Where can I find some really nice reusable shopping bags? There is a plastic bag ordinance in my city and I have to either bring my own bags or pay for paper ones. I completely support the fact that my city is trying to be more Earth friendly, but I do not like the cheap canvas bags that you can purchase at the stores. After a couple of times through the washer, they look horrible. What I really want are some nice heavy duty ones that will last me for a few years.
Those are not meant to be machine washed right, only soaked in water? Or they still looked awful after mildly handwashing it? I think they are just meant to be soaked in the basin then rinsed with water. Anyway, take a look at this clear shopping bag, it will solve all your washing problems with canvas bags:Log In
Thanks for the tip Sidney. I just do not feel right about soaking my bags in the basin because I want to make sure that they get disinfected really well. I would not want my family to get food poisoning should some bacteria from a meat leak or something like that seep into the other food I buy. I might be paranoid, but I would rather be safe than sorry here. I suppose I could go to Costco and get my own plastic bags to use.
I see, don't they store those raw meats in a small thin plastic? Over here they do, and they place it in double paper bags. I guess plastic bags are your best bet then, since it's easily washed too and not absorbent. I find the plastic bag that I found in Ebay US expensive. I'm sure you can find cheaper ones from Ebay Chinese sellers that offer free worldwide shipping.
I like to buy my reuseable bags on etsy or at the local flea markets. I also have a set of these easy fold bags from amazon:Log In - They're soulless but light and because they fold up nicely, I can always have one in my purse for those last minute trips. I take the larger prettier etsy bags for major trips.
I don't know what sort of grocery standards your country or state adheres to, but where I live, the goods we buy are packed inside biodegradable plastic bags or brown paper bags. People also have the option to buy green shopping bags made from recycled items. Department stores sell them for less than a dollar but buying them is just optional. Some stores allow you to use your own bag and I've seen people bring with them huge blanket-like bags. This isn't the common practice, though.
