Charging for plastic bags

If you live in Wales, you might be charged between 5-15 pence for plastic bags at stores by 2011.

On the surface, this seems like a great idea! Imposing a charge could deter the use of these pesky bags, which we all know are bad for the environment.

However, consider two points:

1) What are the alternatives? Reusable bags (superb, but can't hold a lot... and who remembers to bring them to the store all the time?) or paper bags (which are just as bad for the environment because of the toxins they release during manufacturing).

2) What about dog poop? How will pet owners respond to this new fee? Even if it's illegal to leave your dog poop lying around, some owners might chance it if they have to pay to pick it up.

What do you think?