So today being 1st October marks the start of charging for carrier bags across the whole of Wales.

It was meant to come into force in May 2011 but was pushed back by retailers protesting that it will affect their business.

Source

Basically the new legislation means that retailers must charge customers 5p for single use bags, plastic and paper alike. The retailers are encouraged to donate the money raised to environmental charities but there is no law concerning the use of funds raised.

We try to take our menagerie of mismatched bags with us whenever we go shopping, but of course we forget sometimes.

(I'm slightly distracted right now cos BFG is on the telly at the moment while I'm waiting for my bread to rise)

Anyway, so that includes carrier bags from Tesco, paper food bags from McDonalds (one wonders if they're going to give you your meal in the separate containers and watch you struggle to not drop it if you refuse the 5p charge, but we don't go there anyway so it doesn't matter to us), prescriptions from the pharmacy (this will be a tough one cos they keep your items together with the original prescription while waiting for you to collect) and all other retailers who use single use bags.

Source

We've all become pretty used to taking our own bags grocery shopping and enjoyed the 'green clubcard' points that go along with that, but what about the casual clothes shopper? You don't want your nice new togs going into a potentially slightly dirty used bag. And what of dinky doughnuts?! That thought has just come to me....I'm slightly disturbed by the thought I might have to thread one on each of my digits to avoid the 5p charge and carry them wherever I'm going.

p.s. Tesco will no longer be offering green clubcard points in Wales...that's a shame, but I suspect it would bankrupt them lol!

I guess we'll all get used to it fairly quickly, especially as soon as we're stung by a 50p charge for 10 carrier bags at the food shop. The retailers may lose some of their brand advertising in shopping centres etc, but overall I have to say it's a good thing.

Source

Wales online says: "About 350 million carrier bags are taken by Welsh shoppers from supermarkets each year and it is hoped that figure will be slashed by 85% in the first year of the 5p charge.

The ban relates to both plastic and paper single-use paper bags. The fee is expected to raise £2.6m, which shops and restaurants must give to Welsh charities. Shopkeepers caught giving bags away for free could be fined up to £5,000."