Re-Useable Shopping Bags

How many of you shop with re-useable shopping bags?

OK... I confess:o... I have owned one since x-mas (gift from a GF) but not used one til now.

I had an extra one I picked up at my local drug store as a 99cent promo for Earth Day and thought... "hey, I'm gonna just rip the tag off and fill this baby up right now as I shop the rest of my list...". Worked out nicely.

I decided the best way to remember to use it is by leaving it stored in my vehicle. Today I was headed into the grocery store and actually remembered to use my bag:cool:.

Only having one bag kept me from over-buying stuff I really didn't need either since I was at the store 'hungry' (always a bad thing:rolleyes:).

Now, I'm hooked... Go Team Green Bag:D.

We keep our bags in the car and use them all the time. Ours are getting kinda well used and look it...We take ours with us to the farmers market in the summer, too...

I do! I agree about the best way to remember being to keep them in the car (except when you're doing errands on the bike...).

Here's the bag I use. :D:D:D

I've acquired quite a stash of them. Some are in the house but the goal is to return them to the car as soon as possible so I always have some there, otherwise I'd never remember to use them until I got to the store and had none. I am great with them at the grocery, still getting used to bringing them to any and all stores and foregoing the plastic. I am anal about recycling the plastic back at the grocery though. But I'd prefer to not have any at all. The last time I remembered to bring mine into CVS the kid at the register was trying to charge me for it. I was puzzled - said to him, really? You think this DC-area CVS is selling these PITTSBURGH STEELER bags? He still didn't understand why I wasn't buying the bag. I had to explain that I thought they'd be more likely to sell Redskin bags here. :)

I have a bunch of the bags. One is from Adventure Cycling for making a donation :), three from Appalachian Trail Conservancy (donation) and one of them is insulated, which is very handy for cold stuff, and two that I got at REI for $1 each. They are made out of a tyvek-like material and very nice and heavy. I keep them in the car all the time so that I have them when I shop. Walmart doesn't like them much as it is inconvenient for them but I don't care. I like the "green" bags and always recycled the plastic ones in the past, anyway, or used them when picking my garden.

I volunteer at our local hospital and each year they have an appreciation luncheon and give a small gift to us. The lunch was last week and they gave us each what looked like a little clutch purse but it turned out to be a reusable grocery bag all folded up. ...very nice, and useful, but now I am getting too many bags!!! Oh well, when they wear out, I will have some more to use!

When I go grocery shopping, I buy 2 or 3 weeks worth of groceries at the same time. I'm pretty sure I couldn't afford that many reusable bags.

I do save the plastic bags I get at other stores and use them when I go shopping at Aldi's, where they don't give you bags. I also use them as trash bags.

I have a couple of these:
http://store.envirosax.com/v/vspfile.../FL.B1.D-2.jpg
http://store.envirosax.com/v/vspfile...s/FL.P.D-2.jpg
http://www.envirosax.com/products/graphic_series/

I bought them at Powell's when I visited Portland prior to moving here, and I love the silly things. They are so compact when rolled up that I've got them stashed everywhere - one in my purse, one in my pannier, one in the glove box of the car, etc, so I am never without one. It's amazing how much will fit in them and they are super strong, too. We also keep a collection of fabric bags (some are mesh) in the car for larger shopping trips, but that's usually easier to remember. I find it's the little trips to the market or hardware store where you have too much to just carry out, but not enough to warrant bringing in the whole shebang...

I keep them in the car all the time and develop amnesia whenever I go grocery shopping....fortunately, I mostly shop at a co-op that has recycled paper bags at your disposal if you left your fancy bags in the car.

I have a bunch and use them often, and have done so for decades.

I used to wash those plastic produce bags and hang them on the clothesline before reusing them, but I don't anymore.

We have several nice strong cloth bags..but confess I rarely use them. Why is it the handles of totes are usually too long for short people to walk along without dragging whole bag on ground?

I shop with my bike panniers in hand with 1/2 of the time, throwing in the bags of weighed veggies/fruits into pannier and other times throw in, bagged groceries. I like to keep the bike pannier interior relatively clean and hence, would never throw in a pair of shoes without also putting worn shoes in a plastic bag first.

We use the grocery plastic bags to bag our trash, pack clean clothing when commuting/travel or to cover the bike seat parked outside on rainy days. I always keep a stash of clean plastic bags that were used to bring home new clothing purchases and will reuse a couple for clothes packing.

I have two cheap canvas type ones that I use, which works for me because for the most part I shop 2-3 times a week and just get small amounts. That number of trips will probably even decrease since I joined a CSA for veggies.

I keep them in my car, you can fit so many more things in a reusable bag than a disposable plastic one, so that works for me since I hate to make more than one trip from the car to the house when bringing in my groceries. :) If I forget them and The Boy is with me, he usually runs out and grabs them while I'm waiting in line :)

I have a couple, keep them in my vehicle. They actually hold quite alot, so its kind of nice not having all those plastic bags to haul in.

Psst Surgetech..Happy Birthday :)

I hang them on the doorknob as soon as I unpack the groceries. Then I can't forget them next time I go out to the car.

Yesterday the checkout clerk at Whole Foods thanked me for re-using the plastic produce bags. (It was obvious since I had a collection from several stores.) :) Mostly a rinse is enough to get them clean; if not, they're easy enough to wash and dry on a clothesline.

I don't use any produce bags, unless I'm getting a lot of small stuff like green beans or something. I just pile up my tomatoes on the cart and on the belt. I know there is bacteria on the cart, etc., but I wash my veggies, you know? I just think the plastic bags are a waste. I use the self-check at the grocery so I can put everything in the bags the way I like them, so I don't have to worry about the checker being upset about piles of unbagged vegetables. (And I don't have to talk to the checker--because I don't like to talk to them...or listen to them talk to their co-worker while they're ringing me out. Actually, I'm quite crumudgeonly about the grocery store!)

Karen

I use them all the time although mine are just the plain store kind. I love them. They hold way more groceries than the plastic ones and stuff doesn't roll around and fall out of them. I love the longer handles as they allow me to put at least 2 or three on my shoulder when unloading plus the ones over my arms. It makes for quicker unloading especially because I have to walk up two flights of stairs to get to my house. A couple of mine are thermal lined and zip closed which is great for frozen things. I usually bike to the store with my cargo trailer and they make for easy loading and unloading into the trailer as well. The thermal ones kept ice cream frozen even in 90+ degree weather. I hate it when I forget them!

I have three from Safeway that I got on my first ever shopping trip in Boulder. It felt like the thing to do. I love the Safeway ones because they're tall, but the handles are a little too long to comfortably carry at my sides. I usually end up with a collection of them at work because we have a kitchen and I bring my groceries in weekly.

At the pet store we have biodegradable bags made of corn. They suck because they're really weak, but it's Boulder so we rarely use them.

I want that green "my bag makes me better than you." That, is sooo Boulder!

I have about 12, and with the exception of three I bought while traveling, I just collected various bags I had around the house anyway. Canvas bags, gym bags, freebies, commemorative..."schleppers" have always been around. Places like home shows and conventions will give them away for free, too.
Then there another dozen that I made out of scrap heavy fabric that are just waiting for handles.

I guess I find the whole "buying them" thing fairly ridiculous. I have bought just a few on vacations - I got some of the best market bags in Mexico for a couple of pesos, and another one my last trip to Bonaire... it's a great conversation starter.

I am fasciated by how few bags I have around now that I am pretty consistent in taking them with me. Training myself ( and the family) is the hardest part. By having lots, I have several in the car, and I can still have some up in the kitchen waiting to go back to the car, and I always have them when I need them.

We got a whole bunch of canvas ones embroidered with my hubby's company logo... they went like hot cakes.

I have about 17 or so of them (bought for 99 cents each, a few at a time as I needed more).
I keep 12 in the car for the big supermarket trips. Used to forget to bring them in at first, but now I'm used to it and never forget anymore.

I have I think 3 in the hall closet, use them for overnights or for bringing potluck dishes to events, or for transporting a plant, etc.

Then I keep two more in my Rivendell's panniers for errands and shopping. The panniers stayed secured on the bike (they fold up flat against the bike when it's locked up) and I just take the shopping bags in with me:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3069/...6c6c864eab.jpg

My daughters borrowed a couple and got hooked on them and I got them each a few too. :)

I use them over and over and over.....

I've got loads of them and when I forget to take them in the store i just get bags out of the big recycle bin in front of the store.

I also have one of these.

I have a few, sometimes I forget them but I love using them.

http://paularickert.net/albums/userp...e-shopping.JPG

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

Yesterday the checkout clerk at Whole Foods thanked me for re-using the plastic produce bags. (It was obvious since I had a collection from several stores.) :) Mostly a rinse is enough to get them clean; if not, they're easy enough to wash and dry on a clothesline.

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I re-use produce bags too! I never use them in the first place for things like avocados or other things you don't eat the peel--but apples, pears, peppers, etc I always save the bags for next time. :)

A couple Christmases ago I started wrapping my gifts for family in old newspapers, and asked my parents to also do recycled/recyclable packaging for my gifts. My mom at first thought this was the most ridiculous thing she'd heard (which she tends to do, when I mention things like not leaving the water running the whole time I'm in the shower, taking the bus to go out to dinner when it would be much easier to drive, etc), but she acquiesced and just stacked my gifts in 2 reusable grocery totes from the supermarket she normally shops at. I was very pleased. :D

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Originally Posted by BleeckerSt_Girl

I have about 17 or so of them (bought for 99 cents each, a few at a time as I needed more).

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Where do you get them for 99c? Every time I see them for sale, they're $7 or $8

I have heaps, but sadly as I get my groceries delivered( no car, and no panniers big enough on bike) I keep getting more of those recyclable but annoying starch plastic bags. GRRR.
I found that the recycle bags tend to break when you fill them with more than 30 apples;) ( I live on apples!)
When I buy veggies and stuff, I only use them for loose beans etc also, I mean their dirty to begin with, more dirt isnt going to hurt. I just pile them on the belt.
I never worry about what check out people think - Ive been one of them , They are usually thinking,please get me out of here , my arms and feet are KILLING me.

I do not own a car and thus, usually make many trips to the co-op per week on my bike and then use my panniers :D

I do have many grocery bags to use for garbage bags and paper recycling. I use them when I catch a ride to the store with someone or go to the store when my parents are in town :)

I think it's silly to buy bags that are made in and shipped from China and call it "green." That's like buying a brand new hybrid car with a battery with a finite lifecycle and no recycleability, when you have a perfectly functonal car in the driveway, and calling that "green." The only "green" is the money given to retailers.
However, I do have a stash of bags that I have been given at various events and seminars that I will re-use for shopping. I also have a large stash of plastic grocery bags (my DH is horrible about bringing them to the store whenever he goes) in the broom closet. Those also get used and re-used.

Yeah I suppose I could make or get some reusable cloth produce bags from natural fibers. But it's not just that beans and grains and nuts and cereal need to be contained. Greens and herbs would get completely torn up, never mind getting all my other purchases (and the bags themselves) soaking wet. Small soft fruits like tomatoes, pears, or plums would migrate to the nooks and crannies and get completely crushed between heavier items. And if I have multiple of the same item (four small zucchini, let's say), then putting them in a bag for weighing means I don't have to fish them individually out of the bottom of my cart somewhere, which takes a whole lot more time in line than saying good morning to the cashier.

As far as the self-checkout, of the four grocery stores I use, only one has self-checkout, and sure I do prefer it, but so does everyone else, so the lines are really long. Two of the stores are small and locally owned (and there's rarely any line for me to hold up), so it's a simple matter of courtesy and human interaction to chat with the owners and employees while they're ringing me out.

Y'know, as far as the overall environmental choices, obviously we shouldn't be shopping in grocery stores at all. This is more like the kind of thing that everyone was coming down on IvonaDestroi so hard about. We all have to make the choices we're able to make, and ignore the rest for our mental survival. Shopping in grocery stores before the farmer's market season begins and, when it's fourteen hilly miles, driving there in my hybrid car, are two of my choices. Owning a carbon fiber road bike made in Asia is another one of them. And if I buy yet another bike that's capable of carrying more groceries rather than an expensive and jerry-rigged conversion of my race bike into a commuter, well, that's another less than ideal choice. So sue me.

I started keeping mine in my car, too. I have 5, that cost .99, too. Bought them at the local natural foods store. My DH keeps 4-5 in his car, too, because we never know who/when, etc. will be shopping. He got his at K Mart and they cost 1.00.
Usually I go to Trader Joe's once a week to buy a few things I can't get elsewhere. I get one paper bag, which I use for my newspaper recycling.
I still use the plastic vegetable bags, though. Maybe I'll stop.

I alternate between plastic and reusable bags. I use totes from various conferences as shopping bags most of the time, but I will ask for plastic when our stash of kitty litter bags is running low. It seems silly to me to buy bags to scoop the cat boxes when I can reuse something that the grocery store will give me for free.

I have various canvas bags I've acquired over the years that I use for groceries - including 10 yr old Safeway bags. But the bag I use the most is a little bag, "lunch" sized, that I got at a quilt seminar - not made in a Chinese sweatshop, but a quilt guild "sweat shop" in preparation for the seminar. The ladies made about 150 of the completely lined little bags to hold our Welcome goodies. I use it to bring my lunch to work, mail, and all those odd small bits that don't fit in my purse that I only need to take somewhere occasionally.

As for plastic store bags - I do still use them - for used kitty litter. :o Maybe if I had a larger yard, and could build a bigger compost pile, AND get the kitties used to a compostable variety of kitty litter, we could eliminate the need to dispose of their waste. But there you have it, I admit I send poo to the dump on a regular basis. But my weekly garbage pile is still much smaller than my neighbors.

On a side note - while I was choosing something in WF, and commenting that the variety I used to buy was no longer available to an empolyeee nearby - he said that they had similar sauce available, right here in a glass jar. Told him, maybe so, but I can't recycle the glass jar, and I can recycle cans. Glass recycling isn't available in my area. If the sauces taste about the same, then I'll choose once that comes in a container that I can recycle.
I don't know if my comment made a difference, but canned variety is back on the shelves.

I have several (maybe 4) from the supermarket, another one from there that's supposedly insulated, one I got at a bike ride, and my newest one my aunt made for me for Easter. It's reversible and is orange on one side and has pictures of sushi on the other :D

I leave at least 2 in the car at all times and have gotten much better about remembering them when I go into the store, and more importantly, remembering to put them back in the car once I get home. I also use them as my carry bag on the rare day I drive to work to throw my lunch and stuff in. When I take the train, I use a sil-sac to carry my lunch in, in case something leaks. It's saved me on several occassions:eek:

Edit: Forget about bringing the bags in. How many of you have brought the bags, told the cashier or bagger that you have your own bags, and then they continue to bag them in plastic bags? Drives me nuts!

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Originally Posted by smurfalicious

At the pet store we have biodegradable bags made of corn. They suck because they're really weak, but it's Boulder so we rarely use them.

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??? Dogs don't poop in Boulder?

I've been using fabric bags (or more likely my backpack) for shopping for years. The idea that this is all new is somewhat comical. I don't use a car, so that changes the equation; I don't always have a bag with me, though I usually do.

The only advantage to the bags sold specifically as replacements for the standard plastic bag is that they are great for hanging on my Xootr. Paper or plastic bags get banged up and more than once I've lost a lemon or two. If I have a really heavy load, I use a backpack because I can hang it with the bag facing me. Putting weight forward makes the scooter unbalanced when I hop off. Messes up my perfect curb jump, and the rear wheel could swing around and bang someone in the ankle.

ETA: If you don't want to buy a new reusable bag, thrift shops usually have plenty of the bags given away at conferences, etc.

Pam

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Originally Posted by NoNo

How many of you have brought the bags, told the cashier or bagger that you have your own bags, and then they continue to bag them in plastic bags? Drives me nuts!

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And if you refuse their bag, they'll THROW IT AWAY.

I try to bag my own stuff. If you let the store baggers do it, they'll put your greens at the bottom and canned goods on top, every single time. If I beat them to the end of the conveyor belt, then I don't have to worry about it. :cool:

I'm just happy they updated the firmware in the self-check aisles so I can bag as I check out, rather than having to do it all after I've paid (or alert the attendant to key a weight override before starting) like you used to have to.

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

As far as the self-checkout, of the four grocery stores I use, only one has self-checkout, and sure I do prefer it, but so does everyone else, so the lines are really long. Two of the stores are small and locally owned (and there's rarely any line for me to hold up), so it's a simple matter of courtesy and human interaction to chat with the owners and employees while they're ringing me out.

..................................And if I buy yet another bike that's capable of carrying more groceries rather than an expensive and jerry-rigged conversion of my race bike into a commuter, well, that's another less than ideal choice. So sue me.

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I know it doesn't require super amount of effort to carry cloth bags inside my panniers...but since we don't have a car and never will, and the bike is for going around everywhere, doing everything (well, non-super rainy/snowy weather), then I'm not going to beat myself up for non-environmental infraction.

There are times the constant opening up of panniers to place more bought items, ritual of parking a bike at every single errand stop several times, in 1 day is a drag...but no more than hunting around for 5-10 min. for a car parking spot.

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Originally Posted by ZenSojourner

Where do you get them for 99c? Every time I see them for sale, they're $7 or $8

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At the supermarket- they are "Price Chopper" brand, 99 cents each. They've been selling them for a couple years now.
I also see them at another supermarket chain, Hannaford's, for 99 cents as well.

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Originally Posted by 7rider

I think it's silly to buy bags that are made in and shipped from China and call it "green." That's like buying a brand new hybrid car with a battery with a finite lifecycle and no recycleability, when you have a perfectly functonal car in the driveway, and calling that "green." The only "green" is the money given to retailers.

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I think the key aspect here is that you can use each of these bags hundreds of times. Mine have held up very impressively. If I use 10 bags a week while shopping or hauling stuff, then over each year my 17 or so bags prevent more than 500 plastic bags from being manufactured. For me, that trumps the fact that they are made in China. Unfortunately, the usual plastic supermarket bags don't hold up well after a few uses carrying any significant load.

You can buy bags that are made in the USA from recycled cotton, etc, but they are just too expensive still...when they first came out, such bags cost like $12 each :eek: and seemed more like 'designer' totes, but I do notice the prices on US made re-usable shopping bags are now steadily dropping as the retailers and manufacturers get a bit more 'real' and I am confident that they will eventually be priced reasonably and made here from all recycled stuff. Once they hit somewhere around $5 each I'll be buying those instead.
Meanwhile, I feel I'm still helping to prevent excessive plastic production. All of mine are two years old so far, have been used probably 100 times each over the past two years, and they are still going strong. Personally, I like that! :)

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Originally Posted by PamNY

??? Dogs don't poop in Boulder?

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They do, but those warrant a different kind of biodegradable bag that's on a small roll and has a handy clip on dispenser.

I find the baggers at Safeway at the worst...on more than one occasion (when I forgot my own bags) I have ended up with more bags than items purchased. :mad: :rolleyes:

A former boyfriend (from the UK) would always put his bananas inside a produce bag...I never understood why. :confused:

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Originally Posted by 7rider

I think it's silly to buy bags that are made in and shipped from China and call it "green." That's like buying a brand new hybrid car with a battery with a finite lifecycle and no recycleability, when you have a perfectly functonal car in the driveway, and calling that "green." The only "green" is the money given to retailers.
However, I do have a stash of bags that I have been given at various events and seminars that I will re-use for shopping. I also have a large stash of plastic grocery bags (my DH is horrible about bringing them to the store whenever he goes) in the broom closet. Those also get used and re-used.

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So if someone doesn't have a handy stash of sturdy bags for reuse, as you are lucky to have.... :confused: I used to reuse paper grocery bags, but they would inevitably wear out. Similar to BleeckerSt_Girl, I've gotten dozens of uses out of each of the grocery totes that I've purchased (2) or been given as a gift (2), which have been invaluable when going to/from stores on the bus, and they also fit nicely in the rear baskets on my bike. Sure, I probably could have taken the effort to shop around and find bags at a thrift store instead, but the ones I bought were $0.99 and purchased when I was already at the store. I'm of the opinion that a small step in the right direction is better than not considering it at all. :o

I have 4 cotton canvas bags that I got from the store that I shop at most often. They're nice and big, and two of them are insulated for dairy and frozen stuff. Like OakLeaf, I put them by the door as soon as I unpack them so I remember to take them back out to the car.

I just got a reusable bag from REI the other day when I used my dividend.

I also have a Chico bag that I love because it scrunches into a little pouch and fits in your purse, so it's always there if you need it.

http://www.chicobag.com/