as someone uses reusable bags i still wish they would keep plastic around so i can grab one or two when i need them. It is always nice to have a few of those little plastic bags around the house for odd jobs.
LA, and in particular "Trader Joe's", has been on this kick for a while. I bought my first canvas bag (I got the big one for $4.99 vs. their smaller for $2.99) about 3 years ago. (Maybe longer.) The prices have since dropped. Then last night, when I was shopping at TJ's, I didn't have my bag with me, but they were selling these large insulated bags for $2.99. Black canvas on the outside with red canvas base/straps/embroidering and then several layers of insulation with a waterproof inside. They were advertising that it keeps your stuff HOT or COLD for up to 5 hours and longer if you put an ice-pack thing. It's great if you leave cold stuff in the car for a little bit while you stop somewhere else before going home. And it is going to come in handy as I drive a minivan cross country taking stuff back to Dallas in a few days. There I'll probably give it to my dad to use for his grocery shopping. Going Back to the Future isn't such a bad thing when doing the bag thing. PS- I wish that they would get someone more intelligent than Lauren Bush to be their pretty person. I listened to her try to explain why plastic bags were bad and I was cringing almost as much as when her uncle tries to speak. But she is easy on the eyes.
I'm not against the move per se; it's been that way in many Berkeley stores for a while now. But I wonder about unintended consequences. E.g., i use the bags to carry my lunch to work. I also, more importantly, seal my used gym clothes in the morning in one and stick it in my bag for the rest of the day. if I didn't have a way to store them it'd be a nasty day for all. It reminds me of when stores stopped using paper bags. I have no easy way to recycle my fliers now. (Which I don't want in the first place.) Also it takes several fewer paper bags to bag a load of groceries than paper. Of course, I don't have a "newspaper" bag, as a hardcopy newspaper would be environmentally irresponsible. j/k
AwK - Honestly, you'd be surprised how much you can fit in one of the normal reuseable bags. Especially since you don't have the worry about the handle breaking. Try it sometime, maybe you'll realize it isn't that big a deal. austintexas - You are choosing the less-harmful, and biodegradable, product and recycling it. Great. Add a few reuseable bags in there sometimes for when you shop at non-grocery stores and you're doing great. I'm not angry at you or anyone like you. Reusing a non-biodegradable plastic bag one time before you throw it out (read: pooper scooper) isn't really don't anyone any good now, is it? I agree, it's easy...but is that how you determine how you do everything? I know for many the answer is yes, but perhaps that's worth a look. I'm angry about this issue in particular because it is so easy and cheap (sometimes free!) to make a change and make a difference. Why people don't do it is beyond me. And if you want to go another step, you should stop putting every piece of produce in plastic as well. You're going to wash everything before you eat it, right? So where's the harm in letting your fruits and veggies touch eachother in your canvas grocery bag? If it's something that is going to get everything wet and potentially damage something (read: lettuce), that's one thing. Bagging 6 apples is absurd. It's easy to make a difference. And to be more cliche, be a part of the solution, not a part of the problem.
It's ok by me if you are mad. It is good to have citizens who are passionate about issues. But claiming we're not paying attention if we aren't as pissed off as you are is where you lost me. Clearly, most of us on this board are passionate about current events, world/national affairs, etc. Which is a great thing and why we hang out here.
I'm with the Ag on this one. When I go to the grocery store...I buy half the store. If you really want to motivate people to use their own bags, then give a 5% discount.
Correct me if I am wrong, but Costoc/Sams do not offer bags of any kind as an option. You haul all three baskets of crap to your car and no one seems to complain. I know Sprouts sells the bags for 99 cents. Seems to be a good idea. They are bigger/stronger and require less trips from the car to the kitchen.
The difference between Sams/Costco and regular grocery store is that I buy bulk (large packages) at Sams/Costco and a bunch of small little items at HEB. I just threw a % out there but whatever is comparable to the savings on plastic bags for the store, do that.
Wait, so now I don't care enough because I haven't started a campaign? Nice. We include reuseable bags in nearly every gift we give. It's an easy way to get people started. We will likely do the same with the goodie bags we leave at the hotel for our wedding guests this summer. Hell, my gf has even given away some of her bags to people at the stores when they are about to use a plastic bag for just a few items. She explains that they can reuse it and get a small discount the next time they use it. We're not perfect and never will be. We try though and we are spreading the message, which is more than you can say for most. We will always be able to do more, and not doing the absolute MOST we can and not devoting our lives to the cause is not a sign that we don't care. I'm not asking for this to be your issue or spread the word. But if you actually care about it, you can't look at someone being plain wasteful and not have that bother you just a bit.
I use these: Lehman's reusable bags These ******** are huge, hold up to 40 lbs., and are strong as hell. At $6 a piece, I don't think they're too expensive. I got 4 of them and even on a major trip (and considering some items like beer, soda, cat litter, etc. have their own handle for carrying), I've never once needed more than 4.
Oh well yeah I didn't expect you to throw your half-caf double tall two splenda wet cappuccino at them.
Well at least if you were there with your paper bags you could soak up the spill a bit. AwK and all his plastic would just make matters worse. Of course, he'd have a 99cent Made in China Wal-Mart mop and put us both to shame.
True, but I'm less concerned about the solidity of the mass than I am the toxicity and how it affects the ecology. I truly don't know, but it can't be good.
Mike, You don't ever think about what's been touching that fruit before the checker? Checker touching it ain't gonna make it any worse. At least you get to watch the checker touch it, so who cares. You're washing it regardless.
Just a question for all of the smart and "green," folks here....if you have kids, what type of diapers will you use? Just a friendly question.
just for you grainy munching 'save the planet' folks, I made sure to put my gallon of orange juice in its very own plastic bag when I went to HEB tonight. then, instead of using the bag for doggy poop, I THREW THE BAG AWAY.
