Constant fight against throwaway ethos

A GLANCE at people coming out of supermarkets these days gives an insight into changing attitudes towards waste: the plastic shopping bag has all but disappeared.

It’s amazing how a 15-cent charge on such bags slapped on a few years ago could change people’s habits. They might spend €150, or more, on their shopping basket, but would baulk at the idea of paying a few cent for a plastic bag.

Which shows that financial incentives — or disincentives — work, with the introduction of pay-by-weight for waste disposal being another example.