The matter in summary: • Sales of plastic shopping bags have decreased, while sales of plastic bags on rolls have increased sharply.• The price of ordinary plastic bags that you can buy at the checkout in shops has increased to around six kroner each.• Store chains such as Coop, Europris and Biltema report a sharp increase in the sale of plastic bags on rolls.• Handelens Miljøfond views the development positively, as bags on rolls often consist of around half as much plastic as a plastic carrier bag.• There is discussion about a plastic bag fee will also be introduced on other types of plastic bags in the future.• Handelens Miljøfond distributes large parts of the plastic bag fee to environmental projects, particularly aimed at plastic pollution. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – I can’t remember the last time a product had such a strong growth in sales. We sell six times as many of these waste bags as we did just two years ago. Erling Dahlø Jensen is grocery manager at Obs Arendal. He shows off a small roll of 10 plastic bags. Coop’s waste bags are sold six times as much as two years ago. The bags are made from 33 percent recycled plastic. Photo: Espen Bierud / news On 1 May, the price of normal plastic bags that you can buy at the checkout in shops increased again. Now they cost around six kroner each. At the same time, sales of alternative plastic and waste bags have shot up. – People’s habits have changed quickly and we have to keep up, says Jensen. Erling Dahlø Jensen is grocery manager at Obs Arendal Arendal. A few hundred meters away, another shopkeeper marvels at the development. – It has taken a bit off, says department store manager Ståle Skjævestad in Southern. In just one year, Biltema’s customers in Norway have hoarded 50 per cent more rolls of plastic bags in different sizes. – We have noticed the rise ever since bags became significantly more expensive in the grocery stores. Warehouse manager for Biltema in Arendal, Ståle Skjævestad. Photo: Espen Bierud / news Do you buy a plastic bag when you shop at the store? No, I always have a shopping net with me Yes, sometimes when I forget the shopping net No, I think the bags are expensive Yes, I think this is nonsense and buy bags Show result Better for the environment A survey carried out by news shows that the small plastic bags on a roll cost between 50 øre and one krone each – a fraction of traditional shopping bags. The chains we have spoken to are Biltema, Europris and Coop. All the chains report a sharp increase in sales, but no one will say exactly how many they sell. They also have no obligation to report to the authorities. So who has the overview of the real plastic bag consumption in Norway right now? Plastic bags on rolls from Europris sell 50 percent more than a year ago, according to the chain. Photo: Espen Bierud / news Cecilie Lind, head of Handelens Miljøfond, would have liked to have had a better overview. – We have a full overview of the sale of normal plastic carrier bags, as well as packaging for, for example, fruit and bread. However, the sales volume of a number of other types of plastic bags, particularly those for waste, is not currently known. Cecilie Lind in Handelen’s environmental fund believes that the development is going in the right direction. Photo: Handelens miljøfond / press image Handelens miljøfond was established in 2017 as a response to the EU’s plastic bag directive. The member states and the EEA countries then agreed to reduce the use of light plastic carrier bags. Lind believes we are on the right track, even if sales of bags on rolls are increasing. – We think that this development is very good from an environmental point of view, and completely in accordance with our ambition, she says. Biltema has increased sales of plastic bags on rolls by 50 per cent in one year. Photo: Espen Bierud / news She points to several advantages of people using bags on a roll to a greater extent. – The bags on a roll often consist of around half as much plastic as a plastic carrier bag. It reduces your use of plastic for waste management. In addition, she thinks it is positive that the bags come in many different sizes, so everyone can find a bag that suits their needs. – The rubbish mountain is growing At Coop Hypermarked in Arendal, we meet Håvard Eriksen, who uploads today’s trade into a shopping network that can be used several times. – I have to. It has become so expensive to buy shopping bags. For the waste at home, we have bought a warehouse with bags on a roll. Trygve Hansen is on a shopping trip at Biltema. He is unsure whether the measure with a plastic bag fee is working. – If people just buy cheaper bags here instead, it will go up and up. I’m afraid the mountain of rubbish is only growing, he says. Trygve Hansen on a shopping trip at Biltema. Photo: Espen Bierud / news Could be more expensive When Handelens Miljøfond was established in 2017, Norwegians used an average of 177 bags a year. Since then, the plastic bag quota has increased several times and grocery stores’ sales of plastic shopping bags have fallen by more than 50 per cent. The state has a stated goal of a maximum of 40 bags per inhabitant by the end of 2025. There are many choices. A Joker bag hangs on a purple rolling suitcase. A woman holds a paper bag and a cloth bag in her hand. Photo: Eirin Tjoflot / news The head of Handelens Miljøfond, Cecilie Lind, says that the goal is for plastic bag consumption to decrease in the future. When asked if there could also be environmental charges on the plastic bags on a roll, she replies: – It is something we are discussing with the environmental authorities, whether it should also be introduced on other types of plastic bags in the future. The rolls with plastic bags come in many sizes and designs. Photo: Espen Bierud / news Handelens Miljøfond distributes large parts of the plastic bag fee to environmental projects. So far, over one billion has been spent on various measures, particularly aimed at plastic pollution. Published 02.12.2024, at 11.35 Updated 02.12.2024, at 18.10
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Strong increase in the sale of plastic bags on a roll – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
