We are about to ban the use of plastic carry bags in retail stores but is this going to be 'faulse ecconomy'.

Now apart from the hygiene issues, how many of these little critters get re-used in ways such as 'garbage bin linners' and, once they are gone, what will we replace them with other than a 'plastic garbage bin linner'.

Perhaps we should be buying stock in the bin linner manufaturing companies hey!

What did people do in the old days? What did we use to line our bins before plastic shopping bags? Did people even do it? I remember a lot of wrapping things in newspaper when I was a kid.
Are we about to see a return of the brown paper shopping bag?

I've been using green bags for shopping and bio-degradable liners for bins for a long time now. I've been told on fairly good authority though that the so-called degradable plastic doesn't actually break down, in most landfill situations, nearly as readily as it is claimed to do, due to lack of oxygen I think it was.

Mikk is on the right track. We could gain much from a return to some of the simpler ways of the past. Without plastic bags, we'll just have to become more creative and I've no doubt we will. A complete ban is the only way to get us all to that point. Well done to the SA Government. Let's hope the others follow suit soon.

As for hygiene concerns with reusable bags, that's a complete furphy. I've used the same few bags for years and never washed any of them, until today actually. The bases of them were getting slightly grubby looking so I've thrown them in the washing machine and they've survived brilliantly. So yes, they can be washed very easily, but if not, they're hardly likely, as implied, to become a health hazard.

Here's a hypo for you bronywn

Take a green bag and place your goods in them, one of them being a cooked chicken, hot.

Now some of the juice leaks into the bottom of the bag, so what.

The next day you go again and you buy grapes amoung other things. Now the grapes sit in some of the dried juice from the chicken which is by now teaming with bactiria.

Your little one eats a grape while waiting for you to finnish your shopping and guess what, it has been contaminated by the chicken juice.

There are many other egamples of why hygeine is an issue.

Now back to the bin without a linner.

We can't wash them every day now with water retrictions, acept on the odd days hey!

rehctub

A little care, commonsense and forward planning should overcome any such issues in most cases.

If you're worried about a chicken bag or anything else leaking, you could take along a thick plastic bag which most people save and reuse. There are also reusable cooler bags available at most supermarkets, which are good for cold items if you're concerned about dampness. And when meaty or messy spills or leakages do occur, there is always the washing machine.

Regarding the bin, using paper bags shouldn't be a problem if your kitchen waste is basically dry. Green waste can be composted and liquid waste buried. Or, if you go liner-free, again if you're a little more mindful of keeping your waste as dry as possible, you shouldn't have to wash your bin out every day. An occasional wipe over with paper towelling and disinfectant, for those who obsess over germs, should eliminate the need for constant washing apart from the occasional day where mess has occurred.

Granted, the green council bins could end up in a slightly messier state if kitchen waste is thrown in loosely rather than bagged in plastic, but a quick hose down if necessary when you bring it in on collection day should keep that problem at bay, without much hassle or water wastage.

It might require a little more thought and effort than most of us have to this date given to our waste disposal, but hey that won't hurt us. The days of tossing it out without further thought should be well and truly behind us.

When you see the damage plastic bags cause the environment reverting to cloth bags is all worthwhile.

Bronwyn said the cloth bags wash up well (mine need doing too) so if you do get a leaky chook then throw that bag in the washing.

A little inconvenience, and it is not really an inconvenience, for a greater good is nothing in the scheme of things.