4 items, 1 pile of waste

So, to summarise, we have bought some tomatoes, some peppercorns to refill our pepper mill, and some herbs. Really not a substantial amount of items, but a quite insane amount of packaging. Let's not forget Sainsbury's pledge:

We are focusing on reducing the amount of packaging we use wherever possible.

Well, this really doesn't look like you're trying very hard at all, does it?



Its all well and good expecting us to recycle our carrier bags, but perhaps we wouldn't need so many of the things if there wasn't such a huge amount of packaging wrapped around everything we buy. Even more shameful - a high proportion of this packaging cannot be recycled at all.

So as yet, we're not convinced, Sainsbury's.

Just a refill, please

Anyone that enjoys a gander at Masterchef of an evening will know that the cardinal sin of cooking is insufficient seasoning. Torode and that bald chap never specify exactly what they mean by this, but we assume its good old Sally Salt and Percy Pepper. God damn you Harriott.

We've got a pepper grinder, a nice wooden one, so all we need is some black peppercorns to go in it.

Exhibit 3: The Pepper



Hang on, there's only 2 places that those peppercorns are going - either into a pepper mill or into a bowl. Maybe into one of those odd shaker things that Jamie was whoring recently. Anyway, why do we have to have a glass jar? Wouldn't a small cardboard box, perhaps, be better?



Still, at least we can recycle the glass bit, but probably not the plastic cap.

Would you like some plastic with your herbs?

Next in our series of packaging experiements:


Exhibit 2: The Herbs

Here they are, in all their glory, some delicious Thyme, and some yummy Rosemary. Normally we use the Rosemary in the garden, but its raining.



That's interesting, the herbs appear to be wrapped in 2 kinds of plastic, just like the tomatoes.



That's quite a lot of waste for a very small quantity of herbs, isn't it? Still, no doubt we can recycle it.



Oh dear.

Coming right up: no sneezing, please, it's Pepper.

Putting Sainsbury's to the test

You may recall that we had a response from Sainsbury's referring to their commitment to reducing packaging. We'd accused them of using excessive plastic packaging in their products whilst pretending to be green earth lovers by encouraging us not to use carrier bags.

Here's what they said, for the record:

We are focusing on reducing the amount of packaging we use wherever possible.

So it seemed like a good idea to buy a few items and see whether their claim holds up.

Exhibit 1: Tomatoes

These are not just ordinary tomatoes... wait, that's not right. Anyway, here are the cuplrits, tucked away in their lovely plastic packaging.



Yes, that's a plastic tray, and a plastic wrapper too.



But not to worry, no doubt this lovely plastic can be easily recycled.



Oh dear, that's not good, is it? The plastic wrapper can't be recycled. So why have they used it? Perhaps the old greengrocer approach would work - you know, the one where you put your tomatoes in a brown paper bag and away you go.

Next: Herbs.

Asda are at it too

Asda joined the ranks of the misguided corporates on 1st June 2008 when carrier bags were removed from checkouts. Still, at least they've had a nice competition (or "brainwashing") for kids to design some lovely bags-for-life with happy smiley people on them carrying their shopping home in bags made from knitted horse hair or something equally unpleasant. So Asda join the hall of shame.

An answer. Not a very good one, but still...

We wrote to Sainsbury's to express our frustration at their new carrier bag policy. And we have a response. It is quite dry, no spit on it at all, so we can assume that Jamie didn't write it in between takes.

Thank you for your email which I read with interest. It is good of you to take the time to let me know your views about removing carrier bags from our checkouts.

Well the pleasure is entirely ours.

We take our commitment to reducing our effects on the environment very seriously. We want to make it easy for all our customers to reduce the number of bags they use. Free carrier bags were introduced in the early 1970s and customers have become used to receiving them.

Yes, nearly 40 years of providing customers with an essential part of the shopping experience.

We recently announced our plans to reduce the number of free plastic bags we give away by 50% by April 2009. To help us to achieve this new target we are working with our customers to reduce, reuse and recycle plastic bags.

We already reuse our plastic bags. As bin bags. We told you this in our email.

We are focusing on reducing the amount of packaging we use wherever possible. Indeed, we are confident that we will meet our target of a 5% reduction in packaging relative to turnover by 2010. So far we have achieved a 2.6% reduction. We now use 14% less plastic on our prepared salads than we did in January 2007, which will save 20.8 tonnes of plastic a year. We are also reducing the packaging on our crisps, snacks and nuts by 20%, which will save 85 tonnes of plastic a year. By May 2010, we will have reduced our produce packaging by 25% and 50% will be recyclable or compostable.

Ah, here's something interesting. We will examine this in more detail later.

Thank you for taking the time to contact us. I hope this information is useful to you.

Not really, but thanks all the same.

So, at least its a response. The part about reducing packaging is very interesting, and oddly unbelievable. We're sure we bought some tomatoes recently that were sat in a plastic tray, wrapped in a plastic sleeve, with a nice label on it. But we can't have a plastic bag. Some gathering of evidence seems in order, then.

Taking on a giant, Part 1

It's important to take on some of these big corporates, rather than just rant about them in a feeble blog-based attempt to vent one's frustrations at having to beg for sub-standard carrier bags. So we tried.

I note with enourmous frustration today that you have followed the ill-informed and misguided crowd and elected to remove normal carrier bags from your checkouts. No doubt it is only a matter of time before you place pressure on your staff to refrain from handing out bags on request.

Perhaps whoever has instigated this policy can answer this: do you really think it is "green" for me to buy a roll of plastic bin bags, and then carry them home in a lovely bag-for-life? Have you made any attempt at all to reduce the ridiculous volume of plastic packaging that you place on virtually all fresh produce? Have you instructed the staff who pack orders for your home delivery service that it is in fact possible to place more than 2 items in a bag? I doubt it.

We shall see if this generates a response other than "oh, we really do like being green, honest".

Spotlight of shame: Sainsbury's

In October 2008, Saiunsbury's removed carrier bags from display at their checkouts. Sadly, they weren't planning to scrunch them up into a giant ball to jam into Jamie Oliver's mouth to shut him up. Thus far, they've committed to keeping the bags free, and to give them out willingly if customers ask for them. No doubt plenty of people are using their bag-for-life to carry home various plastic bin bags, which is obviously reducing the amount of plastic waste enourmously.

Since this change in policy, something else appears to have happened, though. Something dark and disturbing and not entirely unexpected. The free bags now seem to fall apart with alarming ease. Items previously swallowed without so much as a rustle, things like small packets of herbs, and water biscuits, now tear vast holes in the side of the bags. We shall see if we can get to the bottom of this.

Spotlight of shame: M&S

These are not just bags for life, these are... you get the idea. It's interesting, though, that if I buy a pair of socks for £3 from highstreet stalwart M&S I will get a nice, plastic carrier bag to put them in. However, if I pop in to the food court and pick up a bit of lunch, or perhaps a nice ready meal for my dinner, I can't have a bag unless I pay 5p. And even them, it's a pretty poor excuse for a carrier bag. So why am I forced to pay a fee to carry away the items that I've paid for?

Here's what M&S are saying about their plans:

Through the charge, M&S is aiming to:

encourage customers to reduce the amount of bags they use by switching from taking single use carrier bags with every purchase to bringing a reusable bag for life with them each time they shop.

raise a significant amount of money for the environmental charity Groundwork to invest in creating or improving ‘greener living spaces’ such as parks, play areas and gardens in neighbourhoods around the UK.

They go on to talk about the profits they are making from these bags:

All of the 1.85p profit from the sale of single use food carrier bags will be donated to [environmental charity] Groundwork.

But what about the other 3.15p per bag that they are saving? Not so much about saving the planet now, is it M&S? That's a nice little addition to the bottom line, and all in the name of charity and green goodness.

I recycle already, damn it

I'm supposed to buy a "bag for life" in order to save the planet. But I already recycle my carrier bags. I turn them into bin bags, put my rubbish in them, and thrown them in the wheely bin. Sometimes I use them to carry bottles or newspapers to the recycling centre, and then I throw them in the plastic bin.

Which is preferable: carrying my shopping home in a plastic bag and then recycling the bag, or buying a big roll of plastic bags and then carrying them home in a "bag for life"?

It's a con, I tell you!

At least Dick Turpin had the decency to wear a mask, and was honest enough to just rob you. Unlike so many supermarkets and shops who would love you to think that they are trying to save the world, but, just like Gordon Brown, aren't saving the world at all.