Plastic bags - ways to cut your use

Re-using our carrier bags is something we’re good at. We like to line our bins with them, take our lunch to work in them and store our muddy trainers in them. In fact, most of us have bags of bags.

Why getting a bag habit is a good habit

Under the sink, under the stairs and in the garden shed, bags fill up our cupboards and bulge out of our household drawers. But have you noticed there's one place where you never have a carrier bag? It's when you're out shopping. You get to the checkout and suddenly realise you've forgotten your bags again. This means you've got to pick up even more bags to fill your house up with. It's not just wasteful, it's really annoying.

Reusing Carrier Bags

Reusing packaging saves natural resources and reduces the need for landfill. There are many simple things that we can do without changing the habits of a lifetime. It is estimated that plastic bags take approximately 10-20 years to biodegrade. Taking your own bag when you go shopping will help reduce the 10 billion plastic bags that are handed out by our supermarkets each year. We can all help to reduce the amount of plastic carrier bags that are wasted each year by reusing them or switching to other reusable bags.

In Northern Ireland 163 million single-use bags were handed out by major supermarkets in the year 2010, compared to 189 million bags in 2009/10 - equating to a 14% reduction in bags handed out over the year

Taking Care of Your Bags

It is recommended that only clean plastic bags in a good state of repair are used. Bags contaminated with food or in a bad state of repair should be recycled at carrier bag recycling points. Long life reusable bags should be cleaned frequently.

Remembering Your Bags

It doesn't matter what type of bag you reuse either: a 'bag for life', a canvas bag, or just an ordinary plastic carrier bag, as long as you take a bag shopping with you. By remembering to take your bags with you, you'll be helping to save the environment by reducing waste that ends up in landfill, and using less virgin raw material. You'll also be reducing the carbon that's used up when bags are being manufactured.

Our top tips to help you remember are:

• try keeping a bag tucked in your handbag or jacket pocket so you're always prepared
• if you often forget to take your bags with you, why not put them somewhere you're likely to see them? Perhaps near your front door?
• you can also keep them in the boot of your car so you have them ready for next time. Put a note on your dashboard so you don't go into the shop without them
• ask your employer if you can set up a carrier bag dispenser somewhere at work, perhaps in the kitchen. Then, people can use the bags at lunchtime
• children like getting involved, so why not ask them to remind you?
• why not make up a handy memory aid such as 'KWB' (Keys, Wallet and Bags)
• Rethink Plastic Bags - A video clip on reusing bags