Reusable Shopping Bags on the Rise
Plastic bags have really taken a toll on our environment and people are starting to recognize it. Reusable bags have started to become more popular with both business and consumers. It just makes economical and environmental sense to use more sturdy bags that can be reused.
Dangerous Plastic Bags
An estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed each year throughout the world and many of those bags end up right in landfills immediately after their usage. Many of these bags also end up in the ocean waters causing many animals to die from eating them mistakenly for food. On top of that, plastic bags are not biodegradable but break up into small pieces that contaminate our soils and waters.
Plastic Bags’ Hidden Cost
Besides having negative effects on the environment, plastic bags are also costing retailers an estimated $4 billion per year to have available to consumers. That is right, $4 billion. That is a tremendous cost that will eventually make it way down to us. It may not seem like it on the surface, but retailers are not the ones truly paying for this cost, we are. They simply pass this cost onto the consumers by raising the prices of their goods. Imagine if more companies began to stop producing plastic bags. The cost of running their business would be cheaper and many of them could begin to sell reusable bags to make even more money.
Ways We can Help
There are many ways to get away from using plastic bags and one of them is not to start using paper bags from stores. Paper bags are just as wasteful and tend not to be extremely sturdy. There are far better options. One option for cities is to ban plastic bags such as in Westport, Conn. Though this option forces us to get away from plastic bags, people should not be forced by the government. Another option is to just no use bags when you go to the store. This is excellent for when you only buy small items or items you can carry out of the store and does not cost consumers or businesses anything. The obvious flaw is if you buy multiple and/or heavy items from a store.
Reusable Bags to the Rescue
Reusable bags are becoming more and more popular lately as business are starting to stop carrying plastic bags and allowing consumers to either buy or use reusable bags.
Bags on the Run is a company that is trying to get companies away from using plastic bags and towards using reusable bags. Bags on the Run sought to find a way to produce an eco-friendly, high quality yet affordable bag. They were able to produce a bag made of Polypropylene that not only is strong, but can be recycled. The material can be made without having to be woven and in various thicknesses depending on its intended purpose. It also is not toxic like plastic and will cause no allergic reactions to the skin. It’s neat to see that even people in Hollywood are using these bags.
If you cannot find these bags at your local store or you do not have a need for large quantities of bags, there are other options as well. There is probably a bag lying around your house that you can always use or you can purchase a reusable bag from your local store or at an online retailer to find reusable bags.
The shift to move away from one-time use bags such as plastic and paper bags to reusable bags is just one more way we can become a more eco-friendly society.
This is increasingly becoming the norm. Here in ontario, we have LCBO where we get our merriment (booze). The LCBO has removed all plastic bags from their stores and are now carrying paper, and better yet, cloth bags instead. I hope to see more initiatives like this in the future!
green home hintss last blog post..Organic Aphid Control and Aphid Spray
well this is norm these days
There is no ban yet in San Diego, but just today my local grocery store (lots of organic products) stopped using plastic bags – they’ve gone strictly to paper for those who don’t bring in their own reusable.
Global Patriots last blog post..World Food Day
My wife has a few of these bags for the local grocery stores and that’s all we use now!
Robs last blog post..BEWARE of Greenwashing
I have seen some cities in US canada and Uk now switch to reusable bags. Some just promoted them and the cities and shops switched and one or 2 banned them.