A little part of me dies on the inside every time I see someone at the grocery store not only ask for plastic shopping bags, but also ask to have the bags doubled up because the contents are so heavy. I can't really blame them: the plastic seems to get thinner and thinner every year, but a sack of potatoes still weighs as much as it ever did! The question is, why do some people refuse to get with the program and use those sturdy plastic reusable shopping bags?
There are, sadly, many impediments. For one, reusable bags don't fit into briefcases and purses - forget spontaneous visits to the grocery store on the way home from work, except to amass more thin plastic bags. Those who drive don't fare any better, with reusable bags often forgotten in the backseat or trunk. I've also heard that some people like thin plastic bags because they can use them to line their household garbage bins, thereby avoiding the purchase of brand new bags for that singular purpose. And at least here in Toronto, traditional shopping bags are recyclable with our blue bin program, provided you use one bag to hold all of the others so they don't get lost in the shuffle - literally.
I can think of a few other, less common reasons for disliking reusable sturdy plastic bags, such as the fact that they are made in China. We ship our plastic items around the world to be recycled into reusable bags, then ship the final product around the world again to sell them here at home. Wow. That's one helluva carbon footprint. True, one container ship can hold millions of bags, so each individual bag doesn't carry much of the blame, but we still believe it's important to use CFL bulbs despite their minimal impact when examined individually!
And then there's, for me, the kicker: reusable sturdy plastic bags pile up just like everything else. Ironically, because it seems so wrong to throw them away, I hoard the little buggers and stash them like I'm secretly ashamed of them. The same fate awaits not only reusable grocery store bags, but also the ones that you can get at the book shop, clothing boutique, and shoe store. These days, I don't leave home without one of these purse-friendly reusable bags, so I have a clear conscience, but of course the old bags from years ago are still sitting, barely used, in my closet. Occasionally, new ones are added to the collection when friends bring food and drink with them when visiting me and refuse to take the empty bags back home with them upon leaving. And so the plastic accumulates in one form or another, even in an eco-friendly household, and in trying to generate less waste, the Western world still manages to create waste.
How many reusable sturdy plastic bags are collecting dust in your home, despite your best intentions?
Photo of plastic bag recycling station used under Creative Commons from Sam Felder (flickr).
Photo of plastic bag caught in tree used under Creative Commons from zen Sutherland (flickr).
Does re-using those plastic grocery bags make it ok? I use mine mainly for garbage (I rarely need to buy bags specifically for that purpose). I also travel a lot so I use those bags to wrap up my shoes in my suitcase and also to bring back dirty laundry. I obviously then throw those out when I am done.
ReplyDeleteReusing plastic grocery bags is better than tossing them the moment you come home and put away the groceries, sure. But I think we need to aim even higher than reusing when it comes to plastic, mainly because it's made of petroleum and doesn't biodegrade. We ought to try to avoid bringing any more of it into our homes than is absolutely necessary... IMO.
ReplyDelete"forget spontaneous visits to the grocery store on the way home from work, except to amass more thin plastic bags"
ReplyDeleteExactly this. My grocery runs are almost never planned and are almost always done on the way to school. A solution that I keep forgetting to implement would be to keep a stash of reusable bags in my office. Although, even then, I may just forget that they're there...
If it's any consolation, I reuse plastic bags multiple times (they're a godsend when travelling), before ultimately recycling them. (Yes! They are recyclable!)
Yep, forgetting them at the office is like forgetting them in the car. You have to make an effort to form a new habit, I guess? I wish grocery stores would offer a significant discount to shoppers who bring their own bags - not just an insignificant fee for those who opt for the traditional plastic ones!
ReplyDeleteEr...guilty. I'm afraid to count how many reusable bags I have. Most were given to me (it took a while for me to learn to refuse freebies), but a few I bought. Like you, the ones I use the most frequently are the ones that live within my purse, so I really should be doing something with the others. One idea is to donate food or clothing in them, but it doesn't address the fact that there are actually too many -- and everyone who remotely wants one has one (or more). I read a while ago that reusable bags have started to be shipped out to third world countries with our discarded surplus clothes. Definitely a sign that a good idea has become a consumer fad.
ReplyDeleteI have to say, I do love my big plastic reusable from WWF -- it's water resistant, so I use it for all my pottery gear!
I'm one of those that shops at the last minute and forgets my reusable bags (not good, I know). But I do use these bags to line the garbage cans, and honestly, I don't know of a better alternative. I don't spend money buying plastic garbage bags (neither the smaller ones to line the garbage cans nor the big black ones). Would love to know about a better alternative!
ReplyDeleteJennifer - You're right, getting rid of them by using them to hold food and clothing donations is a good idea, but it's basically passing on the buck. That's how I feel when my friends leave theirs at my place! :)
ReplyDeleteThe consumer fad aspect is really sad, I agree. Leave it to the free market economy to have everyone jump on the new bandwagon and turn anything remotely green into a profit. Sigh.
Sabrina - I'm glad the bags get a second use as garbage can liners. Every little bit helps. The only alternative would require Boston to adopt a municipal, curbside organics pick-up program. There's nothing wet in my kitchen garbage anymore because fruit, veggie, and meat scraps go into the green bin. Dry garbage can sit in the bin without need for a liner - though I still use one because of course, the box of bags I bought a few years ago is still alive and well. :)
ReplyDeleteSadly, Boston is WAY behind Toronto when it comes to their waste. We can barely find recycling bins on the street here and garbage pickup is still twice a week. Curbside organics pick-up would be amazing, but it feels like it is still many, many years away.
ReplyDeleteIt may be, but it will eventually come. Waste diversion is only successful if people's behaviour and attitudes change. If too few participate, it costs too much, and at the end of the day the financial aspects of recycling and organics processing win out over the environmental benefits.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a plastic bag issue-although I do save any that come into our home for cleaning up after our dog. I do have a reusable bag issue-they are everywhere in my home-and I still manage to forget them sometimes! I love keeping the smaller, foldable bags in my bag for those impromptu visits to the store. I never forget those:) I also use my reusables to donate clothing and for carrying everything. But I can see how they will take over soon!
ReplyDeleteBoston is WAY behind you-green bin?? Now that would be incredible!
Lori - You seem to have created a great system! And it's nice that reusable bags can be put to good use in so many different ways. I just wish more people reused them at the source - in stores - so that we don't keep increasing the overall number of bags in the world. Maybe they ought to cost more so that we would value them more?
ReplyDeleteWe do struggle, but over the last year we've come very close to cutting down our disposable plastic bag use to zero (and we no longer put our garbage in plastic bags--just directly in the bin since all the wet stuff goes in the compost). We do make good use of the re-usable ones--many of which are actually canvas in our home. Like you, Andrea, I got some thin fabric bags that fold into almost nothing, and always have one or two in the very small purse/bag I carry. My husband keeps bags at the office and in his back pack for shopping trips on the way home. I really think it's a habit it's possible to acquire. When it comes to plastic bags, I sometimes think: what if it cost $5 each for disposable plastic bags at the grocery store? At that price, I'd either never forget my own or, if I did forget, I'd wouldn't do the shopping. I just wouldn't ever pay that price. That being so, I just have to grasp that the damage done by plastic is at least the equivalent of that imaginary $5 fee. If we really think it's important, we'll do it. Maybe you're right that the reusable ones need to cost more so that we'll value them properly--and remember to use them. I think we do remember the things that are important to us--it just takes time to get into the habit. I doubt that I ever forgot to take a spare diaper out with me when my kids were babies because the consequences of forgetting were too awful. It's hard to get into a mindset like that about plastic, but that's where we need to be, I think.
ReplyDeleteAnd it's like everyone is giving away those nylon bags - I get them at conferences, at promotional events, in stores (free bag w purchase today!) - I really think we've created something worse!!
ReplyDeleteMelissa - I couldn't agree more. If cheap plastic bags were prohibitively expensive, well, we'd feel prohibited from buying them. There's something wrong with the system when cheap bags are five cents each, and reusable ones are a buck. Both need to cost more, way more, so that we start paying attention. Your analogy to diapers is totally appropriate. :)
ReplyDeleteKatherine - That's exactly my point. Reusable bags are only good if we reuse them, which means not having to keep buying/receiving more and more and more. Then they're as bad as the ones they're meant to replace, and the waste cycle continues. Trade shows, conventions, and exhibitions are terrible for that, always handing out those bags containing stuff that people will toss out when they get home anyway. It's enough to make me mad, that's for sure.
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