Do you use a lot of plastic bags?

My husband and I have been trying to stay away from them. Recently my daughter gave me several little Chico bags that you pull out of a tiny bag to which they are attached. They fit in my purse. I'm also starting to make some bags from remnants of fabric.

I haven't figured out how to avoid using those awful thin plastic bags into which I usually put each head of lettuce and the like. Any ideas?

The plastic bags are deadly for certain sea life and maybe other wildlife. So, any comments and suggestions on this would be appreciated.

Also, if you have any other ideas about things we can do to save our environment, please share them.

Yah, Plasic causes a serious problems in the middle of the Pacific. They haven't really studied enough to know exactly how large the trash patch is, but some estimates are that its half the size of North America. Its actually pretty scary.

Maybe you could use some smaller, reusable bags too that the veggies fit into if you don't want to compost anything.

Midway: Message from the Gyre
by Chris Jordan

http://www.chrisjordan.com/gallery/midway/#CF000313%2018x24

Heartbreaking photos:





His other exhibits are worth checking out, too. Very powerful photos.

That's weird how much intact the plastic is in comparison the degradation of the birds body.

luckily the market has a big bin for recycling them. Everytime I go to the market I dump off a whole load of them.

in China. Oil to make them, oil to transport them to China for processing, oil used in the processing, oil to bring bags back. Most of the bags in use today wind up in the Pacific gyre tomorrow.

I haven't used plastic bags in decades. You wouldn't believe how difficult it STILL is to get checkout clerks to use your own canvas bags. I have to explain every time I got to any store that I live *way* out in the country. There's no garbage or recycle service out here. What I carry in, I have to carry out. The one grocery store in our county doesn't have a recycle bin for bags even if I did use them.

If the clerks can't understand the double burden of dealing with the trash bags they're trying to put my purchases in, I explain about the oil. You can tell which ones are pubbies -- they look all shocked when I explain how much oil is involved in making, dealing with, and the supposed recycling of plastic bags. "They're made from oil. Every time oil goes up $1 a barrel, Iran gets another billion to make IEDs to use against our troops. You're throwing your money to turrisstes!!"

Gets 'em every time.

How about vegetables like beets that still have dirt on them? Radishes, same thing?

How do you bring them home from the store and the store them in the refrigerator so that they stay fresh?

I reuse the ones I have until they fall apart

Then again, right now we are not doing lettuce... or any other large leafy veggie.

Were such softies today though. There was a time, not too long ago, in grocery store history when plastic bags were non-existent for produce. You could probably find good information from just asking an elderly person what they did.

Actually lettuce needs to breathe some to stay fresh. It releases gas as it ages and if it's tied up in a bag it goes south a lot faster. I've had better luck with it open in the crisper -- but I'm guessing YMMV because there's a wide difference in crispers.

That is what I am wondering.

recycled, can they be believed ... :shrug:

emptied by the refuse department only once a month, instead of weekly. The truck doesn't have to stop weekly at my house and then accelerate to continue its route, the extra gas it needs to get moving again is conserved and less diesel particulate matter is pumped into the air.

More later.

I really ought to get some, since, as you say, they use six bags when two would do. I used to save the plastic bags and use them over, but they've gotten so thin and flimsy that they often rip by the time I get them home. Thanks for the reminder. :thumbsup:

in a plastic bag and i end up with ten plastic bags when they could have used 3. uggh. it's like, here let ME bag them!!

It's got the cans or bottles in it, making it impossible to carry and I'm always sure it's going to rip. I have a friend who works part-time as a checker at one of the stores. I aways try to get in her line, if she's there, and she does an exceptional job, carefully double-bagging and wrapping things carefully, so I end up with even more non-reusable bags... :crazy: :hi:

Back in the olden days, when I worked at a grocery store, baggers had an entire day of training with an experienced bagger. Now, they just grab what the checker sends first & start loading the bag until it's full & then start the next bag. And the checkers - WTF? Don't send the soft stuff down first!

won't get bruised. If I don't insist on a separate bag, they always put them at the bottom of a bag filled with hard and heavy things like apples or canned foods! By the time you get them home like that, they are bruised mush.

I was a front end manager back in the 70s and it was my responsibility to train cashiers. As you know, there's a right way and a wrong way to pack grocery bags. I love the reusable bags because they're easy to "square up". We used heavy kraft paper bags back then and they were as well.

Last week a cashier at my favorite store put my tomatoes in the bottom of the bag! I reached in the bag and removed them before he could put anything on top of them. I told the young man that tomatoes never go on the bottom of the bag. Ever.

I really try to be patient and not freak out when delicate items are not packed correctly. If I could bag things myself I would in a heartbeat. The way front end check-outs are configured these days it's not easy. Food is expensive and I can't afford to have it mashed, crushed, or mangled before I get it hone.

Most of them do pretty well, like putting all the frozen or cold stuff in the same bag, but I wish that they'd put more stuff in the same bag, since nobody needs six bags for seven items. :shrug:

Do you remember when David Letterman had grocery bagging contests? He must have had training in his youth and he'd go up against a pro, LOL. I much preferred the paper bags, but nobody uses them anymore. They use those very thin plastic ones that can rip before you get them home. :(

Because they can't pick up a twenty pound bag. Here I am, an older, overweight short woman and I can still heft a fifty pound bag a short distance and these teenage male baggers can't lift a bag full of canned goods! I always have to hassle them to get them to actually FILL the damn bag. Sometimes I have gotten frustrated enough to push the kid out of the way and fill the bags myself and lift it into the cart. Then they still ask if I need help out - when I've just done their job and they are less able than I am!

Reusable bags for produce:
http://www.reuseit.com/store/reuseit-produce-snack-organic-cotton-p-747.html
http://www.reuseit.com/store/flip-tumble-reusable-produce-bags-p-2120.html
http://www.reuseit.com/store/baggu-reusable-produce-large-p-2122.html
http://www.reuseit.com/store/smartcycle-recycled-produce-medium-white-p-2508.html

I've been using canvas bags for over ten years. If you buy high-quality bags, they last forever. I have these:
http://www.reuseit.com/store/ecobags-recycled-cotton-tote-natural-p-665.html
http://www.reuseit.com/store/reisenthel-mini-maxi-shopper-eden-long-handle-p-706.html
http://www.reuseit.com/store/reisenthel-mini-maxi-shopper-deco-p-1452.html
Over the years, I've gotten pretty good at refusing almost all plastic bags. Recycling plastic bags is better than throwing them away, but it still uses up resources. It's best to avoid using plastic bags in the fist place.

At work, I use a SIGG bottle (made in Switzerland):
http://www.reuseit.com/store/sigg-traveler-classics-reusable-water-bottle-p-244.html
and I keep a small cotton towel to avoid using paper towels after washing my hands.

I have the plain cotton produce bags from that site which work great. http://www.reuseit.com/store/reuseit-produce-snack-organic-cotton-muslin-p-689.html One of the stores I shop at can subtract the bag weight at the register, the other, I have to take the items out before paying which kind of slows up check out a bit. But hey, it saves on waste.

I also use these for lunches instead of plastic baggies. http://www.reuseit.com/store/wrapnmat-regular-p-137.html They are pricey, but I have been using them regularly since my oldest was in preschool and she starts 5th grade next year, so I guess I am getting my money's worth :)

I have a TON of shopping bags (haven't used plastic for eons) but have been looking and looking for a larger size water bottle to take with me when I'm out for a long time and want enough water with me. Love the water bottle selection!

:toast:

cool trick with the towel, stealing it

'bookmarked' reuseit.com thanks
---

Sigg bottles are really nice, loved mine, till the bitter end 4 or 5 years old (early death)
http://mysigg.com/

once they get big dents, the liner can get damaged and once that happens, it's game over for the bottle

i eventually ended up replacing my damaged Siggs with

http://www.kleankanteen.com/
4 x 27 oz and 1 x 40 oz (fits a gsi glacier mug perfectly)

18/8 stainless
a wider mouth so easy to clean and takes ice cubes if one wants that and it improves the 'drinkability' of the bottle
the capacity to use it to boil water was nice too (non painted single walls only)
adapter cap for water filter (katadyn)

they look horrible after being in a fire but if it comes to boiling in the bottle there are bigger issues
than 'the looks of a bottle' and steel wool will clean them up decently

guess the two downsides are that i feel iffy about using chlorine or iodine water purification in stainless bottles
needing to boil, filter or chemically purify the water is pretty extreme use though


they are made in china that is a the second downside
they do claim at least to do a lot of sustainability and quality control and fair trade style things for the employees as well

they also are sustainable and recyclable

the newest addition to the KleanKanteen line
http://www.kleankanteen.com/products/special/reflect.php
The Reflect is crafted using just sustainably harvested bamboo, food-grade silicone and stainless steel.



is just downright pretty

only one downside right now...having good bottles i can't justify buying one, but it's sooooo SHINY!

the bargain basement

sub-zero made some decent cheap ones for a while (might still make them)
thin walled but rounded bottom edges, wide mouthed and rolled lip with wide threads
(can get at the insides with a dish brush) fairly decent welds but people have reported problems with them staining
my 2 ones haven't had any problems in 1 year of daily use but i use these for water only, any "creative" liquids go in the klean kanteens

http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/subzero-stainless-steel-water-bottle-750-ml/ID=prod6047409-product?V=G&ext=frgl_Google_For_the_Home

that IS 7+ bottles with close to 6 liters
hiking/camping/bicycle/backpacking duty it's almost one day worth of water

i wish i had better ones. i will forget my bags and buy a couple and they seem even cheaper than the last ones i bought. But I try to use them whenever possible. Even if I get the eyeroll from a cashier. The exception is when I buy meat. But the few plastic bags I do get I use to line my small garbage at home so I like to have a couple of them around. even though they always seem to have holes in them!!

was weaving the plastic grocery bags to make larger and stronger reusable bags...I wish I remember who it was.

You cut the bags in a spiral about an inch or so wide then just crochet it as you would yarn.

I do this too, with crochet. Anyone interested just google "plarn crochet bags" and will get a ton of hits with pictures and directions.

or something like this


It's not that plastic is a terrible material for a shopping bag in and of itself, it's that single use disposable plastic bags are ridiculously wasteful and devastate the environment.

These heavy duty plastic sacs fold up flat after use and you can keep them in the car or even carry one folded up in your purse. I can't stand using canvas grocery bags because most of them don't stand up straight on a counter, so you can't pack them well.

These heavy duty bags unfold, stand up straight, and you can arrange your groceries carefully so that your heavy items stay on the bottom of the bag (bottles of wine, canned goods), and you can then pack your fragile items last so they won't get crushed (produce, strawberries, etc).

Once you purchase one of these bags, you can keep it for years - mine have lasted as long as I've been living here - several years. They don't tear, and I can load in more stuff that I can lift in one bag. I've even used them to move books - filled to the brim and they won't tear. The simple bags cost about 6-8 dollars and are for sale in the major chain grocery stores. If you just want a cheap plastic bag; you can buy one for about 50 cents - I can't find an image of one to post.

I wish the USA would get on board with banning single use plastic bags. Bravo for your initiative in making the switch yourself.

On edit: they still put out the rolls of single use plastic produce bags for free. It's not perfect here. I've been trying to purchase mostly at farmer's markets or quality produce stores where they pack your items in paper produce bags, because plastic isn't a good material for produce. But sometimes its hard to beat the convenience of a one-stop grocery store when you are tuckered out. I usually forget to bring the flimsy plastic bags back to the store with me to buy produce - we're all a "work in progress". :-) But I weep over the Pacific plastic garbage patch, so I keep plugging away!

Lol

:-)

"I can't stand using canvas grocery bags because most of them don't stand up straight on a counter, so you can't pack them well."

They work fine when looped over the things the checker uses to hold plastic bags open.

so there's only a small counter space to place your open bag on - no hooks or loops. Every community has their own way of doing things. I don't have a car so I usually bring a wheeled caddy for my groceries - helps walking up the hills on the way home.



If I want to do a huge shopping trip and really load up on purchases - for example if I want to buy a case of wine at a far better price than I pay by the bottle, I need to rent a car. I can only buy what I can carry on foot, which is usually just fine by me and also good for the planet.

edit - spelling

cashiers/baggers/checkers do try to pack backpack or panniers in this area, i have to tell them 'not to'

They keep assuming my bags are only to carry it to the car and with 90 minutes with a full backpack (walking) 20-30 minutes (bike), i want it packed by someone who knows the 'art of packing panniers or backpacks'
balance
weight near center of gravity
equally weighted
sensitive stuff ON TOP
cool and frozen together to keep cold

for the wine and other bulk purchases i've had success in asking if i could can buy a case and have it with my name on it in the back/customer service as i bring it home in batches over a few days/weeks/months
many stores will allow that.

if they give you 'static' just explain it's their one chance to get the sale
you won't pay 'single item' price, and if you have to rent a car you might as well go somewhere else cheaper/more customer friendly/accomodating

it's like a fully paid 'layaway item'
if they DO layaway, they are already willing to sacrifice space to get the deal
same deal different words, just a matter of negotiation at that point

Cold items together, meat, butter, milk packed on top of frozen items. Weight distribution and balance.

Thanks for your layaway suggestion, but it wouldn't work here - space is really limited and expensive in Europe. That's cool that it works where you live! And thank goodness, I'm lucky I only have about a 15-20 minute walk, and there's a bus that will save me 10 minutes if I want to wait for it. If it's raining cats and dogs, I'll take the bus, because it's not easy to work the grocery caddy and the umbrella at the same time - not impossible, though. :-)

Fruits and veggies, bread and eggs, and sensitives packed on top :-) (like a mantra being recited doesn't it? mantra of packing well)

The box doesn't take more room when it has your name on it than when it has no name on it

I've had that "box in the back" deal in some places in Europe (Sweden, Denmark and Britain)
it depends on the store manager, especially if you are a weekly 'regular' customer and nice about it
they will often make the room
that's actually why i recommended it, Europeans often understand not having a car.
It's where my main experience doing it comes from.

you could also rent a cargo bike, they haul a couple of crates of wine easily and probably rents cheaper
if there is a bike collective around it might even be free to borrow
they are even kind of fun to ride

the store might actually deliver, a lot of smaller European stores do, but they almost never advertise the fact

When it starts dripping a few drops, the black surplus poncho comes out of the backpack, the cell phone goes in a plastic bag (small dry sack actually) and i'm set to get tropical rained / thunder celled on, yay!

cooling tip: Add an old soda bottle (PET) or plastic (like a vodka) pocket flask (flatter) filled 3/4 with super saturate solution of water and salt (NaCl) and frozen, it will keep it colder than commercial ice 'blocks' or plain water and for longer too. look out though as it can freezer burn things (it gets that cold), good for when the only frozen thing on the list is icecream

i could have a 20-30 minute grocery walk, if i wanted to support Walmart more, as it is i prefer to support Publix
as far as i can which means a longer walk, less time in the gym, more time to look at people cramped up in steel boxes (cars)
looking all stressed out

Mandatory bad joke: when it is raining cats and dogs, call the Animal protection society and take cover, grand danes will give you a concussion

that they are "sort-of" European. And then your mandatory bad joke confirms it - I know where you were born, despite you not having posted a DU profile! And now I'll give you a clue as to where in Europe I live - and you should be able to guess in a split nano-second.

If I asked a store clerk here to do me a special favor, like keep a crate of wine for me, just "the look" that I would receive in return would probably turn me into a pillar of salt. I do not live in a "customer service" friendly nation. Now you know, don't say anything - just nod and smile.

And yes, the stores do home delivery and they advertise all the time, but for the present my caddy works for me. If I need enough booze for a piss-up, then it's more civilized for me to go out for it. And no worrying about having to drive home!

Thank you for the cooling tip for bringing home ice cream in the summer!

On edit - and by the way, Welcome to DU, wOnderer :hi:

actually even most Brits, Swedes, Danes and passport police of all three and the US fail on me which makes it fun to travel,

so if you got it right, you are very very good, feel free to message it if you think you got it

and that 'look' is what passes for European customer service in some places

that and the: 'how dare you expect me to believe it's my job to help you, it's my lunch break soon and i need to prepare for it, go away you disturb me /waves hand loftily in dismissal/' look

are both taught the first to second day on the job by more experienced retail workers

I've worked retail enough in Europe to have given them to customers, and avoid giving them for repeat customers

My guess would most likely be highly inaccurate

Thanks for the welcome! It's my first 'welcome to DU' message.
long time non registered lurker, not so long time registered, very short time poster (obviously)

welcome on the cooling tip, may the ice cream stay as cold as the look from a store clerk

You might find the plastic in a hobby store. Sometimes it looks like a net. It is made of durable plastic so you can use and reuse it many, many times. My sister gave me a knitting bag with that kind of plastic in a fabric cover on the bottom to give the bag a flat bottom.

They're relatively cheap, something like $0.50.
We've got a large and a small, but they don't
stand up open as easily as some other bags we've
bought.

Tesha

The IKEA bags aren't the same as the second plastic bag that I posted a photo of, and the plastic isn't quite the same either - the IKEA bag is a bit less flexible. I have an IKEA bag which I use to take my glass bottles to the recycling bin, but I don't like it for the grocery store because it won't stand up straight all by itself while I pack it and the items roll around too much in the bag and would end up getting crushed.

On edit - the IKEA bag also won't fold up quickly and easily, I probably couldn't fit it into my purse even if I spent 5 minutes trying to roll it up. The bag I posted - you fold it twice and it will fit nice and snug in a large purse (and you can still access your other stuff), if you fold it 3 times and hold it with a rubber band you could even fit it into a medium purse.

downstairs when switching apartments last year. Load two bags up with books, duck a shoulder under each one, and lift with the legs and start staggering.

I would LOVE to have those bags. I'll be in Holland later this year and I'll see if I can get some..

I just checked and they have stores in Holland - Carrefour is a major supermarket chain here - its like Target and Safeway combined.

I won't be in Holland for long and mostly I am with a small art study group, going on a little barge into towns where great Dutch artists worked, so I don't know if I'll run into a Carrefour market. I will keep my eyes out for one, though...

to give people for presents in the USA. Carrefour is great, love that store.

:hi:

Can you tell me what they are wrapped in?

I just find it an ironic picture.

:rofl: Well played.

accomplishment like those toilet paper wrappers and that blister pack inside the bag are no big deal.

And I don't believe for one second people aren't using those free (exempt) produce bags to bag their groceries with.

Using reusable grocery bags is a good thing for sure. But a real accomplishment would be to require manufacturers to change their packaging.

Step 2 - Eliminate "All or Nothing" thinking. You DO admit that reusable grocery bags are good, so there's some hope. Changes in human behavior typically happen in gradual increments - we slowly get a little bit better and smarter at a time. At no point in this gradual process are we the people prevented from demanding that corporations change their behavior as well, as MacDonalds did when citizens demanded an end to Styrofoam Big Mac boxes in favor of cardboard. If you think you need to rain down sarcasm and snark on conscientious people until ALL plastic packaging has been ELIMINATED from the industrial world, good luck with that. You'll be sure to win lots of friends and admirers that way.

Step 3 - don't mistake the exchange of ideas and suggestions for "bragging" or "patting one's self on the back". I don't really give a flying pig's fuck if you approve of my fancy socialist European bags or not. They work well, they are practical, and they don't cost too much. I enjoy sharing good ideas for how to improve daily living and hauling groceries back from the store fits quite nicely in this category.

Go ahead and believe that people here pack their groceries into free produce bags if you like, but it doesn't happen too often. Most people refrain from looking like complete idiots by bagging their 12-packs of Kronenburg beer or 8 dollar bottles of fine Bordeaux wine into a free bag that will break and spill its contents all over the sidewalk five feet from the store exit.

edit for clarity.

Penalize the consumer for using the bags, maybe nobody will notice that the reusable bags are made from 100 times more plastic and after 100 or so uses, when they are ripped or no good anymore, it's really no net savings of plastics and it really doesn't result in any less solid waste.

It's like having the regulatory bodies overlook that the majority of energy is consumed by corporations in manufacturing but spend all their time making sure consumers can't use high output light bulbs.

I never understood the bag craze. Who are we kidding with that?

You don't have a very developed sense of humor, do you? You couldn't see that my description of a "socialist" plastic bag was just a joke; how sad.

And worse, you evidently never bothered to read and comprehend my description (or another poster's) of the bag in question, when I spoke of several years of weekly use and the bag is still going strong, even carrying the weight of its entire volume in heavy books with no rips or tears.

I think I'll just leave you to enjoy your generalized fury while the rest of us take productive, concrete and measurable actions to reduce our individual plastic use. Mmm-Kay?

So you're not even going to try to help me understand?

Ok, I guess I'll continue on
a.) "not having a developed sense of humor"
b.) "Not comprehending your description of the bag"
c.) having a "generalized fury"

Gee whiz, what a way to leave someone. All stupid and mad.

Sorry, can't help. Peace out.

You're like this on every thread on every topic
that tries to suggest we all change our behavior
a bit to benefit the long-term prospects for our
planet. You don't like high-efficiency lamps, you
don't like reusable bags, etc.

Is there really any point to trying to "convince"
you of the good of any of this?

Tesha

Like I just got through saying, if you see a connection between this and light bulbs and possibly also with passenger car emmissions subjects, and my stance on those issues, it's because the regulatory bodies are approaching the problem from the wrong angle.

They need to tackle these problems by putting pressure on manufacturers and industries that consume most of the energy and create most of the pollution instead of by putting pressure on consumers.

Sure, using reusable bags is a start and a humble effort. I'm not arguing that it isn't. But to force grocers to charge for bags when there's more plastic wasted in one carton of strawberries than in an entire order of bagged groceries, why isn't anyone talking about that very big gorilla in the room? I'm pointing out the gorilla and being accused of having a poor sense of humor, being angry and not understanding.

And even when they come in PETE containers,
PETE is very, very recyclable and the recycling
chain for it works well.

If you want to go after plastic packaging, go
after vinyl (PVC) vacu-formed packaging; *THAT*
is a travesty. But retailers love to see little
bitty things packaged in giant vinyl packages
because it helps them avoid "stock shrinkage"
(shoplifting). That's why a 2x3" printer cartridge
comes in a 10x12" vinyl package.

Tesha

and forth between industry and law firms or corporations. So, don't place the onus on the political appointees whose bosses choose them because they used to work for a potential campaign donor like GE or AT&T or Walmart or the list is too long -- Home Depot, you name it.

We have to send messages by doing small things in our lives like riding bikes (carefully, defensively, please) or public transportation and changing our light bulbs and gardening in our back yards and using reusable bags. That's the only way we will pressure our "leaders" into environmental policies that will protect our earth for our grandchildren and their children's children.

Reusable bags, even if plastic, typically last longer than 100 uses though it depends on the bag. Reading downthread you complain about Kroger bags and I understand what you mean. They come with a piece of semi-rigid plastic (removeable) in the bottom which cracks and becomes non-usable quickly. After my first bag from them with this, I removed the piece and told them to keep it. Perhaps I should have mailed it back to the company since yes, it is a waste.

I bought a few bags like pooka shows and like them much better.

I do not think I can help with you being "all mad" since you seem to just be taking offense and posting offensively and then complaining. Good luck with that.

I'll guess you're abandoning me too.

Oh I'm so alone and so mad and so confused.

A good replacement for those styrene inserts that break is a piece of corrugated plastic. If you're into re-purposing things, find some campaign signs for some republicans and cut them into strips that fit.

I thought the bags would last at least a hundred uses but after only about 8 uses, I've got at least one that's torn. Granted, I do put a lot of stuff in them.

Those Euro bags they have at IKEA look more durable. Not more than 100 uses durable, but more durable than the 99c special they were giving out free with a purchase of a case of Dasani (more irony).

I use those bags (kroger) for boxes and lighter stuff. They aren't very durable, wondering how they will hold up without that extra bottom piece. So far so good, but am glad to have other canvas bags and euro ones. used the same kroger bags for a couple yrs and euro bags for 5 yrs, but then I don't grocery shop typically more often than once a week, maybe twice.

Excess packaging drives me nuts also. There isn't really a need to put each individual type of veggie in its own plastic bag, including ones that are already plastic wrapped. I've a dedicated meat bag, or so I tell the baggers, so no need to put plastic wrapped meat into a plastic bag into a bag.

It is always interesting to watch people pack my groceries, have to tell them to pack it heavy rather than simply put a couple things in each bag. I'd like to bag my own but they get rather upset with me which I find odd. I've taken to having them put it back into another grocery cart, then wheel to my car and pack on my own.

The whole culture needs to change, think the "bring your bag" thing is a start but only that.

per·snick·et·y   

–adjective Informal .
1.overparticular; fussy.
2.snobbish or having the aloof attitude of a snob.
3.requiring painstaking care.

On second look, sarcastic is the term, sorry.

Try that one next time you're in the checkout.

I've had the managers come over and literally ask me if I want a job. Before the re-usables I prefer paper bags.
Because they hold more and because I re-use them as packaging material for shipments. You gotta move in quick, grab a stack of bags and tell the bagger to kindly step aside.

They're trained not to put things that could leak like cleaning stuff in with food. And that's a good practice. But I like to bag my own.

are made of recycled materials (mostly bottles) or heavy cotton (the majority of my bags) and have gotten HUNDREDS of uses over a decade+ of use and they'll last another decade+, the cotton ones will outlive me. Where the hell are you getting your information?

100% polypropylene.
Not even recyclable in our curbside bins.

One of them I've had since april and it's already ripped.
The semi-rigid inserts get brittle and break after a while. They look like polystyrene to me, but maybe they're polypropylene.
This is what they're pushing on us at our major grocery chains, publix and kroger.

The label on the bag says go to greenbags.info for information but the site is down or they didn't pay godaddy or both.

I like the bags because they hold more groceries and I can load them myself before I even get to the checkout line but these bags are going to be toast before long and end up in a landfill. They will take a lot longer to break down than a grocery bag, I'm sure of it.

And even if a bag is made out of recycled materials, once it's no good, if it ends up in a landfill, what good is that?

I am concerned about is the lightweight bags that can fly from the landfill or the side of the road right into the Pacific ocean. We live maybe 30 miles at most from that ocean. It is not that far for bags to go if they get into the sewers or if the wind carries them. There is a great video about this.

The heavier bags do not present the problem that the thinner ones do. Don't overfill bags and they will last longer.

"I never understood the bag craze. Who are we kidding with that?"

I imagine many people use that same line to better rationalize the choices they are making which ultimately hurts the environment far more than they convenience the user.

I imagine we do what we can to justify our action to ourselves if no one else... :shrug:

I find them more convenient than paper or plastic bags because they hold more and are more durable and I get to load them myself.
They're a great idea even though deep down I do not believe they are any better for the environment.

I'd rather make a difference by buying toilet paper wrapped in toilet paper so I can wipe my butt with the wrapper instead of have it last in a landfill for 500 years. It makes more sense to me for governments to fine toilet paper factories that don't wrap toilet paper in toilet paper than it does to require grocers to charge for their plastic bags.

paper.

But my feeling is that the way to pressure the manufacturers and stores to package things differently is to simply opt out of the packaging they are now using.

And that is what I am trying to do. I have a huge bag full of throw-away bags, and living in California, I really don't want to thrust them into my environment because they will be in the ocean before I know it.

I realize that my using alternative bags won't really put a dimple into our environmental problems, but . . . I think that the more signals we give to corporations that, yes, we want to see some important changes made and we are willing to do our parts, the sooner we will get some cooperation from them on these issues.

Just because some things are still packed in shrink-
wrap doesn't mean we shouldn't use reusable bags.

Tesha

"bad behavior" (Eg using a frickin bag) when the plastic film and blister pack in that picture pose a much greater disposal problem. The governments should require manufacturers to change and reduce their packaging before penalizing the consumer.

reusable bags. Never heard of that.

Might not be a bad idea to impose a 2 cent charge or even a 5 cent charge for the recycling and cleaning up of non-reusable grocery bags.

Beside my entrance to the nearby freeway, there is a park. The roadway is strewn with flimsy plastic bags on their way to the ocean. It is a frightful, ugly sight even aside from the environmental damage. I would like to help clean up the environment even if my contribution is very small.

Super strong and versatile. Ours have been going strong for over five years.

There is unbelievable uproar, whenever that is suggested in the states. Even among my progressive, eco-minded friends. ~sigh.

Loved your 'on edit.' :thumbsup:

I imagine some other places have implemented this as well. It's a really simple and good idea. There's some great research on how human beings react differently to something that is "free" or "included" vs something you have to pay for. Even though the tax is just a few cents and you may end up spending a dollar or two more to have your groceries bagged, it really makes people stop and reconsider their decision.

So you either take your own or buy one of those or a smaller bag - or just deal with whatever small items you have purchased. We got one at IKEA when buying the hardware for our cabinets, but hubby keeps it for his use. He also got an insulated bag at IKEA that he uses to keep cold stuff cold on his way home.

I posted this on another thread, but you can make your own large reuseable bag from bird seed and pet food bags made from the woven plastic material: http://www.curbly.com/stephee/posts/2064-make-a-bird-seed-bag-grocery-tote

They used to fit so nicely in my handbag.

I'm getting so many good ideas from this post. I can't thank everyone enough.

I almost always have cloth bags out in the truck but on occasion will forget them so I get stuck with the plastic bags. I keep a few around but the rest I throw in the recycle bin. I started buying canvass bags several years ago, washing them when they get grody.

http://www.bagitmovie.com/

We usually just put our produce loose into the cart and carry it home in our regular fabric shopping bags. This film shows folks who have reusable bags for produce, coffee, nuts, etc. You could probably find these at a Wild by Nature or Whole Foods.

This movie is GREAT. If you get a chance to see it, do.

The last time we were at a Trader Joe's, we had
already filled-up our re-usable bags at our
previous stops. So we took one of their "branded"
reusable bags and they rung up its price on the
register: $0.09. Nine cents!

I don't know if it was a special promotion or
ongoing, but if you have a TJ's near you, you
might investigate.

Also, we use a variety of different bags for
different purposes. We have a very open-weave
plastic mesh bag (polyolefin? Something like
that) that we use for the meats we buy; the bag
washes very easily, dries quickly, and is seems
to be no worse for a lot of wear. We use other,
less washable but very sturdy and stand-up-open-
by-themselves bags for all the other groceries;
these rarely need washing and are very easy for
the baggers to load.

Tesha

Endlessly useful. I take them to the farmer's market as well.

in one of the multiple bags I carry with me. When I get home, I then place them in the crisper. There is nothing wrong with the veggies touching each other. If it bothers you, though, there are those string bags that you can place the veggies in. One other idea, save the bags and take them back to the store and use them again.

They were not to be had 50 years ago, they can be not to be had again, and life will continue.

supermarkets had piles of little paper bags for produce.

Never use plastic bags at the grocery store.

The store clerks and baggers are always surprised at how much one can hold. The same site sells a variety of bags, including small cloth bags for produce.

http://www.ecobags.com/Our-Classic-String-ECOBAG

All I have are those bags that have been given to me, they are not very strong at all, they almost feel like they are made of felt.

& you're right, they hold a ton! I'm gonna go look for mine.

when I first saw the price I was shocked, but then saw the tiny print. $32.45 is reasonable for a set of 5, if you WANT 5.

use them to pour cooled grease/oil into so it wont leak in the trash can
liners for the small trash cans
scoop the....clumps....from the litter boxes into them
they make good gloves for stuff you dont really want to touch
they make good packing material
I know they are not good for the environment, but I have quite an extensive collection of them and reuse them to get rid of them. I have started using cloth bags for the small trips to the store, but if I need to buy a bunch of groceries, I get the plastic bags, I just don't have enough of the cloth ones.

we use cloth bags for groceries most of the time except for when we are running low on bags for the litterbox

I have three little dogs that use pee pads, Those plastic bags are great for wrapping the pee pads in. I used to have too many bags, not I don't have enough.

I have a neurotic, intentionally incontinent (hence the "neurotic" label) cat who was single handedly (single pawedly?) trying to destroy my hardwood floors and baseboard molding. She REFUSES to use a litter box. So now the corners of the dining room (her room of choice for making deposits) are draped with "wee wee pads" that she SEEMS to be using. Most of the time. For now, anyway. And when those need to be disposed of, along with a dumping that hits the floor instead of a pad, then yeah--I LOVE those plastic grocery bags. And Nature's Miracle enzyme spray.

We started using reusable shopping bags and I run out of the plastic ones now and again.

http://www.biobagusa.com/biobag_dog.htm

using all that plastic for a little poop is really bad for the environment.

when the grocery store bags are free.

perfect for picking up dog poop. Otherwise they are a disaster for the environment.

with the thin ones as well...

Those plastic bags they give you in CVS or wherever...I saved up a bunch of them and cut them across from side to side creating loops. Then I took those and looped them together, one by one so they looked like a "chain".

I then used a larger size crochet hook and treated the resulting chain of loops like yarn. Made a nice plastic tote bag (simple single crochet stitches) with handles. It's way stronger than the original bags on their own. If you wanted you could even use a strand of some kind of string or other coarse yarn along with the plastic bag "yarn" to make it even stronger.

OK so I'm thinking those real thin translucent bags that you put fruit/vegies in at the supermarket, you could probably do the same thing. Cut across from side to side...maybe strips about 1 inch wide, loop them together, and use just like regular yarn. Even if the plastic "yarn" strand broke before being crocheted, though, it's still no biggie. Just tie it to the rest of the ball and it's fine and the resulting knot looks sort of cool. In fact, you could knot each strand individually for a "nubby" look.

Another option would be to create one long strip of plastic "yarn" by starting at the top or bottom of the bag and cutting a single strip on the diagonal...like peeling an apple so the peel is unbroken. Then you wouldn't have to put the loops together, but seeing as it would be a single thickness, you might want to add a strand of acrylic yarn to make it stronger.

:)

PS...one of my stepdaughters loved my bag so much I gave it to her...

When I go to the local market, I put my fresh head of romaine lettuce on a towel in my reusable bag. When I'm home, it goes right into a reusable container that keeps it fresh.

One learned the hard way from personal experience, I say - by throwing enough vegetables in my little bag causing some to get mushy. So, now I have my little cart with me, towels, and reusable bags. :)

The only plastic ones we use are for garbage.

Thanks for kicking off the discussion JDPriestly. :hi:

Julie

I always have a bag with me. We use canvas bags & have about 6 of them, so there's always one in the car. And if there isn't, I have a few squashed down plastic bags in the glove box. As for the produce bags, once I empty them, I hang them over a wooden spoon to completely dry out. Then I fold them & I always carry a few with my other bags.

I'm horrified at the number of plastic bags people use. I see people put a one gallon milk container in a plastic bag. WTF? We are such a wasteful & excessive society with absolutely no regard for the impact we have on our fair planet. Our Mother is about to show us our place.

You can put it right into your canvas shopping tote and it will be fine. On top, of course! I don't know where people got the idea that each piece of produce had to be put in a separate bag.

I just toss all the stuff in my Trader Joe's tote bags. It's not like the micro-thin plastic produce bag is providing protection or structural support or anything.

Sometimes I have to say "I don't need any bags" 3 times!

I hate those plastic bags too and only use them for the really wet things.....also take my own grocery sacks.

Really do hate to use plastic. HATE!

EIA...they spray/mist water out here to keep things from drying up...we have maybe 10% humidity over the summer.

and soak everything right when I walk up to it...

but even so, I just put all the "wet" stuff in one canvas tote and the other stuff in another and no plastic necessary.

The one that disgusted me the most was seeing individual vegetables shrink-wrapped. Who the hell needs a shrink wrapped potato or cucumber?

the ratio of plastic to fruit seems like about 1:1 there.

I would not need to put romaine lettuce in a separate bag, but the really light-leafed lettuce breaks off very easily.

to use five bags when I only bought 4 items.
It's a fight each time to get them to put more items in each bag.

waste paper baskets and big ones for my litter boxes.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7364783n


Plastic made from plants

May 3, 2011 10:48 AM

Scientists at Sao Paulo's State University in Brazil are finding that agave, and similarly fibrous plants like pineapple and banana skin, hold the secret to making a lighter, more resistant and eco-friendly plastic. Felipe Maya reports.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7364783n#ixzz1QPQ45oNS

http://pm-betweenthelines.blogspot.com/2010/03/quick-fix-grocery-bag-tutorial.html

Of for smaller items that might get through the holes: http://www.marthastewart.com/266942/good-thing-t-shirt-bag

And here is a mesh produce bag made from scraps: http://etownhooks.blogspot.com/2009/10/scrapppy-reusable-produce-bag-tutorial.html

My worst problem with plastic bags are the Ziplocks I use to store bread. So far I have not found a bread box that will hold my oversized home made bread loaves for less than $50. We use 2 gallon ziplocks for them but can't re-use them because of mold problems. That is another worry with using a breadbox - we'd need one we could wash thoroughly so a home-made wooden one would not work. If anybody has a suggestion for bread storage that is easily washed and dried that will hold a 12-14" long by 6-8" tall by 6-8" wide loaf of bread, let me know!

Most of our other food storage has been transitioned into using re-usable containers. And we have to deliberately get a few paper and plastic bags at the grocery store so we have them to line garbage cans and other uses around the house. Otherwise, we use our re-useable grocery bags for almost everything.

Edited to add: Make your own reusable larger bags, too: http://www.curbly.com/stephee/posts/2064-make-a-bird-seed-bag-grocery-tote

It stays soft that way. I only keep what I can eat in a day out on the kitchen counter, the rest I freeze (in a plastic bag) and defrost as needed.

And at least one of our cats in the past liked bread and would rip bags open to get to a fresh loaf! Hubby goes through a loaf in about four or five days and does not like the changes that freezing or refrigerating makes in the texture.

I'm thinking that one of those large rectangular restaurant storage things that Alton Brown uses would work. It would be bigger than we need, but it would hold the bread and seal so it would keep the bugs out.

I just really enjoy the fresh bread on Day 1 and enjoy the trade off of not having to walk down the hill to the bakery on the days when I eat defrosted bread. I never keep bread in the refrigerator either.

So no going to the bakery for us. Sometimes if I don't feel good hubby gets store bread and he will keep a partial loaf of that in the freezer for "emergencies". But I've been feeling good enough to be consistent for several months.

Right now, I have a loaf of rye bread in the oven rising.

You should post a picture of it when it comes out of the oven, so we can all drool. Your husband is a lucky man :-)

Edited - sorry to be off-topic JDPriestly!

The original is for pumpernickel, but I leave out the cocoa and substitute honey for molasses and it makes yummy rye. It's intended for a bread machine, but I make it with my mixer:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/bread-machine-pumpernickel-bread/detail.aspx

or in metal containers. It gets hot here. If there are any insects eggs in the flour or meal, I end up with insects everywhere. Metal containers (ones I can close tightly) work for me. It may be different in a cold climate.

In the flour or rice. The pantry is in the coolest location in the house, and that seems to stay cool enough. Plus, with the way I set up the pantry, I am rotating the stuff pretty regularly. I've got smallish containers that I fill from the local food coop bulk bins for a lot of the stuff. And the coop products seem to be better quality without as much insect contamination as from the supermarkets.

But we are in Florida so no matter what we do, we have cockroaches. Not the little German ones, the great big palmetto bugs that come in from outside. I can't get enough poison out to kill them without getting sick myself.

in meal and flour and that kind of thing. It also eats wool.

When we were buying flour from the supermarket. But the coop flour and grains seem to be free of those - or the cooler temperatures in the pantry in this new house keep them from hatching.

that ended up laying eggs or pupa or whateverthehell in a bunch of my books. Maddening.

not with the holes for produce, that's a great idea though.

To make the shopping bag, I shortened the shirt some and then sewed some thick ribbon across the bottom to close it up. Then I sewed thin ribbon around the neck and where I'd cut the sleeves off, that made handles. It's a cute bag but I might not do it again, seems like I've got enough reusable bags piled at the front door.


I make bread and store it on a dinner plate covered by a clear plastic cake cover. My aunt said this wasn't good enough and the bread would go bad, but we use the loaves pretty fast. It's only gotten moldy one time, out of like dozens of loaves now.

The mesh ones would be perfect for individual heads of lettuce.

I don't use plastic bags at the grocery store for veges. I bunch up the veges separately, so it's easy for the cashier to check out. Unless it's green beans, or sprouty things...then when I get home, I use forever bags about 20 times and then recycle. I use BioKleen vege wash - spray bottle + water + BioKleen...to wash veges.

Chico bags are awesome

I still have lots of recycling however, because of all the other stuff that comes w/plastic packaging. ie: frozen fish, veges

I don't use reusable bags except at Aldi's. All those plastic bags that I get, I save them and then bring them to my local thrift store. They always need the bags, and I'm happy to provide them with what I get. I also give some to my friend who sells at the farmers market, who also takes my empty egg cartons. This saves her quite a bit of money and the landfill, when customers come to buy without their own bags.

As for those fruit and veggie bags, I reuse them for various things. I get bread from a food bank. I can't use all the bread before it goes stale, so I put it in a clean f&v bag, and put it in my freezer. For those bags that are soiled, I use them for garbage that would smell if put in the garbage. I put meat trays, soup scum, bones and the like in the f&v bags and store in the freezer until garbage day. When garbage day comes, add those little frozen stink bombs into the big bag and set outside for pickup.

zalinda

and puppy poop patrol. But half the time I use canvas bags, too.

We have reusable shopping bags and I just toss my produce in those (we're vegetarians, so no disgusting meat germs in my shopping bags, and I wash them regularly anyway).
We recycle bread bags and the like, and reuse sandwich bags, if we ever need to use them.

have a $26 Super version - though I am not sure why.

Here...

Here's another... - different brand, $8.

She was really happy when she got some of those bright orange bags they use to drop off phone books, because she likes to make the mats attractive as well as functional. :-)

of actual cloth bags (not those weird-ass flimsy paper type things you see in the grocery stores). I've collected them over the years. Some are about 20 years old. Some I've had to use my sewing machine and re-stitch the hems etc. But they're durable, and I can throw them in the washer and they come out like new. The only bag that ever shrank to about half it's original size was one from Trader Joe's, strangely enough. I think it was made in Columbia or somewhere and the fabric probably wasn't pre-shrunk.

I've trained myself over the years to always grab a bag or two from the trunk when I'm doing my grocery shopping. Once in a while my intention will be to run into the grocery to get just one item, and I won't take a bag. If, as occasionally happens, I end up at the check-out with 8 or 10 items, I just tell the bagger to put everything back in the cart and I'll bag it when I get to the car. I don't care, frankly, what they think. I carry my receipt and no one has ever stopped me.

I try not to use those teeny bag-on-a-roll produce bags. I'll put celery and such in my cloth bag and if I'm buying salad greens in bulk, well..I have to relent and use plastic. But I figure I've still reduced my plastic bag usage by about 99.9%.

Cloth bags can be found. Krogers has them. They're more expensive - about 4-5 dollars. But they outlast many times those papery things.

That is too funny! We Americans don't even know how to be poor without instructions. I am imagining some Wall Street hedge fund manager and his trophy wife reading to one another instructions on tying a bindle!

:rofl:

and since most people wouldn't know a bindle or what a bindlestiff was if they bit them south of the lower back i figured i'd drop in a link

it is funny though

you HAD to put that image in my head?!
armani suit, iphone displaying instructables.com, looking at cartier watch, the homeless shelter will be open soon
should i call and ask them to do a turn down on the cots?


0r worse...tv.shop for the formerly rich

Bindle - hobo kit
Now featuring extra long ergonomic ecologically sound and replenishable as well as biodegradable handle made of maple grown in the USA and a biodegradable, high visibility, air permeable storage cloth only 19.99 and shipping, but WAIT, if you order now we'll throw in this Metal heating container with a long shiny steel wire handle, some liquid ice and a classic Gucci sole for that classic shoe sole soup BUT THAT'S not ALL, we'll also throw in this piece of cardboard and charcoal where you can write creative messages, and a pamphlet of messages to get you started including the ever famous 'messed up your pension, can you spare a dime for mine?'

or

the Trophy wife asking, is the sole supposed to be 140 or 130 internal temperature when done?
135 and it'll carry over to 140 and stay succulent

you got me started in 'cynical joke mode' now
hope it'll wear off soon :+

how to panhandle
http://www.wikihow.com/Panhandle

this blog is actually quite good, it's more about getting out of homelessness though
http://guide2homelessness.blogspot.com/

Shoes. I mean...shoes! That will go on my feet. No, thank you I don't need the bag, or the wrapping paper inside to protect them from jostling on the way home, but can use the box to store something in.

We still occasionally use plastic bags because they're good for carrying lunches to work, but we tend to reuse them as well, so we don't use a lot of plastic.

"Can I get that in one bag?"

"sure"

bagger then double bags it

I have said - yes rudely - do you know what ONE BAG MEANS?

Bought a new backpack a few years back, hiker/backpacker type (2-3 day trip / 35-55 liters)

and in this outdoor equipment type store, the senior clerk (or so the name tag said) proceeds to reach for a plastic bag that is clearly too small, when i stop the clerk, i get asked 'but how are you going to get it home?'

setting aside the plastic bag would have covered possibly half, if that, of the backpack

i just blinked at the clerk for a good 15 seconds before i realized that:
i was being asked by someone of voting age, past school, holding down a paying job, in an outdoor equipment store, how i was planning on transporting a 'backpack' from point A to point B

it then took almost 2 minutes to convince said clerk that it is in fact absolutely possible to put an empty backpack on ones back and walk home with it

i think i blew the clerks mind, seriously, putting a backpack on and carrying it on ones back...novel concept, probably never before tried in an outdoor store, it's not like the name of the product suggests any way of transporting it :sarcasm:


JDPriestly, thanks for starting a great thread

waxed cotton or linseed oiled cotton is relatively water proof and works great as a condensation barrier for cold products to stop them from 'sweating' all over the other products or the bag

longer explanation on waxed cotton
http://www.davidmorgan.com/waxedcotton.html

rarely found in bag form, but sewing a bag isn't rocket science
SCA events or Renfaires, the cloth merchants that go there are the best bet to get this stuff