Reading material: About Paper Cups

[VeloVT]

At my university all of the places you can buy coffee will fill your reusable mug for $1.00, regardless of the size. Otherwise a large coffee is around $1.80... There are lots of places on campus where one can buy reusable mugs too... I am actually cheap enough that I bought a travel mug that specifically fits on my bike and doesn't spill. (OK, confession time: I bought it at Starbucks 'cause it was the only one I could find anywhere that BOTH fit nicely into a bottle cage AND had a good top closing mechanism... so yes, while I bought it to make it possible for me to save money, it's probably just barely paid for itself by now... but it's stainless, so no scary leaching chemicals...).

Maybe a small tax rebate could be offered to businesses that offer incentives for consumers to bring reusable containers -- and maybe a larger one for businesses that require it???? Or something...

I purchased two "boat & tote" type bags that I keep in my car for use at the grocery store too. Every time I go grocery shopping it makes me feel all warm & fuzzy that I'm not taking home 3-6 plastic bags...

[mimitabby]

thank you for caring

[OakLeaf]

Do you have to argue with the cashiers/baggers about your shopping bags? They're getting better about it in the last 6 months or so, now that all the stores are selling shopping bags. But it used to be a real struggle, still is sometimes. Everything has to go in a plastic bag. Sometimes they would pull out a bag and then throw it away when I didn't want it

[Jolt]

Do you have to argue with the cashiers/baggers about your shopping bags? They're getting better about it in the last 6 months or so, now that all the stores are selling shopping bags. But it used to be a real struggle, still is sometimes. Everything has to go in a plastic bag. Sometimes they would pull out a bag and then throw it away when I didn't want it

Yeah, I've had that kind of stuff happen on a number of occasions--tell them I brought my own bags, put them on the counter, and then they still proceed to stick things in plastic bags and I have to stop them! The lady at Walgreens today did it, as a matter of fact, and I had to remind her. I think part of it is that it's just such a habit for them to use the plastic bags so it throws them a bit when someone does the BYOB thing. As more people start doing it, that should get better.

[mimitabby]

Yeah, I've had that kind of stuff happen on a number of occasions--tell them I brought my own bags, put them on the counter, and then they still proceed to stick things in plastic bags and I have to stop them! The lady at Walgreens today did it, as a matter of fact, and I had to remind her. I think part of it is that it's just such a habit for them to use the plastic bags so it throws them a bit when someone does the BYOB thing. As more people start doing it, that should get better.

or they'll put 2 items in one bag and a 3rd in another, and there I am emptying the one bag and trying to hand it back.
Or "I DON'T NEED A BAG" and gather up my stuff in my hands. THAT gets some looks.
Yes, I dump my new cloth bags right where they can see them and often they still use their plastic. and i have to undo it, but I think they're getting better.

[VeloVT]

my bags are honking BIG, so they don't miss or ignore them. However, I do sometime get people putting say, a stick of deodorant in its own plastic bag, and putting that in my cloth bag. Presumably because the (normal solid antiperspirant) deodorant might spill?

Today I had some deli cheese and deli turkey. Each was wrapped in wax paper and then placed in a ziplock bag. The bagger put them in a plastic bag to put in my cloth bag. There was no way either of them was going to leak, but the bagger was a frail 85-year old man and I didn't have the heart to challenge him.

[kat_h]

Two years ago I would have been jumping right in with the bagger stories but the staff at the Safeway I shop at have really improved. Maybe they just recognise me. They don't even offer me plastic bags for meat anymore.

On the topic of the cups - I don't like drinking out of paper or styro cups. I'm not a coffee drinker so that's not a huge temptation anyway, but I do take reusable 7-11 cups back for Slurpees. I don't think our society will stop using disposable cups any time soon, but in the mean time I'd like to see cups that aren't dyed. Granted we'd still be logging trees and filling landfills, but reducing the inks would at least be a start.