Reusable Shopping Bags

Estimates vary, but it's safe to say that over 100 Billion disposable plastic shopping bags are used every year. Think about that number again. 100 Billion. That's 100,000,000,000 plastic bags that get used and disposed of each year. More frightening is the fact that less than 5% of those plastic bags get recycled. That leaves at least 95 billion plastic bags to enter our waste stream every year. Given that, it should be no suprise to find plastic bags everywhere - in the park, at the dump, under your sink, and anywhere in between.

What may surprise you is the negative environmental impact that plastic bags have and how easy it can be to stop using plastic bags by bringing your own reusable shopping bags to the store with you. Plastic bags cause pollution in thier manufacture, transportation to stores, and disposal. Beyond the fact that you see plastic bags littered all over town, plastic bags disposed of in the waste system are not much better. It is estimated that plastic bags take over 1,000 years to decompose, and even at that point they will releast toxic chemicals into out water system and soil. Beyond taking plastic bags to the dump, the other alternative is to incinerate the bags, which again releases toxic chemicals into our environment.

Recycling is an option for plastic bags, but bags cannot be recycled with other plastics like water bottles. Additionally, the economics of recycling plastic bags do not support recycling. It costs over $4,000 to recycle a ton of plastic bags, which can be turned around and sold on the commodoties market for $32. No wonder it is so difficult to find a place to drop of plastic bags for recycling.

You may have seen a number of people carrying their own shopping bags with them to the store. These reusable bags are a great alternative to disposable plastic bags for a number of reasons.

First, reusable bags help to avoid our dependence on plastic bags and the numerous negative environmental impacts that plastic bags have. Beyond the pollution and littering associated with the manufacture and disposal of plastic bags, it should also be noted that plastic bags are made from petroleum. Thus, the more plastic bags we use, the more oil we consume.

Second, reusable shopping bags are more durable, bigger, and easier to carry than plastic bags. A typical reusable grocery bag can easily carry 4 times the number of items that a plastic bag can carry. Most reusable bags will hold up to 40 lbs. of goods. Additionally, long handles are generally long enough to carry the bags over your shoulder instead of in your hands. This increased carrying capacity means that you'll have to make fewer trips back and forth from the car to the house when you get home from the grocery store.

Finally, reusable bags are multi-functional. A good reusable grocery bag can also do well as a beach bag, picinic bag, or carry-on bag during airplane travel. Some reusable bags on the market are packable and come with a small pouch, approximately the size of a deck of cards, that the bag can be stuffed in to for convenient carrying. This is an especially useful feature for the forgetful people. Simple put a couple of these small bags in your purse or glove box and you'll be sure to have a set of reusable bags with you no matter when the need for them arises.

Making the decision to "go green" and beging using reusable shopping bags instead of disposable bags can now be done with a sense of style.  Using reusable bags has become a bit of a "trendy" move in and of itself, and a growing number of retailers are offering bags that are more fashionable than the solid colored bags with a grocery store name screen printed on it that are available at your local market.  Here are a couple of examples of ways that companies are making it possible to be eco-conscious and fashion-conscious at the same time. 

Lauren Bush (niece of President George W. Bush) released her second set of bags in her FEED line in May of 2008.  The bags retailed for $29.99 and were available through Whole Foods grocery stores.  This was the second set of bags in her line, the originals were sold on Amazon.com for $59.99.  Beyond looking good and helping reduce the use of disposable bags, each FEED bag that is bought also provides 100 meals for underpriveledged school children through the United Nations World Food Program.  These bags are win/win/win!

Another company that's helping to make “green” fashionable is LilyEcolo, where you can find a variety of fashionable reusable bags and totes to help you to act daily in a more environmentally kind way. The company “brings audacity, style and color in the sphere of ecological choices”, and offers a range of bag choices from reusable bags which fold up as small as a tissue, to the “all-in-one” bag which will hold your wallet, cell phone, makeup kit and more, in an effort to ensure that you're never left without a reusable tote to fit your purpose. The company encourages people to “shop differently” to “reduce wasting at the source simply by taking the habit of using practical, lasting and reusable bags”, and to daily make a difference in the environment.

Finally, a relative newcomer to the reusable bags industry, Reusable Bags Depot offers a number of lightweight reusable shopping bags in fashionable patterns.  Beyond looking better than other bags, their bags also pack in to a small carrying pouch that makes them easier to store and carry around with you on those trips where you're not sure if you're going to buy something or not.  There site is also full of tons of information about the benefits of using reusable shopping bags.

Reusable shopping bags allow you to do your part on a daily basis to help preserve and improve our plant's health.  There are a number of alternatives to disposable bags and containers - you just have to be willing to start using them!