Reusable Shopping Bags

**momof1in150** · 03-02-2009, 08:10 AM

I don't have an issue using reusable bags but I have to wonder how clean are they. I am thinking that I should have 2 for fresh fruit and vegetables and 1 for meats. I think there could be a lot of cross contamination as there isn't a way to clean the bags unless you purchase canvas bags that are washable.

The other thing is that I have had to buy small trash bags for the car and around the house because I used the grocery bags for trash bags in the past. Seemed kind of funny to me.

**LivingAlmostLarge** · 03-02-2009, 09:18 AM

I've gotten lots of free bags.

**boosami** · 03-02-2009, 09:22 AM

If 10% of customers use reusable bags, they can stock 10% less plastic bags and save money as a company on that end. It's a win-win: save money and save the environment.

**Joan.of.the.Arch** · 03-02-2009, 09:35 AM

Agree with Boosami.

Have you noticed that most of the re-usables sold are made of synthetic fibers anyway? I wonder how many times you have to reuse one of them to overtake the energy and oil used in its production as compared to that of the thin filmy bags.

I keep meaning to make some bags out of old shirts or something.

**noppenbd** · 03-02-2009, 09:42 AM

Just about any "green" technology has to be financially savvy (at least over a long enough period) or it is not going to catch on. For instance, hybrid cars were just a niche product until gas got expensive enough. Likewise with wind, solar energy. The government can step in and shift the balance a bit with incentives but over all the individual consumer usually has to save money in order for it to stick. There will always be some that will pay a premium to be green but the majority will not. In the case of the bags, my grocery store gives a 5 cent credit for each bag, every time you come, so it is stupid not to bring your own bags (the bags pay for themselves in just a few months).

**MonkeyMama** · 03-02-2009, 10:15 AM

Our grocery stores pay us to use reusable bags. (5 cents per bag used, every shopping trip). They often give away the canvas bags as well.

OF course they are motivated by lowering the cost of "giving away"
plastic bags.

**disneysteve** · 03-02-2009, 10:42 AM

Being environmentally friendly often doesn't save money. In fact, it often costs more. I'm certainly guilty of picking the cheaper option rather than the greener option in many situations. As far as reusable bags, although I think they are a great idea, I have resisted actually spending money to purchase any. Instead, we've found various bags that we already had around the house and started using those. In fact, we just returned from the supermarket a few minutes ago and used 3 of our own bags. We also have a couple more that we got from Whole Foods for free at a local street fair. All together, we probably have at least 8 bags that use and none of them cost us a penny as they were all promotional items that we got for free somewhere.

**cantretire** · 03-02-2009, 06:36 PM

I get bags from reusablebags.com. They are made from recycled plastic, are very durable, fold up into tiny packages I can keep in my purse or shoulderbag, and are WASHABLE!

If they get icky, just throw them in the wash or wash out in the sink. I always have at least one with me.

**neatdesign** · 03-06-2009, 08:53 PM

They've got the right idea in the UK. For a start, British shopkeepers don't assume that you want your items put in a bag -- they ask first. And they don't say, "Would you like paper or plastic?" or even "Would you like these in a bag?" -- they ask, "Do you need a bag?" The semantics are important, because many times you don't actually NEED a bag -- you just WANT one. Phrasing the question that way makes you think about how you should answer.

In the States, though, they don't even bother asking. I can't count the number of times that I've gone into a store to buy just a couple of small things -- a new tube of lipstick, a magazine, etc -- and like a robot, the shopkeeper automatically puts them in a plastic bag. And when I tell them, "Thanks, I don't need a bag," I get a stunned look as if I've just spoken in Lithuanian or something. Some even respond, "Are you SURE?" -- but I've been good and not responded with what I'm thinking, which is usually, "Yeah, I think I can manage to carry two 12oz cans of Diet Coke without a bag, thanks."

British retailers worked with the UK government and agreed to cut back on handing out single-use plastic bags by 50%. In the two years since, plastic bag usage dropped 26% in the UK, and the bags they now use generally contain less plastic than before. (News article about this.) There's also been talk of retailers being taxed for handing out plastic bags. If Prime Minister Gordon Brown had his way, single-use plastic bags would be banned altogether.

Marks & Spencer charges 5p for their plastic bags, but the revenue goes towards maintaining public parks. Sounds like a worthy cause to me.

When I was last in England, I bought some really great reusable bags that were sold in Marks & Spencer and Sainbury's, as well as from a local food co-op in Yorkshire. The ones from Sainsbury's were especially nice, as they're constructed from 100% recycled bottles, and they are REALLY strong. Seriously, they're roughly the same size as regular plastic bags, but they can easily hold 15-20lbs worth of groceries. They only cost me about $3 each and were definitely worth it -- they had "Bags with more bottle" printed on them, a nice pun. I use them constantly and they're machine washable. I bought loads of them and gave them to friends as souvenirs, which was a big hit!

I find it funny that people are worried about reusable bags getting "icky" and "dirty" but find the alternative -- plastic bags that take about 100 years to decompose in a landfill, are littering our streets and neighborhoods, etc -- perfectly acceptable. Sure, you have to pay (a small amount) for reusable bags, but isn't living in a world that's cleaner and healthier worth it?

~ Jenney

**disneysteve** · 03-07-2009, 04:38 AM

Originally posted by neatdesign View Post

I can't count the number of times that I've gone into a store to buy just a couple of small things -- a new tube of lipstick, a magazine, etc -- and like a robot, the shopkeeper automatically puts them in a plastic bag. And when I tell them, "Thanks, I don't need a bag," I get a stunned look as if I've just spoken in Lithuanian or something. Some even respond, "Are you SURE?" -- but I've been good and not responded with what I'm thinking, which is usually, "Yeah, I think I can manage to carry two 12oz cans of Diet Coke without a bag, thanks."

I agree. I love when I just run in to grab a gallon of milk and they want to put it in a bag. Let's see. One item with a conveniently designed built-in handle. Why would that possibly need to go into a bag in order to be carried?

**kork13** · 03-07-2009, 05:47 AM

Originally posted by neatdesign View Post

I can't count the number of times that I've gone into a store to buy just a couple of small things -- a new tube of lipstick, a magazine, etc -- and like a robot, the shopkeeper automatically puts them in a plastic bag. And when I tell them, "Thanks, I don't need a bag," I get a stunned look as if I've just spoken in Lithuanian or something. Some even respond, "Are you SURE?" -- but I've been good and not responded with what I'm thinking, which is usually, "Yeah, I think I can manage to carry two 12oz cans of Diet Coke without a bag, thanks."

hahaha you said this and couldn't help myself from laughing. this happened to me just the other day almost exactly as you said it. I had to buy a small stack of 3x5 index cards--that's it. I'm at the counter to pay for it, and as she scans it, she puts them in a bag. I look at it, and think "yeesh, I don't want to bother with a bag for something I can just put in my pocket", so I say "thank you, but I don't really need a bag, it's just the one little thing", to which she responds, "really? Are you sure? ..... okay, ....." she seemed so reticent to not use the bag it was laughable!

**Joan.of.the.Arch** · 03-07-2009, 07:01 AM

Lately I'm finding that cashiers and baggers are not at all surprised to hear my request for NO BAG, so I presume a lot more people are now doing that. Still there are those times when I don't catch the bagger at the grocery store and I find my purchase now has five pounds of already bagged potatoes in a check-out bag by itself, 3 pounds of already bagged apples in a bag by themselves. Three bunches of greens which I myself bagged in the produce department now in doubly engulfed in a check out bag. So what do a do? Pull the basket aside, take the apples and greens out of those bags and put them in my back pack to conveniently walk home, them remove the potatoes from their extra bag to carry by hand.

I am ready for it to become check out etiquette for the store to ask whether we need bags or not before they star bagging. I suppose there would be some people omiffed at the suggestion that the store would rather not give a bag, but, well, the times they are a'changin'.

**MonkeyMama** · 03-07-2009, 08:42 AM

IT could be a California thing, but I generally only run into the store for a couple of items (my spouse does all the bulk shopping). Most of the time I am asked if I would like a bag. Which is nice because I usually don't need or want one. It's usually asked in a manner of like, "You can have one if you like - but clearly you don't need one - so I won't assume either way." Of course, a few years ago they would always seem confused when I said "no thanks" to a bag. I can certainly identify. But the clerks around here are trained well not to waste plastic bags, these days.

**Bimmer** · 03-07-2009, 12:00 PM

Most places here, they will ask if you want a bag if you have only a few items (why give away bags for no reason only to have to order more sooner rather than later?).

Our grocery store gives a 5 cent per bag credit for using our own (we have four, maybe paid a total of $1 for them at a garage sale).

I like the bigger, reusable bags. We used to go grocery shopping and come home with a dozen or so plastic bags (more work to load/unload). Now, we usually can fill the four reusables and be done. Occasionally we need one or two plastic bags on top of that (which works out perfect, as we use those for various things).

Reusable Shopping Bags