Plastic bags, the debate and what are companies and people doing about them?
Plastic bags have certainly been labelled as the current evil when you retail. I have to say I would agree, they are unnecessary if in fact you are smart enough to remember your reusable bag prior to your retail experience. I have to say, 50% of the time I am organized enough to remember the reusable and the other 50% I am not. When I am not organize enough, I am happy to say that I try and do one of the following:
a) I ask for a paper bag (can be recycled easily) and or
b) I don’t use a bag at all, and make a point of saying something in the line up like “No thanks, I am happy to carry this out without a bag” My theory is of course that by saying something (nicely and pleasantly) that I might have an effect on my fellow shoppers standing behind me in the line … maybe my lead will influence to do the same? This is a hope, not fact by the way; and or
c) I take a cardboard box for groceries when available. The cardboard box is of course then neatly flattened and put into my blue bin for recycling.
I think the sad reality is that most plastic bags get used at home in our kitchens as a liner to your garbage recepticle. So now what, if you don’t get a plastic bag at the grocery store, will that mean that you buy bags. What is the net result of that? Rather than getting a bag at your local grocery store, you will now have to buy one to line the garbage bin in the kitchen. The way I see that – there is practically no net gain in the reduction of garbage bins used in the world. Sad.
The issue in my mind, keeps looping back … we all need to use less, throw away less and be more efficient with our resources.
Note- remember to wash your resusable from time time, the plastic industry wants us to believe that there might be bacteria in our reusable bags. Not sure if I believe that, but hey, can’t hurt to wash them from time to time.
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the practice of employing reuseable bags is one i personally have been doing for years.it is a small but socially responsible action everyone should take.