Paper or Plastic?
There’s been lot of scuttlebutt lately regarding plastic grocery bags:
First San Francisco outlawed them,
then Whole Foods stopped offering nationwide,
and amazingly the entire country of China outlawed free plastic bags!
My response: Paper NOR Plastic. I have been carrying reusable grocery bags for 2+ years, but have recently noticed them popping up everywhere – at the farmers market, at Trader Joe’s, even at Target!
Should you make the switch to reusable bags?
Pro: You won’t have a bunch of plastic bags jammed under your sink
Con: But, those bags are good for taking your lunch to work
Pro: Hipsters will respect your love of the environment
Con: You have to buy the reusable bags
Pro: You can get them for free in some places
Con: The free ones are pretty crappy
Pro: Some stores will credit you 10 cents for bringing your own bag
Con: But you usually forget to take them to the store
If you do, in fact, make the switch, here is some advice:
- Keep the bags in your car & as soon as you unpack the groceries, leave them by the front door so you will remember to put them back in the car.
- Buy a few that fold up really small & keep them in your purse/computer bag/at work. (I love Baggu Bags)
- Use them for all shopping, not just groceries. (Heck, you can even carry your lunch to work in one)
Do reusable shopping bags simplify my life? Absolutely.
Resources:
reusablebags.com Facts, figures & trends
flickr.com Examples of sturdy shopping bags available at Whole Foods
etsy labs Cool ideas for what to do with plastic bags you already have
nice! we’ve been trying to get on the reusable bag bandwagon but can’t overcome that initial hump of buying the bags. how many bags do you have in rotation? we tend to shop for the entire week so we’d have to buy a bunch.
I suggest starting with only 2 & adding as you need more. There’s no rule that says they have be a matching set, so feel free to add to your arsenal over time.
I would also recommend just not getting a bag in many cases. This is especially true at small convenience stores. You don’t need a bag for that Twix and slim jim. Come on, you know the Twix will be gone before you start the car. Same goes for the local burrito place, they already wrap it in paper or tin foil, why do you need another bag around that. What are we protecting these sandwiches from?
i bought 4 at my local grocery, 2 for the car and 2 for the house, trying to remember to return them to the car can be the challenge
I bought my first reusable grocery bag at Whole Foods yesterday. I think that one of my good friends will be very proud. In my country in Europe, people have to pay for plastic bags at grocery stores (granted, it’s not because the country is green, but because they are expensive for stores to hand out). Maybe we should start that in the US to encourage people to be responsible.