I am so completely in love with the bag designs over at Bring Your Own Bag! I’ve been trying for some time to always make sure I bring my own bags when I shop. It is just so wasteful to walk out of a store with a plastic bag that will end up in the trash as soon as you get home. When I can, I recycle them – the ones with the “2” code on the bottom can be recycled in my weekly pickup – but why let them get out in the environment?
It is just incredible when faced with our overwhelming consumer society to realize how much stuff we have that we don’t need at all that will just hurt the environment some day. I’m doing spring purging right now, and it makes me sad. I’m giving away as much as I can – donating it to the local outreach organization.
Reading about Compact living just drove it all home earlier. Think before you buy. And Bring Your Own Bag!
For more about the Compact, you can read this article or The Compact blog.
5 replies on “BYOB…”
Yes, last week I purchased reusable bags at Garden Ridge for 25 cents each on sale! Then when I went to Kroger I found out that I get a nickel a bag credit when I use my own bags! I asked if it harder for them to bag in my bags, and they said no it’s not. Guess it is time for us all to switch to using our own bags and help out the world! Plus I can embroider on my own bags!
Earlier this year Kenny & I found great bags at IKEA – they were only $1.50 and are shaped like a paper bag. They are actually a little bigger than that and very sturdy. We bought a dozen of them and they hold a lot more than the silly plastic bags. We just keep forgetting to bring them in with us when we go grocery shopping! I think I have only remembered a couple of times. LOL Need to work on that…
Whole Foods also offers a nickel back on each bag you bring in to use. I always keep a load of their bags in my trunk for when I go there. I usually shop at Target for groceries and I save all the bags and use them throughout the week as our kitchen trash bags. I swear – I haven’t actually bought garbage bags in years! The Target ones fit nicely in a little trash can under the sink. It’s definitely amazing to think about what people really do throw away that could at least be reused first – or just not made at all. Whole Foods is only going to offer paper bags now. At least they will bio-degrade in the land fills. There are so many alternatives and even my using Target bags for trash isn’t the best. I do need to find an even better option.
I have bought some reusable fabric bags but I keep forgetting to put them in my truck. So you’ve inspired me to get up and put them in there right now!!!
I just talked the husband into trying this out. Picked up one at Trader Joe’s for under 2 bucks. Problem 1: I forget to take it with me. Problem 2: we use the plastic bags instead of buying garbage bags for our garbages in the kitchen and bathrooms. Makes me feel a little better that I give them a second use. I wouldn’t know what to replace them with if I ran out!