Shoppers' right to choose what bags to use

It is not feasible for shoppers to stop using plastic bags and for supermarkets to stop issuing them ("Have no-cleaners week so people can get hands dirty?"; Jan 10).

What happens if shoppers forget to bring along their own bags or if they have a lot of items to carry? Are we to penalise them?

Canvas bags get dirty after a few uses, and it is a waste of water to wash them.

Black bin liners, which are a replacement for plastic bags, use more oil in their production and take a longer time to degrade. It does not seem like there will be a positive effect on the environment if we switch to these.

In contrast, plastic bags are quicker to degrade, are reusable and recyclable - we can use them for garbage or for storage, for instance.

Not issuing plastic bags seems like an inconvenience in the long term.

Shoppers should have the option of how they want to transport their shopping. Those who do not like plastic bags can ask not to have them.

Rather than take away shoppers' right to choose, we should educate them on how to act responsibly.

Francis Cheng

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