We have a ban on usage of plastic bags, here. Stores now offer different sizes of eco-friendly carry bags which come with a price. If the volume of purchase is less, it doesn’t pinch that much as you require one or two bags. However, when the buy is in bulk like groceries of a month, you need to shell out a good amount of cash to buy those carry bags. Last week, I’ve bought couple of jute bags to avoid buying carry bags. The money which I spend in buying carry bags, now onward will get saved. Do you carry your own bags while shopping?
Plastic becomes the big problem and a threat to the surroundings or to the environment in general. It doesn't only threatened the atmosphere when it is burned but it clogs the waterways, drainage and anywhere where the water is flowing. Thus, it causes floods. Now, it is good there are many people who are advocating the program to protect the environment from the possible threat of plastic. Many business malls or establishments are providint their customers of this eco-friendly shopping bags. Every time my wife goes to shop or to the market she always buys those bags. That is one of the ways so supporting the government's program on protecting the environment.
@moondebi After I have done my shopping I use the plastic bags to put my rubbish in. Plastic bags do work out expensive and I wonder what charities the money is going towards. As well, I don't much like that we are having to pay for carrier bags when the supermarkets get them for a minute fraction of what we are paying for them and they have their supermarket name on them. It feels like I am paying towards their advertising. Not only that, but of course, in years to come, the price of plastic bags will go up, and up just like anything else so it's better to get separate shopping bags that you take from home.
Locally, the Legislature is going ballistics about shopping bags having us bring our own bags, wanting the stores to charge us .10 if we get their bags etc...who knows what they'll do next. It was so good before when the retailers were using recycled plastics all bio degradable that they can't use now because of the Legislature and now we got to buy our own trash bags which is plastics too! I always used these shopping plastics for my trash can liners, so now I got to buy it separately which is expensive as everyone knows. I just can't understand why we got to have our own shopping bags and buy plastic trash liner plastics. It is what it is and it is the way it is locally in Hawaii.
I don't shop for a whole lot of items, so I just use the paper bag that the supermarket or mini-mart supplies to place my items in. When I intend to buy many items, then that's the time that I will carry my own sturdy bag.
I always make sure to bring my eco bags when I go to the supermarket or I'll end up buying one of those bags again. I'm all for taking care of our environment, I just can't understand why in those days when plastic was allowed, the stores themselves provide the plastic bags for free. Why are they now charging us for the eco bags that we have to use to pack the items we bought from them? They're making even more money out of these bags. In addition, they're using paper to pack the grocery items which is also not good for the environment as this means that more trees have to be cut down to serve the increasing requirements for paper bags. And, I have the same issue here as @Krissttina Isobe , why are plastic thrash bags being allowed when the smaller plastic bags for groceries are not?
Same here in our country, groceries don't use plastic bags anymore. Instead, they use paper bags which are quire hassle when you've bought lots of items as the paper might tear apart. So yeah I bought myself an eco-bag and I always bring it whenever I go to the market or the grocery so I it will be more convenient and hassle-free
Yesterday we were in a mall that we don't usually go to. Our haunt is the pastry shop and lunch as well. But when my wife saw the supermarket and since we had time to spare before lunch time, I agreed to shop. At the checkout counter, we had to buy the eco bag because we didn't bring along our eco bags in the car. Arriving home, I realized that there are already 14 eco bags in our car. That means we buy new eco bags once in a while usually when we forget to bring it to the grocery. But in fairness to me, eco bags are very utile when it comes to shopping.
@Jamille Very good question you're asking. I really don't know why plastic trash bags are allowed and recycled plastics for our purchases aren't allowed. I sat at home pouting and pondering about it. I just can't figure it out why we can't have the recycled plastics the stores were using to bag our purchases either. It is a frustrating thing we are living through. I bring my own bags for purchases now or pay a dime for store bags. Safeway and Walgreens went to paper bags that aren't too strong. Was saving so much money reusing those recycled plastic bags stores gave for purchases for trash can liners too.
Well, I always take my own bags while going for the monthly grocery shopping as it would avoid the unnecessary money spent on buying carry bags from the shop. If I am going for small shopping like buying some things urgently from a corner store I will not carry a bag otherwise I will have my bag all the time. It saves money like you said
In the store from where we buy our monthly groceries, they sell jute bags also. There are also cloth bags which are cheaper. We have bought two or three jute bags and now use them for our monthly shopping. There are times when we go for outing and end up buying some things and don’t have any carry bags with us. That time we usually buy the cheap cloth bags and now have quite a few of them at our house, or take the paper envelopes that they have for free for carrying items which are not so heavy.
We have to pay for any carrier bags here in the UK so if I forget to take mine shopping I have to pay 5p at the checkout to buy one. This is to encourage people to reuse bags but if I end up with too many I use them as bin liners so they do get reused anyway.
