Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Paper or Plastic?


It seems that neither are without fault. Paper bag production is expensive, requires more energy to recycle & they take up more landfill space. Many plastic bags are not biodegradable, and require more oil used for production. Not to mention all the plastic bags littered across the country. So more people across the country are bringing their own.

In March, San Francisco became the first city in the country to ban non-biodegradable plastic bags in large grocery and drug stores. Similar bag-banning measures are being considered elsewhere across the country.

Locally, there are a handful of grocers who give money back when you bring your own bags. Kroger is the latest to offer savings, with $.04 off your bill for each bag you bring.

I’ve been bringing my own bags now for almost a year. After unloading my foods, I immediately put the bags by the door or right back to the car. That way, they are always in the car when I make an impromptu stop by the store. It is so easy to do & you will not believe how sturdy these bags are. You can put much more in these bags than either plastic or paper.

Where to find them? Tote bags overflow at your local thrift store. Or you can find a great selection at reusablebags.com. >carrie.

3 comments:

david wilson said...

You can also get eco-friendly tote bags at Kroger for $0.99/bag and at Publix for $1.49/bag.

See yesterday's article in the Tennessean:
http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007708070304

Anonymous said...

I bought some of the reuseable bags at Kroger and have started taking them. The last time I was there, I handed the bagger my bags and he complained about not knowing what to do with them. The checker told him, "there just bags." I chuckled to myself how habbit driven humans are. To help the checkers who are thrown off, I usually help them bag as to no inconvenience them terribly:).
Jessica

amanda said...

it does throw the bag boy off when they don't have to use paper/plastic! kind of annoying, really, but i like to think i'm encouraging somebody else to skip the plastic. my only problem: i forget to put said canvas tote back in my car after unloading. doh!