As I amass my collection of reusable shopping bags, I'm noticing more retailers offering them for sale. A few weeks back, Target had a few different styles, and I picked up a little collapsable zippered bag to keep in my purse. It's been great for toting my lunch groceries for work -- I walk to the downtown Minneapolis Target on my lunch hour and shop for lunch items for the week.
So Target is selling resuable bags for $0.99-$1.49 a piece. I've noticed you really have to look for them now -- for a while they were up front at the registers. I found them on an endcap last week near the greeting cards.
And just last Sunday, I saw Roundy's-branded reusable bags at the registers in Rainbow Foods. They sell for $1.49 too. I think it's much easier to pack groceries in these bags; they're not as deep as paper bags, so it's easier for us short-armed people to reach in, organize and pack.
Check them out at sustainableisgood.com and buy some on your next shopping trip. The ecobags.com Web site claims that GreenBag® resuable bags have a tested lifespan of 2 to 3 years -- not bad. (GreenBag is the company that manufacturers these retailer-branded bags.)
Don't get me wrong, I still take home the occasional paper bag to stash away for city recycling. But if I don't have to take home a plastic bag that I'm just going to toss in the recycling, I'm happy to bring my reusable bag.
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There's a blog for people who want to be entertained and informed about the bag crisis: www.BagMonsterBusters.com
The issue at hand is that "disposable" convenience items like plastic AND paper bags are degrading the ecological infrastructure we humans need for survival. If we reclaimed old fashioned sensibilities like being frugal we'd all be a lot better off. I was talking with my granny the other day about the disposable bag crisis and she told me that “in my day” people always brought their own bags. When disposable bags were introduced, people stopped bringing their own. Now, people of good intention buy reusable grocery bags and, speaking from personal experience, we often leave them at home. Because of my forgetfulness, I've started packing around a reusable ChicoBag because I can stuff it into a tiny little sack that hangs on my backpack. It's a life saver. Literally. Lucky for college students like me, it's also inexpensive and can hold lots of text books and beverages.
Thanks for commenting. You make some very valid points.
I'm just happy to see that large retailers are promoting reusable bags, even if the branding smacks you in the face. So many people shop at big-box and grocery stores, instead of small, independent stores. And they weren't exposed to alternative bag options, like reusables. Now that more people will be presented with more options, bringing your own bag will hopefully become a habit, instead of a "hippie" thing to do.
I especially love the little zippered reusable bag -- it fits right in my purse, and even if I don't remember to grab a bigger bag for shopping, I have a backup on hand at all times!
Finally getting over to read this blog. I received one of the zippered Target bags for Valentine's Day from my mom.
We spent way too much time browsing the reusable bags while in the UK last fall. They seem to be ahead of the game. When I was in Luxembourg in college, I noticed the locals often brought their own bag. Then again, there was a cost of about 10 cents per bag, so that was an incentive.
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