I stood in line at the grocery store the other day behind a lady who was paper bag happy. Â She had purchased 3 boxes of take out fried chicken from the deli and a boxed cake from the bakery. Â Even though each of these were already in a container and didn’t even need a bag (the chicken boxes even had handles!), she insisted on a separate brown paper bag for each item.
This is on top of the other grocery items she purchased, which I did not notice as I had walked up in line just as the discussion about “the right way” to bag the chicken was going on with the bag boy. Â Is there a “right way” to bag take out chicken, by the way?
Just wondering.
In total, there were at least twelve brown paper bags in that shopping cart, each only about half full of items.I must have been unknowingly staring in disbelief at the situation unfold because the checkout girl looked at me and said, “Is everything ok?” Â Â I shook my head and said to her, “Wow, I hope that lady is going to recycle all those bags!”
Fact is, even if those bags do get recycled (they probably won’t be), it is still a disgrace to use that much disposable material just to carry your shopping home from the store. Â Â It takes a lot of energy in a pollution spewing factory to recycle all those bags when use of them can be avoided entirely just by developing the habit of bringing them yourself.
A number of years ago, my New Year’s Resolution was to start bringing my own bags to the store. Â I had been using brown paper bags over and over again for awhile (and then recycling them when they got tattered), but I decided this was still not good enough and I needed to get reusable bags for all my shopping instead. This included not just the grocery store but also Home Depot, Target, and other shops I went to.
I was actually quite surprised at how challenging it was to develop this very simple new habit.
I forgot over and over again to bring the bags into the store and even scratched my head as to what to do with the bags when I got into the checkout aisle. Â Was proper etiquette to hand the bags to the cashier, or do I nonchalantly toss them over into the bagging area?
An “easy” resolution that I thought would be such a quick success turned out to be a 3 month ordeal of relearning my shopping habits entirely! Â I persisted despite the frequent setbacks and here is what I learned (I am now very comfortable with my new habit, I’m happy to say):
7 Tips for an Easy Transition to to Reusable Bags
- Buy enough bags! Â I made this mistake for several weeks before realizing I needed about 5 bags in the car. Â The reason is that when I go shopping, I usually make all the rounds at once. Â I typically use 2 bags at the grocery store, so if you only have two bags in the car, you won’t have any for the quick trip into Target or the department store.
- Put bags in both cars! Â Another mistake I made was only putting the reusable bags in my car. Â It took me several misfires before I realized that I actually do a lot of shopping using my husband’s car because mine is already in the garage after dinner and his is typically still in the driveway. Â I like to shop after dinner sometimes which means I would prefer the convenience of using his car as I ran out the door.
- Keep the bags in the car, not in the house! Â I can’t tell you how many times I arrived at the store only to realize the bags were at home sitting on the kitchen table. Â Keep them in the car at all times as you never know when you are going to need to run a quick errand.
- After you unload your purchases in the house, take the bags right back out to the car! Â Or, at least put them right by your keys, wallet, or purse so you don’t forget to take them back out to the car the very next time you go somewhere.
- Don’t be ashamed to say to the cashier – “Oops, I forgot my bags, let me run out to the car and get them!” Yes, it’s true. Â I actually did this a few times purposely embarrassing myself and making the clerk wait for me so that I would not forget to bring the bags into the store from the car again!
- Have bags that are for produce and meats and other bags for “clean” items like clothes, shampoo etc. Â Â Â Different colors or designs on each bag helps with telling which bag is for what purpose.
- Don’t forget to wash the bags every now and then. Â Â Reusable bags can get nasty bacteria in them after only a few trips to the store, so make sure to wash them in a mild detergent every week or two. This may seem incredibly obvious, but surprisingly, most people do not seem to realize the importance of doing it.
If you haven’t yet made the switch to reusable bags, I would encourage you to consider it. Perhaps these tips can help you avoid some of the surprising pitfalls I encountered as I made the transition.
And, please don’t use the excuse that you somehow need the bags given out at the store. The plastic bags at the store are made from petroleum that takes centuries to degrade and the paper ones are made from trees that take decades to grow. Â If you must have bags for use at home, buy biodegradable eco-plastic ones instead.
It really is a lot easier using reusable bags than dealing with the stacks of brown paper bags or plastic bags that needed to be recycled. Â I don’t claim to be perfect in this area as I occasionally need one bag here or there due to an unforeseen circumstance, but I have definitely eliminated 99% of my need for store bags.
Believe it or not, this is much less stressful way to shop once you get the hang of it!
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
Wow, I had no idea that the idea of reusable bags was still taking off. I am 32 and we used them all growing up…I even remember a birthday party where my friends and I decorated our own library/shopping bags. Most stores where I live (alberta canada) charge money for each disposable bag you use and sell their own reusable bins or bags right at the cash register for very cheap. I see people of all ages, genders and socio economic brackets using cloth bags! It definitly isnt 100% cloth, but it is considered notmal!!
My favorite reusable bags are the canvas ones from Trader Joe’s.
But I have to confess that I will generally NOT go back out to the car if I forget them. With four young children, that is just TOO big a hassle. My stress level can’t handle the added “to-do” with the children.
And I haven’t figured out how to handle reusable bags + self checkout. The self checkout doesn’t know what to do with the added weight of putting “something extra” on the bagging doohickie. Has anyone solved this dilemma?
I have yet to actually purchase a bag but have accumulated quite a collection of canvas totes through conventions and other random activities over the years…it’s crazy….but they sure come in handy.
I volunteer at our food pantry at our church and we are constantly recycling plastic bags that our members and people who visit our pantry bring in. I personally use cloth bags for the grocery store and when I go to my farmer’s market I re-use the bags I get from one of the organic markets that I go to. I also have a mesh bag from http://www.ecobags.com that I just started taking to the farmer’s market and I love it. It holds 40 pounds and is lead free. It was available from Azure Standard, a food co-op that I belong to. When I go to Aldi’s for my paper products I never use a bag. I just put everything in the back of my car or sometimes if the items are small I use the bags that I already have in the back of the car.
I started using reusable bags years ago when I shopped at Aldi. I’m still using those huge Aldi bags! Then, I purchased more bags to add to my stash to use at Kroger when they had a $.05 off promotion for bringing your own bags. That little 5 cent incentive (which they stopped a few years ago) was enough to get me in the habit of taking my bags to the store! =) I don’t even think about it now. The bags sit in the cart seat with my purse and go at the front of the belt when I unload my cart. I like the reusable bags for the simple reason that I have fewer bags to carry into the house! This was a big deal when we lived in an apartment and had a bit of a walk from the car to the house. Thanks for the reminder to wash the bags. I’m sure mine need it!
Great Post.
This past Xmas, and for the Jewish holiday.instead of using those fancy paper bags, and paper,
I bought recycled bags at Whole foods.
Everyone loved them. I noticed the other day my Granddaughter came over with one, and had it fill with there babies things..She said she uses the bags all the time.
Since I over bought those bags, I gave her a couple more..
I go to a market that bags for me, although sometimes I start bagging,..
What I do not like about bagging myself is, When I look at my register recite there have been some mistake, but not always. So I would rather watch as she rings my things up, and let the bagger, bag using my bags.
If you shop at Trader Joe’s and bring in your own bags, they will give you a ticket to fill out to win food there, or something!. I don’t bother with that , but it can be an incentive to bring your own bags.
Target & walmart use those crapy plastic bags..So please bring in your own bags, as I notice many people are doing that now..
In our ocean we have the size of Texas floating in plastic bags , deep & wide floating around..
It has killed Off many of our fish and ocean…
Shonda,
You can buy at Walmart, Great Value Twist tie bags for your Dog Poop..These bags are only 2 bucks,(maybe less) 100 bags gallon..There is NO lead in these bags.
Bag lady, you should explain yourself..No excuse.
If someone can’t afford to buy a bag for under a !..00, at least do not get Plastic, get paper and recycle.
The bottom line is, we need to grow Hemp and stop taking our trees down..
Take Care,
Annie
I’ve been using cloth bags for groceries for at least 25 years now, ever since the Provincial liquor outlets started selling them for a buck apiece. We now have such an impressive collection that storage is an issue. When Loblaws started selling totes with carry handles seven or eight years ago I switched to those (makes you much more maneuverable in the store if you’re just getting a few items and they don’t fall over in the car).
While I concur that the bag lady appeared to be a self centred witless wonder I do not know why she acted that way. You’d be better off riding your bicycle to the store than your high horse once you’ve gotten there.
You made the clerk (and other customers) wait while you went to your car for your bags! See self centred above.
I picked up a couple of inexpensive cute nylon fold up bags in their own little pouches from Pier 1. They are so small and lightweight that I can easily keep them in my purse. That way I don’t have to think about having to take in a bigger bag for a few small purchases as they are always with me. I use mine all of the time and have given them for Christmas gifts as well. Very handy to have. I empty them and they go right back into their pouches and into my purse.
Thanks for reminding me that my grocery size ones are due for a bath!
Great post!! This has made me rethink about getting rid of all my plastic not just grocery bags or at least significantly reducing it. Also, you can buy compostable dog poop bags. My community provides these at the dog disposal bins at every corner.
Where I live, they charge you for bags so I bring my own. Last week, I purchased one book at the bookstore and the salesperson asked, “Would you like to carry that or purchase a plastic bag for 10 cents?” I keep reusable bags in the trunk of my car and when I unload my purchases at home, I hang the bags over the front door knob so I’ll remember to return them to the car on my next trip. I am really bad about washing them and need to do that more regularly.
One day, I was at the grocery store and had purchased some horrible food I don’t normally buy – Doritos or some such thing – and I was so embarrassed I had brought in my WAPF reusable bag to the store.