Plastic bags bother some

2003-07-28 12:41

Cape Town - Four out of 10 South Africans find it very embarrassing to take their own plastic bags to a store, according to survey results released on Monday.

The poll, by Cape Town-based Research Surveys, also found that more than half of the 2 000 respondents countrywide did not believe that the new plastic bag laws would result in cheaper food prices for consumers.

They were questioned on the regulations introduced earlier this year to outlaw thin bags and replace them with thicker bags that shops must sell.

The survey said exactly half of those interviewed believed the new regulations would reduce litter and contribute positively to the environment.

A significantly higher number of Capetonians - 57% - were of this view.

Six out of 10 shoppers, including a massive 73% of Durbanites, however, claimed that their shopping experience had become less enjoyable.

Seventy percent of Indian females and 62% of Indian males, and almost half of black males claimed to find taking their own bags to a store embarrassing.

Forty-two percent of people, most of them younger shoppers, said they bought new bags every time they went shopping.

Again, in Durban the figure was higher - 51%.

The survey also found that women were more likely to try to squeeze everything into one large bag than into several small ones.

- SAPA