Investigating the use of standard plastic bags, we were a bit surprised to find that the EU is not really talking about the common American type plastic bag. The bags you get at convenience stores or when you answer the question "paper or plastic" with "plastic".
These bags are already pretty much extinct in the major EU economies, though we did get quite a few in the UK.
The major class of plastic bags now under discussion is the small in-store veggie and fruit bags you use for the loose fruit and vegetables you get in the fresh produce section.
According to media reports, these small transparent bags often end up in the environment as pollutants.
Not with yours truly, we find them very handy for re-use around the house, and once they are all torn up or dirty, they go into the bin. Not that we would mind paper bags in the produce section. The hold-up on these? Hard to say, but since most stores weigh fresh produce at the checkout, the retailers may well prefer transparent plastic bags because the cashier does not have to open them to check the content.
Even though the U.S. has not been a trailblazer in reducing plastic shopping bags, they have been good at illustrating the issue. We loved the plastic man in the photo below. Yes, there is a fully grown man under these bags.
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