Do you always take your own shopping bags with you to be green or to to get extra points on your loyalty card? In the UK, some places charge for carrier bags, so many people now bring their own fold up shopping bag. The bigger supermarkets still offer plastic bags ( and sell the reusable ones at the till), but if you recycle and bring your own, they give you an extra point for each one you reuse. In the USA, my landlady always asked me to ask for paper, so she could use them to put the recycling in, but there seemed little incentive for people to reuse their carrier bags. Perhaps they should find a way to encourage people to use their own bags, or will they start to charge for them soon?
They already do in some places.It would be much better if everyone got themselves reusable shopping bags rather than rely on plastic bags they'll get at the supermarket/store or whatever. Some stores charge a fortune for paper bags [which is really good]. That will force shoppers to get themselves a reusable shopping/grocery bags they can use all the time rather than pay for paper bags. That said, I normally use eco-friendly shopping bags.
In my area Target will give you a .05 off your purchase if you bring your own bags. When I go to the grocery story I have a fold up material bag in my purse that is always with me and I use it so that I do not get a bag from the store. Usually I have bags if I plan to go to the store but if it is a quick in and out and it is more than my bag in my purse can hold I will need to get a bag from the store which most of the stores charge for now a days.
Over here we don't really reuse shopping bags because the store provides paper bags, so after we use it we just use the paper bag to cover the trash can. There are actually reusable shopping bags available and they are more pretty to look at and have a shoulder strap, but you have to buy them separately.
That's a great idea. I hadn't seen it in Target but do the staff promote it? I once wanted to buy one of their bags, but the line was so long she was rushing me to complete the transaction so chose not to. In some places you can pick them up at the checkout , but in some Target stores you have to ask for them. These things can only work if staff tell customers and encourage it.
Where I live you have to pay for all shopping bags, usually between 5-10 cents. So, it really pays in the long run to bring along your own shopping bag, even if it is only another recycled plastic bag. I have a couple of sturdy hessian bags that I have been using for a couple of years now. I also have a shopping trolley for bigger shopping trips, which means I can put all my groceries straight into it and don't need to worry about a single bag at all.
We have been using recycle bags since our city ordinance implemented the 'no plastic bag' rule in our area a few years ago. Seems to be working effectively because there are lesser floods in our area now. I think that is enough incentive for us here in our place.
A few of our stores already use paper bags exclusively and offer rewards for using their reusable bags. Some still use plastic but even they also now offer rewards for using reusable bags. I personally don't mind using either of the three alternatives because even if I do get plastic bags I still try and reuse them anyway. Although I agree that they can't be all that good for the environment once we all start throwing them away. I think paper and reusable bags are the best way to go.