Hello All

[mark_hadfield]

Hi all,

I was told about this site by another member - Bill Hilton - a friend of mine who also helped establishing my business.

www.fairpack.org is a business I setup primarily as a part of my MA research. However, during my studies (recently concluded) it became apparent that Fairpack coule be a viable business so I'm now in the process of looking into that.

By trade I'm a designer and entrepreneur and like to chance my arm at various things. I live in London, but am from the NE originally.

Any questions or comments - ask away!

Mark

[Jayne]

Hi Mark,

Welcome to the forum :D

Jayne

[creacom]

Hi Mark

Welcome to the forum and best of luck with it all.

Dont hesitate to get in touch with any of us if you needs some ideas or advice.

Jacqui

[dagr]

Hi Mark,

Almost all the supermarkets in my area (Paris, France) have now stopped supplying free plastic bags (you know, the little cheap ones that you can never open). You can buy bigger, "proper" reuseable plastic/textile bags, usually priced somewhere from 20 to 50p. In the beginning everyone kept forgetting to bring in their own bags and so would buy new ones. After a few months, it finally sinks in, and you have the reflex of taking bags INTO the shop.

The downside is that everyone's now got these big bags floating around their cars.

Do UK supermarkets still provide free plastic bags?

David.

[mark_hadfield]

Hi David,

Yes, UK supermarkets still provide free bags - but most of the large brands now use biodegradable bags. In the Republic of Ireland there was a plastic bax tax introduced to persuade people to re-use their old bags. There are mixed opinions on the success of this - some say it's successful whilst some people say all its done is meant that more plastic is used in the manufacture of large bin liners. This is because people used to use old supermarket carrier bags to throw their rubbish away in - but now they're using these bags again so they have to buy more bin liners!

[dagr]

The biggest surprise to me was that this change seemed to happen almost overnight, yet I haven't heard anyone really grumble about the change. The only cursing I've heard at the till is people annoyed with themselves for forgetting to bring in their own bag from the car, not cursing at the supermarket about the lack of free bags.

All very strange, as you only need to give a Frenchman half an excuse to set him off complaining. I can only assume that, like me, they agree with the change.


David.

[kartel]

welcome to the forums my friend.. where in the NE you originally from?

[Alpha]

Hello Mark and welcome to the forums :)

[mark_hadfield]

I'm originally from Hartlepool. I moved down to London to study many moons ago and have just stayed here to work, and also study a little more...

...am a big NUFC fan... but don't hold that against me... other people are born with faults too!