Simple Solution to Beating The Bag Tax

With the new 5p bag tax to be implemented on 5th October, Trolley Bags – a reusable bag system designed to take the hassle out of the supermarket shop – is a product that has come to the fore as an user friendly, environmentally beneficial and cost effective solution for shoppers.

As the figures of single use bags issued per year in the UK mounts to over 8.5 billion*, it is now a national priority to change retailer and consumer behaviour and the Government bag tax should get everyone thinking more about the effect on the environment and how they shop – opting for a reusable bag to save on waste and on cost.

The bag tax has already been implemented in other areas of the UK, with an initial 71% drop in carrier bag usage in Northern Ireland after the charge was introduced in 2013, a fall in Wales by 78.2% since 2010 and an 80% decrease in Scotland subsequent to introduction last year.**

An alternative to the plastic carrier bag is the Trolley Bag system, a series of four bags that spreads out to fill the trolley, with its plastic arms resting on the sides, giving the shopper a series of large, open and upright bags. Joby Cronkshaw, managing director of Trolley Bags, says: “Trolley Bags were launched to make the supermarket shop, particularly the dreaded bag pack, stress free. But, the new tax also highlights another benefit of the bag, which is its re-usability.”

Joby explains: “By its very nature the Trolley Bag system is reusable and user friendly. It is designed to be taken into the supermarket conveniently rolled up and ready to be racked out into an empty trolley. Once in the trolley the system provides 4 open upright bags of varying colours and sizes leaving the customer two hands free to pack and sort their shopping.

“Most shoppers confess to stashing carrier bags and standard reusable bags, resulting in a bag of bags, a draw of bags, even a cupboard full of bags from past shopping trips, with the aim of using them again. But, even with the best intentions at heart, very few people remember to reuse these on a second outing as the packing process is made no easier with traditional reusable bags. With the Trolley Bag System there is a genuine benefit to the customer in terms of time spent packing which makes them an important part of any shopping trip”

Many households are already cost conscious about their supermarket shop, which has seen the rise in Lidl, Aldi and Poundland – all of which offer dramatically cheaper grocery deals. With the additional cost of bags added onto the price at the checkout, shoppers will be looking for an alternative to the single use bag, which can be used over again to avoid the added expense.

The checkout experience in some of the no-frills stores can be quite a fraught process for some, with little space to pack and pressure from the fast-style checkout service. The Trolley Bag system comes into its own in this situation, allowing you to streamline your end of shop routine.

The Trolley Bag system allows the user to either scan-and-pack items directly into the bags as they go or, the upright bag structure, frees up both hands at the checkout for a speedier pack. The coloured bags also allow you to pre-sort your grocery shop, separating out fresh produce, cupboard goods, frozen and chilled.

The company has also recently launched its Express Trolley Bag system for shallow trolleys, which means those making smaller shops can also benefit from the handy system. Joby says: “As we are all about convenience, the introduction of our new Express Trolley Bags means that we can offer a solution to smaller households, such as single shoppers, couples and empty nesters, as well as an alternative for the quick mid-week top up shop..”

“The Trolley Bag System isn’t just an eco-friendly phenomenon – the bag is a genuine solution to a consumer issue and the bags have taken the market by storm. The Trolley Bag System is currently rolling out internationally with Australian, New Zealand and US distribution already in place and mainland Europe next on the list.

For more information or to watch a video of the product, please visit www.trolleybags.com

* ‘Charges for single-use plastic carrier bags and Waste and recycling’, Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Rory Stewart MP, 24 July 2015
** ‘UK Voluntary Carrier Bag Agreement - 2014 Data Governments, Retailers and the BRC’, Wrap, http://www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/Carrier%20bags%20Agreement%20201...