Ten years ago, with the best of intentions, I bought my first reusable bags: they rarely got used. I would forget them at home or leave them in my car (yes, I was too lazy to fetch them from the parking lot). When I finally managed to get them to the checkout counter, there were never enough of them, and I ended up having to answer the question, “Do you want plastic or paper for the rest?”I justified my growing supply of disposable bags by diligently reusing them - the plastic as trash can liners and the paper as inventive present wrapping or packaging material- all good uses, by the way, but even better would have been not to acquire them in the first place.

In an attempt to help me remember my bags, I posted signs on my front door, “Don’t forget the bags” and on the glove compartment of my car “BAGS!” When I became accustomed to the signs and therefore blind to them, I upped the ante by hanging the bags on my front doorknob and leaving them, in full view, on the passenger seat of my car. You’d think that that would have done the trick but, on occasion, I still found myself at the checkout counter asking for plastic.

I was amazed at how hard it was to adopt this simple new habit- a habit that was essential to preserving the integrity of our environment. I knew that hundreds approximately 100,000 sea turtles, whales and other marine mammals died every year from eating discarded plastic bags mistaken for food. I knew that plastic eventually photodegraded into tiny pieces, contaminating our soil and waterways. And I knew that as California taxpayers, it cost us $12.5 million to collect and landfill plastic bag waste each year. And still, I forgot my bags. I obviously needed to raise the stakes. I decided that for the next three months, I would not allow myself to use a disposable bag for any of my errands, no matter what. If I forgot my bags, I either had to buy more reusable bags (most grocery stores sell them at the checkout counter) or go without, which meant loading loose groceries into the back of my car. Suffice it to say, that yogurt does not travel well that way. My daughter soon grew tired of being dragged back into the parking lot to retrieve bags and I was finding it hard to justify the mounting pile of totes in our hall closet. It had become very inconvenient and expensive for me to forget them- and, as it turns out, that is, I am forced to admit, exactly what needed to happen in order for me to remember them.

At the end of this three-month experiment, my habits had evolved to the point where it was fairly easy to hold myself to the “no disposable bag” rule. These days, it is rare that I forget my reusables. I have bags in all shapes and sizes, to suit my various needs. Here are some of my favorites:

Grocery shopping- I find the cloth bags with long handles the most convenient. They are strong, so I can really pack them full, and the long handles make them easy to carry over my shoulder, enabling me to load up and make fewer trips from the car to the house. I have a collection from various grocery stores but my favorites are the ones I have received from being a member of places like The Union of Concerned Scientists and The Natural Resource Defense Council - both great environmental organizations.

Farmer’s market- This is one place I am particularly adamant about using reusable bags. If I am going to make the effort to cut down on harmful pesticides and reduce the miles my food has to travel (and the associated CO2 emissions) by buying organic produce from local farmers, it seems crazy to then turn around and contribute to the 100 billion plastic bags that are used by Americans every year. For the market, I like to use canvas and/or nylon bags that are machine washable since I like to buy vegetables with their greens attached and this can be messy - well worth it though, as sautéed beet greens are delicious and full of vitamins.

Light errands- I always keep small nylon bags in my purse and glove compartment. They are perfect for trips like drugstore runs. I like Chico bags because they come in their own little stuff sacks and are very compact. I have even managed to get my husband to use them.

General shopping- Again, I like to use nylon bags that collapse into their own little stuff sacks. Reisenthel bags are my favorite because they come in bright colors and pretty designs, have long handles, and are big enough to carry items like clothes and toys. We keep five or six in a bowl by our front door, making it easier to remember to bring one along on shopping trips. And if I’m buying storage boxes or baskets, I ask the cashiers to load my other items into those containers and skip using any bags at all.

Switching to reusable bags took a little work on my part, no doubt, but a couple of thoughts make it all worthwhile: I know that every one of my quality reusable bags has the potential to eliminate hundreds, if not thousands, of plastic bags over its lifetime, and to preserve our planet in the process.

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Jessica Tuck - Ecoist
Jessica is an actress and co-Content Editor of the EcoPerks website. She serves on the Santa Monica Green Garden Tour committee, creating awareness about sustainable gardening and is an active member of the TreePeople organization. She lives in Santa Monica, with her husband and 4 year-old daughter, in their solar powered home.

 

Tags: errands, reusable bags, shopping bags

This entry was posted on Friday, December 14th, 2007 at 1:36 pm and is filed under EcoHabits. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.