View Full Version : Grocery bags. (Cloth versus plastic). Is there a winner in your area?
In another thread, I touched on the popularity of reusable cloth grocery bags (in our area), and how it's fast becoming the trend of many, with a steadily growing movement of newcomers to the scene. How about where you live?
Sad Eyed Lady
3-17-12, 10:34am
Where I live, my little town, most people still carry out sacks and sacks of plastic each grocery trip. Me, I faithfully use my cloth bags that I keep in the car. However, most of my shopping is done in an adjoining university town, (22-25 miles away), and I have noticed through the years that more and more are showing up with their cloth bags. The store encourages it with signs in the parking lot, and has bags for sale inside near the checkout, so it is catching on. I would never want to go back to plastic as I have been doing this for 10-15 years already.
I have the bags but oh-so-guilty of leaving them in the house or in the car, our grocery store even gave them away for free 5 years ago (1 for every $50 bought so I have plenty). It's probably going to take them charging 3cents per plastic or paper bag for me to kick myself enough to remember my bags. Most of the crocery stores around here will give you 3cents or 5cents credit for each bag you bring in and reuse.
I kind of split the use between cloth and plastic. Love to use the cloth because it just makes sense, but since we have a dog I break down to keep us with just enough plastic bag supply.
I use the cloth bags for my shopping. A little tip to help keep from forgetting them in the car when I go in the store: When I get in the car to go grocery shopping, I put one bag on my lap and leave it there while I drive to the store. Then when I'm getting out of the car, the cloth bag on my lap reminds me to take the others that are sitting in the passenger seat next to me. Otherwise, I inevitably just park the car and walk into the store without my cloth bags.
fidgiegirl
3-17-12, 1:36pm
We are sufferers of the same forgetfulness. Actually, we are getting much better when we go into the grocery store, but other kinds of stores do not trigger us to grab bags - Target, or Menards, or the neighborhood hardware store, etc. So we're working on that.
For the dog, we have some connections among family and friends who save us their newspaper and produce and shopping bags, and then pass along to us. But that kind of bothers me, too, because then it doesn't give them any incentive to reduce the number of bags THEY grab, because they can just give them to us. Until I find an acceptable solution to the dog poop, that will continue, though . . .
loosechickens
3-17-12, 1:43pm
We shop mostly at Trader Joe's, and use our collection of reusable bags, and I notice more people with reusable bags there than using the disposable ones, but we are still a rarity when we hit regular supermarkets, as now, in Yuma AZ, where there isn't a Trader Joe's......we go into Albertson's with our bags, but honestly, the checkers almost don't seem to know what to do with them....discouraging. My sweetie is getting me into the habit of taking the bags into other types of stores, like Target, Home Depot, etc., and we really ARE the only ones in those places carting in our bags, that I can see.......
yeah, we have the same situation with relatives, fidgiegirl.......they use so many disposables that they have plenty for their garbage cans AND ours, plus probably plenty left over for neighboring dog owners.......we get the ones we need from them, and try to at least feel that we're making use of them instead of them just piling up until she throws them away......
goldensmom
3-17-12, 1:55pm
I put one bag on my lap and leave it there while I drive to the store..
After my last errand, I've put a bill to be mailed in my hand so I didn't forget to go the the post office and have driven home to find the bill still in my hand.
Not much use of cloth bags locally but I see it more in a nearby college town. Stores here give a 5 cent a bag discount if you use your own cloth bag. I have them but usually forget to take them with me. I do recycle the plastic or paper bags I get.
At my neighborhood supermarkets it's probably 90% plastic bags with just a few people using re-usable cloth. At least they all have bins to return the plastic bags for recycling and these seem to be full a lot of the time. We have Vitamin Cottage stores where I shop a lot. Sort of a regional downscaled Whole Foods. They don't even have bags. If you don't bring your own they will put your stuff in boxes from their bulk products that have been unboxed. And at Whole Foods it's almost all cloth.
Interestingly, I hardly ever see anyone using re-usable produce bags. It's all plastic everywhere. I need to get some of those re-usable produce bags. I've gotten into the habit of returning my cloth bags to the car immediately after unsacking groceries at home and rarely forget.
I use cloth for pretty much everything. I've had these Kroger cloth bags for about 25 years now and they're still going strong. I also have some big plain canvas bags that I use for non-grocery type stores.
I usually get paper bags from Target, because I need them for stuff like sending things home with the kids, or taking recycling, etc. But I use them over and over until they die. :) (the bags, that is).
Unfortunately, my immediate area is pretty ignorant, and I'm pretty much the only one I see using cloth. But when I go to a nearby city, I tend to see more cloth........but still alot of plastic. :(
IshbelRobertson
3-17-12, 2:43pm
Nuts.... I typed a reply and it's gone and disappeared! I'll try again...
Here in the UK for many years supermarkets have sold plastic bags which are not the 'free' flimsy ones. They are recyclable and known as 'bags for life'. When they become damaged, you just hand them in to the cashier and they replace it, free. The bags cost 10pence to buy. I have a lot of them!
BUT, for the past 10 years or so, I have almost exclusively used Jute bags from a wonderful Cornish company called Seasalt, who sell clothing and shoes as well. I love their store in Falmouth and visit there every time we are down in the County. Here's the jute bags: http://www.seasaltcornwall.co.uk/gifts
PS - If you do look at the site, don't be confused with the talk of gifts for Mothering Sunday - it's the British version of the USA's Mother's Day, but traditionally always in Lent.
I have a stack of cloth bags which I keep behind the driver's seat in the car. However, I'm not sure they're such a great idea.
As it turns out, the polypropylene used in these bags isn't recyclable anywhere around here. I had four of them with handles that were too long for comfort and, at the suggestion of an SLF member, ended up cutting them apart to use to suffocate weeds between rows of vegetables and for staking ties. At least plastic bags are recyclable. I'll have to will the "cloth" bags to someone because they will certainly last longer than I will. :(
I prefer the cloth bags because they have a sturdier shape to them and items don't fall on top of one another. They hold more and you can sling one over your shoulder when full.
In my purse I have a small nylon bag folded into its own bag that I use for small purchases. If an item is small enough to fit in my purse, that's what I'll do.
We use the reusable bags almost exclusively but in our area we are the rarity. I wash them in the washing machine occasionally.
Appreciate you all weighing in on this. I use sturdy 100% cotton (almost canvas like) bags. When new, they're quite stiff, so they stay open and stand on their own, and they maintain their shape while being filled, and they hold a lot.
I must say I'm a little bummed over knowing so few are opting for reusable bags. That's why I think there needs to be a blanket policy set in motion, where a decision is made (at the top) to put a halt to all plastic bag use in stores/supermarkets.
cloth bag user here. Do any of you get the program "Portlandia" on IFC? They had a funny skit in a Trader Joes-like store where the customer kept trying to explain he forgot his bag and became a pariah right there in the checkout lane. It got pretty out of control, but that is kinda the way it can be up here sometimes. "We only have one Mother Earth," one of my friends loves to say.
I love Portlandia. If there's one thing we can do here, it's laugh at ourselves.
fidgiegirl
3-17-12, 10:48pm
I have a stack of cloth bags which I keep behind the driver's seat in the car. However, I'm not sure they're such a great idea.
I have also been thinking about this. Particularly if people are buying these bags because they are trendy and then forgetting them in the car all the time, like we do :( Because they are a sturdier plastic, and not recyclable themselves, they really need to be used many times to recoup the environmental cost of making them. And I am frustrated that I keep getting them at all the professional events I go to . . . we have too many! Cotton, or jute, or some biodegradable material seems like a better choice.
IshbelRobertson
3-18-12, 10:37am
The flimsy plastic bags in supermarkets are now being charged for here in the UK. No longer 'free' to anyone!
I keep a motley bunch of cloth bags in the trunk of my car and that is all I use. Our city is going to make plastic bags illegal effective in 2013. Many citizens are very upset about it with claims of not knowing what in the world they will use to collect their dog poo.
As far as I know, we don't receive Portlandia, KayLRZ. So happy to see yet another reusable bag user.
Fidgiegirl. The bags I have are 100% cotton, and really strong/durable. I know there's an environmental cost related to all things made, but IMO cotton, still reins supreme and the most earth-friendly.
Ishbel. I think that's great! A definite step in the right direction.
Pinkytoe. Isn't it amazing how closed-minded some people can be when presented with a new scenario.
I love Portlandia. If there's one thing we can do here, it's laugh at ourselves.
I LOVE Portlandia!!! I watched season one on Netflix. Loved the glassblowing skit (since my DH is a glassblower).
OK in honor of this thread, I searched around and found my bags and put them back in my car. And then I sent DH to the store.....and he took the truck instead. 2 more plastic bags in my stash (which I use for our household trash).
Originally posted by Float On.
OK in honor of this thread, I searched around and found my bags and put them back in my car.Good on you!
I just made both DD's some sturday cloth bags that can be washed regularly as I do mine. I would say that it seems about 50-50 use of recyclables.
One DD was telling me that if people don't wash their bags, if they are troubled by a bug causing a digestive problem, it takes much longer to find the source since the shopping bags may be the source due to their lack of cleanliness and not some problem with the food supplier.
I have also been thinking about this. Particularly if people are buying these bags because they are trendy and then forgetting them in the car all the time, like we do :( Because they are a sturdier plastic, and not recyclable themselves, they really need to be used many times to recoup the environmental cost of making them. And I am frustrated that I keep getting them at all the professional events I go to . . . we have too many! Cotton, or jute, or some biodegradable material seems like a better choice.
I bought my first four bags at Giant, and they were clearly marked as "recyclable". GRRRRRR. >:( Those are the ones that got dismembered in the service of my garden. The straps were so long the bags dragged on the ground (I'm not quite 5'2"). I have a lot of pain in my shoulders, so carrying them like a shoulder bag was out. At least they're dark green so they won't be at all conspicuous tucked around plants.
I would sew some from sturdy cotton, but then what am I to do with these indestructible ones?
I would sew some from sturdy cotton, but then what am I to do with these indestructible ones?
I got some freebie ones one time that I didn't like and I just used them for my thrift shop donations - figured they could reuse the bags for people buying things.
I got some freebie ones one time that I didn't like and I just used them for my thrift shop donations - figured they could reuse the bags for people buying things.
AH. Good idea.
Maxamillion
3-21-12, 12:46pm
I've never seen anyone else around here use cloth bags and even when I've remembered to take mine in with me, the cashiers still try to put stuff in plastic bags.
You can get Portlandia on Netflix streaming, if you use that service. I like it.
Our city has banned stores from giving out single use plastic bags. They will sell you a paper bag for ten cents, or you can bring your own. So I try to keep a stash of paper shopping bags in the trunk.
The ban was instituted around the time my daughter toilet trained, so we no longer had a pressing need for plastic bags. But it got me thinking about back before they gave out plastic bags at the grocery, when my mom would save bread bags and newspaper bags for my brothers' poopy diapers. I guess we'll have to do that again if we ever have another little one!
I also remember Grandma walking to the grocery with two reusable heavy plastic Dominick's shopping bags every week -- this would have been late '70's, early '80's.
jennipurrr
3-21-12, 2:59pm
I have seen a large increase in the reusable bags over the past couple years. I shop at a grocery store on a college campus and a lot of the young people are carrying them. I keep them in my car and use them at the grocery. I never think about it for other stores either, but if I won't look like a criminal, I will just carry the item out when I think about it. At work they gave us a nice bag with sort of a metallic liner that keeps things cool, so I use that for my fridge stuff, although I don't live far from the grocery store so I don't really *need* it.
I use the plastic disposable bags for inside the trash cans at home, so when I notice we are getting low I will not use my reusable bags. I would rather do this than buy trash bags. I use my produce bags for doggy poop. I keep a couple tied to the leash for that purpose.
I've seen an increase in hard-wearing plastic/cloth/canvas etc bags here, and a handful of shops now charge for plastic bags. I have a little roll-up nylon bag-in-a-pouch attached to my keys, so I've always got something to put any purchases in. If we go grocery shopping (which is rare, since we normally get them delivered), I take along a big canvas bag full of smaller cloth bags.
Since working in retail years ago, I've seriously hated using plastic bags. Customers would insist on having bags for the most ludicrous things (a sandwich that they're going to eat 5 minutes later... an apple... a bag of crisps... ugh) and I hated handing them out.
That's not to say we don't have any plastic bags in our house. They always manage to infiltrate somehow (I blame the boyfriend ;)), so I use them for trash bags.
A slight aside, but a couple weeks ago, I discovered a shredded plastic bag at the back of my closet. At first I thought I had some kind of new rodent roommate, until I realised that the bag was actually degrading, and fell apart between my fingers. It's not as if the plastic's going to disappear completely, it's just in smaller pieces... how is this helping the environment?
Sure enjoying all of the additional entries. Thanks everybody.
I asked our state corn council to provide reuseable bags for our Earth Day event. I was running late to teach and had some loose stuff - manilla folders, paper, crayons - that needed to be corralled so I grabbed one of those bags. It didn't last into the first classroom. It tore. I am wondering now if I should give them out at our event or should I just put them outside? Maybe I will suggest families take 2 and double sbag them the way we used to with paper bags.
I asked our state corn council to provide reuseable bags for our Earth Day event. I was running late to teach and had some loose stuff - manilla folders, paper, crayons - that needed to be corralled so I grabbed one of those bags. It didn't last into the first classroom. It tore. I am wondering now if I should give them out at our event or should I just put them outside? Maybe I will suggest families take 2 and double sbag them the way we used to with paper bags.
That wimpy bag is more of a waste than a more sturdy bag. That one was useless, many will be used and thrown away and cause a big mess. If they're advertising on their bag, you'd think they'd make it a useful one.
Anne Lee. Now that's just not right. I'm with Pony Mom. I wish we could go back to the days when manufacturers used to apply a "Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval" to their products. I remember the likes of, "guaranteed for over 100 washings", etc.
Maxamillion
3-25-12, 3:23pm
I use the plastic disposable bags for inside the trash cans at home, so when I notice we are getting low I will not use my reusable bags. I would rather do this than buy trash bags. purpose.
I do this too, reusing them as trash bags. In the last 15 years I've only bought a box of trash bags maybe two or three times, and at least one time was for when I was moving.
I have the bags but oh-so-guilty of leaving them in the house or in the car, our grocery store even gave them away for free 5 years ago (1 for every $50 bought so I have plenty). It's probably going to take them charging 3cents per plastic or paper bag for me to kick myself enough to remember my bags. Most of the crocery stores around here will give you 3cents or 5cents credit for each bag you bring in and reuse.
Me too! I have never, no never, remembered to bring my bags or basket into the store. Not once.
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