Why All the Plastic Bags?

I stopped using plastic bags, when stores in my area started charging for them. They're not expensive (around $0.10), but over time it can really add up. So instead I got a couple of cloth grocery bags. They are reusable and can even be washed, if they ever get dirty.

I think some stores just have this policy, when they have to give you a free plastic bag if you buy groceries for more than $10. At least in my area that's the case. Of course I always politely decline because I have my own bag with me.

 

In B.C. (Canada) we are being asked to use reusable bags and the cashiers check for them before they start bagging. We just put them on top of our groceries and the cashiers fill those bags first. Our local municipality has looked into banning plastic bags altogether but has yet to come up with a viable alternative.

Even having one reusable bag makes a big difference as they are larger than conventional plastic and stronger. Each trip, one bag means one or two fewer plastic ones and no double bagging is needed. While I am not perfect at remembering to take a reusable bag with me at all times, even my intermittent use helps a bit.

One problem with the bags is that for some reason the handles are long - very long - and the bag would drag on the ground if I held it with a straight arm. I am not short so it must be worse for some people. I have no idea why they construct them this way - they aren't shoulder bags.

 

Weird. In pretty much every California grocery store I've been in, they almost always ask if I have resuable bags to use and if not, would I want to buy some. They also ask if I want paper or plastic for my products. Perhaps it's just a product of where you live that they're using plastic bags for everything?

It'd be interesting to see how much plastic bag usage would go down if it cost buyers $.10 (as it did Kazix) to use them. I wonder if people would make more of an effort to buy reusable bags or paper more often.

 

I doubt $0.10 would be a strong enough deterrent. If there was legislation in place which would see to it that plastic bag users pay more for them then we'd see a drop in usage. It could work but people must also get the message "plastic bags are bad for our environment" etched into their minds. If people's attitudes change . . .

 

I'm in California too. Plastic bags were banned late last year. If you don't bring your own bag, you can buy a paper bag for 10 cents. Some retailers, depending on their gross retail sales, are currently exempt from the plastic bag for now. Eventually, they will have to comply with the plastic ban. I'm not sure what their deadline is.

 

I go to Aldi and they always use reusable bags. In fact, that's all they use, so my mother and I always keep a supply of them in the trunk of our car for whenever we go which is usually two or three times a week at the most.

I don't think they intend to increase waste, mythman, they're just not used to good customers like you and it's become a habit to just put things in the plastic bags. They aren't being mindful in their work, and maybe they have a lot on their mind as well and part of it may be that they are worried about money they need to survive since they don't have the highest paying of jobs. Please cut them some slack. They deal with so much every day.

 

Really? So do we! My mom isn't as strong as she used to be, so whenever she goes to Publix and people stuff the things to they're bulging and heavy, mom has to tell them to put them in more bags so they'll be lighter for her and let them know that she reuses the bags. Some of them are still unhappy with that explanation anyway, even as they redo things, but she can't help it. She's had to have surgery due to a medical condition. This gives us a decent supply of tiny trash bags.

 

I don't use plastic bags. It's one of my gestures to help in the preservation of the Earth. Plastic bags take too long before they can get decomposed, so they pile up and pile up and use up more and more space and lead to pollution and make the Earth a detrimental place to live. Besides plastic bag nowadays come with a price. So I am really discouraged to use it. It's not smart-spending to have to pay for something you really don't need.

 

Over here, plastic bags have been banned for quite some time now and we are forced to use paper bags. It's quite a hassle if you are buying many things, because it's hard to carry them without a sort of hole to hold them like the plastic bags. But I have no choice and I have gotten used to it. Well at least it saves the environment, right?