I get at least one of these a fortnight at my work.
Me: *goes to reach for a plastic bag*
They: "Oh, no thank you, i won't have a bag. got to save those trees!"

...

They're not even joking.
( Willwillwritehiswill An arse like a slapped face., Fri 5 Sep 2008, 9:02, 6 replies)

I don't use carrier bags any more,
because of the landfill problems, it's got nothing to do with trees, unless they are now made from plastic. I take your point though, these customers do sound rather like hippies.
(Bear Pookie The Frankly Challenged. Halloween is coming to town., Fri 5 Sep 2008, 9:12, closed)

hehe
yup not using PLASTIC bags will save trees.
(Dan dan dan They tik urh jerbs!!!, Fri 5 Sep 2008, 10:42, closed)

I used to get that,
It was surprising how many people didn't know plastic comes from oil.

Fuck em, it started in the ground, we drop it back in landfill what's the problem who gives a fuck if it's there for another thousand years it was in the ground thousands more years before we sucked it up?
(Doogie Talons, Fri 5 Sep 2008, 11:13, closed)

What annoys me
is people thinking a biodegradable plastic bag is somehow better. This comes from the assumption that things in a landfill site rot down and become soil again.

Things in landfill sites stay in landfill sites forever. The way to date an old landfill site is to dig a borehole and look at the dates on the newspapers you recover. These will be fairly intact.
(Bazongaloid, Fri 5 Sep 2008, 13:13, closed)

oh dear...
I say this dead pan to shop monkeys all the time... it makes me chuckle... they think I am thick...
(feedingtimeatthezoo day 1 of his bikini diet started, Fri 5 Sep 2008, 14:36, closed)

Also annoying
is people who pick up the "bag for life" style bags and use them. Weekly. For months.

Because "they're much greener".

No, they're not. They're recycled, so less oil is required than the tiny amount used to actually make the bag- but you've still got to melt, process and generally screw about with the plastic before printing it out into sheets, printing the transfer on the front and heat-sealing the sides and handles. Then bagging it all up and transporting it (higher mass & volume, so higher transport costs per number of bags).

Simply using these over regular "take sheet, blow air in, cool down, pack, done" or however they make regular bags nowadays bags will not lower your carbon footprint, nor will it save trees or any significant amount of oil- in fact given the increased energy costs it probably takes more oil per bag...

And people who think it saves trees are a waste of Oxygen.
( uberdeity Wondered why Owen Lars knew of the term "hell" on, Mon 8 Sep 2008, 16:56, closed)