CopenhagenTime and again I arrive at the supermarket and find myself unarmed with a shopping bag from home. My annoyance hits me on two levels: Wasting good money on yet another couple of plastic bags, when I already have umpteen of them stuffed into a cupboard at home. And wasting all that plastic, adding unnecessary weight to my environmental footprint on this planet, from lack of foresight, not good intentions.

In Denmark, where I live, the flimsy, single-use bags known from many countries are a rarity, only seen at the odd local greengrocer or fishmonger. There are no free carrier bags in Danish food stores. Supermarkets sell large, durable plastic carrier bags, made to last, to encourage people to use