Recent media reports have told how the council are planning to bring in a law which will require dog walkers to carry poo bags with them at all times, or face a £75 on the spot fine. But the powers to be are not stopping there.
Wales First
Following the success of the 5p carrier bag charge scheme, coupled with the fact that Wales likes to be first in everything like this these days, the Rhondda is to be the first place in the UK to introduce an on the spot fine for people who go shopping without a used carrier bag.
We beat the English
Since the introduction of the 5p carrier bag scheme back in 2011, the number of single-use plastic carrier bags have declined by more than 70%, making Wales again a pioneer in something new, the scheme was quickly followed by other parts of the UK, including the English who Wales also beat to be first in banning smoking in indoor public places.
Fine
The on the spot fine for not being able to produce a used carrier bag whilst out shopping will be trialled in all areas of Rhondda Cynon Taf in the summer, and if the scheme proves successful it will be rolled out to all other areas of Wales pretty sharpish, with the main aim to cut down the number of carrier bags in circulation and maybe make a few quid for the charitys that currently benefit from the 5p carrier bag charge.
My Rhondda News, who are first to learn about this plan, asked a council spokesperson how the scheme will work, she told us, “Enforcement officers will have the authority to approach anyone who appears to be out shopping, and ask them to produce evidence that they either have bags or other means to carry home their shopping. An offence is committed if the shopper is unable to show the enforcement officer that they have that means.”
Mental
Local Shopper, Stella Van, told My Rhondda News, “It’s absolutely ridiculous really, I recycle my carrier bags by using them as poo bags, does this mean I’m going to be fined for using a carrier bag as a poo bag, ‘cos it’s not a proper poo bag, and get another fine for not having any carrier bags left to go shopping with because I used them all to pick up poo? Mental.”
My Rhondda News 
I’m strapping my middle kitchen drawer to the spoiler on the back of my Nissan.
It’s full of plastic bags, that drawer. That way I will never be without a bag myself down Porth or even Cymmer and I can also distribute them to the bagless.
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I support my mam but I draw the line at going to Cymmer.
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I was stopped and asked if I had a used bag yesterday in Home Bargains car park Tonypandy yesterday. I failed to produce one and was fined on the spot. The law enforcement officer was working for a private company from England and had nothing to do with the shop. He was grinning as he told me he would be doing his rounds at Lidl, Farm Foods, and even a few corner shops and Post Offices later this week….should I appeal because I have never broken the law in my 78 years?
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Oh I see the carrier bag Nazis are off again.
I wonder if this barbaric law also applies to cops who are buying doughnuts.
I sometimes pretend that I am working for one of the big supermarkets and one thing that comes up very often in my mind is how can I make my customers impulse buy. Well thank you very much RCT now that my imaginary supermarket would loose this important stream of money.
My mother would be turning in her grave.
Also could you clear something up-in your well written report local shopper Stella Van says she uses her second hand bags to pick up pop. However there is no mention of her having a per so I feel it’s fairly safe to assume that she is picking up her own poo. I think this woman clearly needs help!!
Pelvis
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Got to be a spoof article! If I just want a can of lemonade on a hot day I need a carrier bag? Bollocks!
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I have my dog with me I always carry poo bags, it would be nice to have more bins situated around to place them in, most of the time I have to walk a fair distance before coming across a bin or maybe no bin. Shouldn’t be a problem if you have a dog and carry them, rightly you should, it ain’t nice walking around and finding mess on the floor not just that your dog ends up sniffing other mess and getting it on their paws. Clean up your dogs mess simple it ain’t difficult. It’s called laziness.
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What a ridiculous idea and totally unenforceable. What happens if I am away from my home, not on a planned shopping trip, and then decide to carry out shopping. What would happen if I just wanted a pint of milk. This world of ours is getting crazier by the minute. I understand the situation as to dogs and dog fouling and the requirement to carry poo bags. I’m not sure that this is not an April Fools Day joke; if not it should be
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This is just silly you don’t always know you are going to pop in a shop when you leave the house residents won’t bother shopping and shopping on impulse fearing a fine and local shop takings will go down. This is very shortsighted!!
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marvelous how do they find the money for all these sneaks when they are supposed to be hard up, couldnt they spend money better?
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