Comments on: The Plastic Bag: To Re-Use or Not to Re-Use

By: name

name — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 07:19:06 +0000

re comments really that big a deal?,

By: jd

jd — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 13:17:29 +0000

How about this one…my disposable grocery bags are reincarnated as garbage bags in our home! I do not purchase garbage can liners.
So, if you do use reusable canvas sacks, backpacks, what-have-yous AND purchase garbage bags (recycled or not), then as far as I see it, you’re just on same plane as me. It’s a balancing act.
I also use cat food bags, litter bags, anything that can hold trash as garbage bags.
We happen to live in a city where we can throw all of our recyclables in one bin: books, paper, plastic, alum, glass, etc.! So quite frankly, we have very little actual “garbage.” YEAH!
ditto on the CHEERS ;)

By: Quinn's Mom

Quinn's Mom — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:37:37 +0000

Hi Tom,
I agree. I had no idea when I purchased all 12 bags at my local grocery store (not including the ones I gave out to friends) that i was just buying into another problem. I guess it’s my naivete that allowed me to think that the bags were completely “Green”. And yes, I must confess that I, too, am not completely in the habit of taking the bags each time I go into the store…sometimes I just have the clerk through the groceries back into the cart and I put them in the bags when I get to my car. That’s worth a funny look from the clerk.
How can we tell the difference between the bags? Because it would make a big difference to me when I make the purchase. I checked, and there are no lables on my “Green” bags from the grocery store.

By: Erin

Erin — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:39:30 +0000

Doesn’t it depend on what else the bags are used for?
I’ve always carried groceries in a backpack. Which I already own, and use every day to carry other things, whether or not I go shopping.
A reusable bag presumably is reusable for more than just groceries, so the impact must be averaged over all the uses.

By: Creightoin

Creightoin — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 01:34:20 +0000

Hmm.. well obviously it depends on what the bag is made of. For example, if they’re making canvas, or hemp bags the whole equation radically changes. Of if they’re just charging you for the regular disposables it makes a huge difference – that’s what’ll get people “incentivized”.

By: Tom Szaky

Tom Szaky — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:26:32 +0000

Hi Quinn’s Mom!
You make totally valid points, with which I couldn’t argue. The point of my posting was to inspire people to look deeper into the issue. I 100% support the use of reusable bags, after all my company makes two different types!
My issue is that this is one of the many green ideas that people view blindly as a complete answer, when it is not. I think that reusable bags are a step in the right direction, but are only a step.
If a reusable bag is made in China and then shipped 1000′s of miles to your local store how eco-friendly is it?
If someone purchases a reusable bag and it sits unused in their trunk for 6 months, how eco-friendly is it?
My point is that we need more transparency in how consumer goods are made and more follow through in how they are used. These are problems that are hard to tackle, but with responsible consumers like you raising the next generation of earth-defenders, we are going the right direction.
Cheers,
Tom

By: Quinn's Mom

Quinn's Mom — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:23:45 +0000

While I think you are right to consider what it takes to make the reusable bags, let’s not forget one important thing…Reusable bags show that consumers are willing to make a change for the better. Like a badge of honor, the reusable bag displays our commitment to the environment.
That said, if we all could sew, we would be happy to turn an old dress into a nice grocery sack. Meanwhile, all we can do is to purchase what’s available to us at a reasonable cost.