposed of per person per day. In December 2007, a Product Eco-responsibility bill was introduced. The bill proposes charging 50 cents HKD per plastic bag, with phase one being implemented in 2009. It is hoped that this bill will not only reduce the plastic bag problem the city faces, but also bring in 100,000,000 HKD per year.

France

Growing awareness of the ecological impact of plastic bags has led main mass retailers to force customers to buy reusable plastic or non-woven bags. This has been adopted by E.Leclerc on 1996 and soon followed by others. which has managed to improve its image and save itself the purchase of the former plastic bags. Nonfood related retailers such as Cloth tend to prefer to switch to paper bags, allowing them to match the ecological demand and upgrade their image on two aspects: ecology and quality. On May 23, 2003 Corsica has been the first region to ban plastic bag. In most of regions, like Morbihan (since 2006) or Paris,(since 2007), retailers stopped supplying bags. A nationwide ban is scheduled to take effect on 1 January 2010.

Spain

In Spain, supermarkets give free plastic bags except some as Día which charge 3 cents per bag. Recently, Spanish Government wants to adopt the National Plan of Integrated Waste which has among its objectives in 2010 to ban plastic bags single-use non-biodegradable.

The government of Catalonia issued a law prohibiting the free distribution of plastic bags from January 2009. Shops will decide how much they will charge for plastic bags, and whether to directly charge for them or to apply discounts when customers do not use bags. This decision was criticized both by shops associations, that argue the measure was not discussed enough with them, and by ecologist organizations, that would like the establishment of a minimum price for the bags. Catalonia is the first Spanish autonomous community to ban free plastic bags.

Spain is the leading producer of plastic bags for a single use and the third consumer in Europe. Each year 10,500 million plastic bags are distributed in Spain, with a total weight of 96,000 tons. 62% of plastic bags are reused as garbage bags and 10% are recycled through the yellow containers.

Germany

Generally, most German supermarkets charge between 5 and 25 cents per single-use bag, depending on the type of bag. Most shops also offer cloth bags or sturdier, woven plastic bags for about €1, encouraging shoppers to re-use them. Many high-street retail shops will provide bags free of charge. Most people will re-use single-use shopping bags, i.e., for collecting deposit bottles or using them as bin liners.[citation needed]

Ireland

On March 4, 2002, the Republic of Ireland introduced a €0.15 levy on every plastic shopping bag. This led to a 90% reduction in use of plastic bags and increased use of reusable bags. The money gathered by the levy was used to raise money for environmental initiatives. Many retailers in Ireland switched to supplying (untaxed) paper bags, or simply stopped supplying bags. Most supermarkets continued to supply plastic bags, subject to the tax. The charge was increased to €0.22 on July 1, 2007. Most supermarkets supply reusable woven bags, or heavy reusable plastic bags for about €1.00

Israel

The entire country of Israel has enacted legislation to add a surcharge for every plastic bag. Bags that contain fish, meat, poultry or fresh produce won't incur any charge. Aside from that, every plastic bag given to a customer will incur a charge of 1 NIS which will be shown as a separate item on their receipt. The proposal will also subsidize for 6 months the sale of reusable bags, in order to create public awareness of the law.

New Zealand

In recent years cloth bags have been promoted and sold by some supermarkets as an alternative to plastic bags. In August 2006 the Collingwood community in Golden Bay declared itself shopping bag free by a group of local residents who promoted the idea. In early 2007 a nationwide campaign was kicked off with the aim of introducing a shopping bag levy similar to Ireland's.

In the town of Wanaka in the South Island the Bag the Habit Campaign has converted almost 50% of shoppers to say no to plastic bags. This saves around 1,500 plastic bags from ending up in the landfill every day. Wanaka has a permanent population of around 7,000 and visitor numbers of around 600,000. 30% of retail stores are now plastic bag free and Wanaka looks set to have the first plastic bag free supermarket in New Zealand with the 4 Square supermarket committing to removing plastic bags from their operation within 12 months. The end goal is for the town to be plastic bag free and over summer campaigners will be targeting the masses of visitors that come to enjoy the natural beauty of the town.

South Africa

Mohammed Valli Moosa, the Environment and Tourism Minister of South Africa, jokingly named plastic bags the "national flower" of that country, and worked to introduce a minimum legal thickness of 30 micrometres to increase their cost, re-usability, and recycle. They may not be legally given away to shoppers, and must instead be sold; however this rule is not always enforced strictly.[citation needed] The South African government collects a 3 cents per shopping bag environmental levy.

Turkey

The littering of plastic shopping bags has created major environmental problems throughout Turkey. Currently, Turkish people use on average 1.2 bags per day each, most of which end up not being disposed of properly. The government has launched a feasibility study into the movement towards environmental bags; however, this is not due until late 2008. However, Turkey has made the most success over the past time.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, plastic shopping bags are commonly known as carrier bags.

Growing awareness in the United Kingdom of the problems caused by indiscriminate use of plastic bags is encouraging some large retailers to reward customers who bring their own bags or who reuse or recycle ] announced on 13 November 2007 that the 10Th London Local Authorities Bill would include a provision to ban the distribution of free throw-away shopping bags in the capital. The London Local Authorities (Shopping Bag) Bill was deposited inParliament on 27 November 2006. If the Bill is passed by Parliament, it is expected to become law by mid-2009.

On 12 January 2008 Girton, Cambridgeshire became the first village in the East of England to declare itself a "Plastic Bag Free Community". The scheme comes from Sustainable Girton, an environmental group made up of local residents.

On 28 February 2008 Marks and Spencers announced that with effect from 6Th May 2008 it will begin charging customers 5p per bag in order to bring awareness to ecological living. All the money raised will be on single use carrier bags in 2009.

United States

Plastic bags have largely displaced paper bags as the most common type of shopping bag during the late 1980s and early 1990s. There has been no broad government action against the litterproblem; proper household waste management (reuse when possible and not littering) is considered a personal responsibility or a locally enforced misdemeanor. Some local governments have enacted ordinances, and many stores allow customers to return the bags forrecycling. Empty bags carried on the wind are popularly known as "urban tumbleweed."

On March 27, 2007, the City and County of San Francisco became the first city to ban non-compostable plastic shopping bags, followed shortly thereafter by nearby Oakland. In 2008 the Oakland ban was overturned in the courts as the city could not prove that the ban would improve environmental conditions by transitioning consumers to paper bags. Since July 1, 2007, all large supermarkets in the state of California will be required, by law, to take back and recycle plastic shopping bags.

Portland, Oregon, is next to propose a debagte on banning plastic bags according to Thanh Tan of news Channel KATU.

Plastic shopping bags are banned in at least several small villages and towns in Alaska, including the towns of Emmonak, Galena, and Kotlik.

Seattle, Washington, recently proposed a 20 cent "green fee" or tax on plastic bags, which would go into effect on January 1, 2009. The fee was proposed by Mayor Greg Nickels and approved by city council July 28, 2008. Just days after its passage, opponents to the fee mobilized a petition to remove it; a referendum will be presented to voters in 2009 after petitions showed strong opposition to the fee.

Los Angeles, California, has also suggested it would place a ban on plastic bag starting in 2010 but now ordinance has been drafted to date.

New York City is suggested a 6 cent plastic bag tax shortly after it implemented a recycling ordinance and the collapse of the economy in 2008 created a large budget short fall for the city. The tax is being advertised to the public as environmentally friendly and an innovative way to raise needed revenue. If this tax is to take effect, state approval is required.

IKEA, the home furnishings retailer,no longer provides plastic bags

Zanzibar

The island of Zanzibar banned the import and use of plastic shopping bags in November 2006. People who litter used bags are responsible for a significant problem, and government officials enacted the ban to protect tourism, an economic mainstay for the island.

sourced from Wikipedia

 

So in conclusion; 

 

we all need to start taking responsibility our self's. Simply carry a re-usable bag with you at all times - even if you use one less carrier bags each day this will have an effect. Lets think about our carrier bag use in every day use, pop out to get some milk from your local corner shop - morning newspaper - use a re-usable bag. Also remember I don't think its just the Supermarkets fault, it also every shop in the high street. I not saying never use a carrier bag again but do you need it. Maybe when you are asked in a shop if you want the item in another bag - say no and place it in another bag.

So lets all start using reusable bags or reuse carrier bags handed out by shops.As the supermarkets are doing somethings towards this issue, make sure you do something as well.