I love the new reusable grocery bags they have at Wegmans. At only $1 a bag we were able to get three for each of our cars so we always have them when we stop for groceries. (that is three for my bug and three for Aaron's truck... oooh.. maybe I should get some for Aaron's scooter)
When Tina and I were in San Francisco we each bought these reusable ChicoBags. They aren't as cute as the ones featured on delight.com (found via NotMartha), but I like how small they roll up. The ChicoBags are perfect for shopping trips... I just need to get better at remembering to carry them with me.
After reading sites like No Impact Man and Sew Green, I am glad I got these... a person uses an average of 500 plastic bags a year!
I love your blog but there's some kind of irony in an environment-conscious post that mentions "each of our 3 cars"...
ReplyDeleteBut seriously I love your blog!
I have reusable grocery bags and that's my problem too--actually remembering to take them with me into the store. So far I've only remembered to bring them in once. And the bagger wouldn't use it even after I put it in front of him and asked that my groceries be put in the cloth bag instead of plastic. Of course, I can't get them to pack the meat separate from the rest of the groceries either. grrr
ReplyDeleteanonymous #1 - No, no... I bought THREE bags for each of our TWO cars.
ReplyDeleteWe do however have a third car... Aaron's old Jeep Wrangler, but we don't drive it... he plans to restore it someday. It's not like we can drive three cars at once anyhow!
Aaron also has a scooter which he rides as much as he can in good weather to avoid driving his car.
I like the bags linked below because the straps actually fit over my shoulder for easy carrying.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.garnethill.com/jump.jsp?itemID=11161&itemType=PRODUCT&RS=1&keyword=bag
-Megan
I like the plastic bags. I reuse them for picking up the doggie droppings in the back yard, cleaning the cat box, and for my smaller garbage cans. If I didn't get the bags from the grocery store, I would be purchasing the same thing only more expensive for their use - ie. doggie bags and cat box liners. I really don't see the point.
ReplyDeleteThe Wegmans reusable grocery bags are great. They're so much larger than a plastic bag, so they fit much more food. I can also sling the bags on my shoulders, so I can take everything in one trip.
ReplyDeletePlus, they make you a celebrity in Wegmans. We've had a ton of people ask us how we like them. I've even had people ask me if they could touch the bags!
I've been using these huge canvas bags from IKEA for ten years now. Yes it's hard to remember them, but the bigger problem is facing hostility in the grocery line towards them (as has been mentioned above). My husband gets mortally embarrassed when I raise a stink about it, but excuse me if I expect my polite request to use the canvas bags to be honored the first time I ask! I can't tell you how many times I've had to remove the groceries from the plastic bags and rebag them, to glares from the checkout people. Also, those self checkout areas really force you to use plastic bags, which is super annoying. Again, I usually have to rebag at the end of the transaction. I really hope reusable bags catch on.
ReplyDeletei just got a mini maxi shopper bag at the container store. it is lightweight and has a longer handle, and rolls up and fits into its zipper case. and it comes in several cute prints!
ReplyDeleteThe bags at Garnet Hill and the MiniMax Shoppers at the Container Store are the same bags. I think the Container Store sells them for less than $10. The bags are by the German company, Reisenthal.
ReplyDeleteThey are super-handy, although, I am squeamish about carrying really heavy grocery items in them.
I like the solid-looking bottom of the Wegman's. Here in SF (no Wegman's), I use the red and white Hawaiian colorfulness of the Trader Joe's sewn-plastic ones (not their canvas ones).
ReplyDeleteBut the upside (and necessity) of the disposable plastic bag is using them to clean the litter box or on a dog run for animal poo (I like to use the long ones that come w/ the newspaper.) Is there a better enviro. solution for animal waste cleanup?
LJC- ah, ok, I thought it was 3 cars you mentioned. Never mind!
ReplyDeleteIt's always depressing to realize when I do ONE thing for the environment, there's always 10 other bad things I'm doing at the same time.
I have a nice fabric bag for groceries, it's made by Anya Hindmarch (www.anyahindmarch.com) "I'm not a plastic bag"
I have 3 of the Wegmans bags as well, and although I feel great using them it's clear here (South Jersey) that the cashiers do not like the bags at all. The sighs and rolled eyes say it all.
ReplyDeleteBut anything that'll result in fewer plastic bags caught high up in trees is worth the cashier enmity, I suppose.
Greetings and thanks for the shout-out to Delight about the envirosax bags. I get stopped each time I go to Trader Joes and asked where I got them!
ReplyDeleteIf you have a minute I'd love to have you submit your blog to our directory at Delightfulblogs.com I'm sure the gals (and guys) who use the directory to discover new blogs will enjoy it as much as I did.
best,
Lynda K
Like Nancy mentioned, biobags are a great alternative to using plastic bags for your household waste and pet waste. They are made of some sort of corn starch product and degrade easily. I use these for my green waste (compostables) and also for bagging my meat when I bring it home from the grocery store so it doesn't leak into my cloth bags.
ReplyDeleteThank you for mentioning Envirosax on your site. Envirosax are only 40grams/1.4 ozs and they roll up extremely small to fit in your purse or handbag. Envirosax are made out of polyester and are extremely strong and water resistant and are designed to be used over and over as a reusable bag. Using an Envirosax for one year will save the use of at least 200-300 disposable plastic bags.
ReplyDeletewww.envirosax.com
There are great alternatives for plastic bags that line your trashcan and pick up doggie waste.
ReplyDeleteThey are generally made from corn and are biodegradable! You can buy them at your local health food store, Whole Foods in Denver has them.
Here is a good example:
http://www.biobagusa.com/