Re-usable shopping bags

16 years ago

Green does not have to be expensive. To help curb the use of plastic bags, Home Depot and Target both have sturdy shopping bags for less than $2. Much better price than the trendy "green" ones. The HD bag holds about 2 large paper sack-fulls of groceries and snaps onto the shopping cart ("buggy" if you're in the south!).

I'm buying these for everyone in my family and the people in my office.

Please see the article if you're still using plastic:

http://men.msn.com/greenarticlebl.aspx?cp-documentid=5873930&page=1

It's long, but worth the read.

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Comments (10)

dancinglemons
16 years ago
Not only plastic. Paper bags are not better. I have not seen the Target bags yet but will look for them. I have several different brands of bags and like the Kroger insulated bags quite a bit.

DL
Scott Schluter
16 years ago
We use canvas tote bags collected from yard sales for usually around 50 cents apiece. Each one can hold a lot!
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If you really want to be "green", don't use those poly bags. They're made of non-woven polypropylene - same base poly that's used to make the plastic bag shopping bags. Yes - they're re-usable, but when they have to be replaced, the old one goes into the garbage. It's not recyclable. Best bet is to make/purchase bags made of natural fabrics. Burlap is one of the best. It's strong, durable and REALLY green. When the bag can't be used anymore - just toss it in your compost, or use it as mulch in your garden. It will break down & go back into the earth where it came from.
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I'm so not organized or anal at all but some things involving my kitchen I am so insanely picky. Especially waste. And cleaning. Floors and the rest of the home can go to heck....ok, bathrooms need constant attention. That darn new adorable rescue pup has fur. Everywhere. I've always had rescue weimaraners with tiny pale gray fur. I have a set of mesh like Islay posted but never take them to the grocery. I have thick canvas bags and rip-stop nylon bags. Probably three dozen now. Olive green for produce etc. Our local market is 1/3rd of the entrance all fresh produce. One isle in the back for frozen... The fresh stuff is 90% a-la-cart. By weight. Not packaged. I just put my veg in the two large canvas bags and some in the washable rip-stop. I bag myself at check-out so freezer and downstairs produce 'standing-by' goes down stairs un-washed for later. What goes into the kitchen I wash right away or in rip-stop nylon bags that wash beautifully. My old set 15 years old is still in good shape but are used for shoes and boots in luggage now. Washed now dozens of times. (I do not want my mesh bags on filthy grocery check-out rubber conveyer and then into my kitchen fridge produce drawer.) Even organic produce. Something to think about. And not all produce does well in mesh/cotton. Test your fridge. With something cheap like carrots. One carrot in a brown paper bag, one in mesh, one in cotton, etc. My fridge likes carrots in plastic or rip-stop nylon with a dry p-towel. Lasts a month or more. Food is expensive. Find what works in your fridge. I'm still going through some veg from Thanksgiving! Most is from Christmas/NewYears. My kitchen dual compressor fridge is brilliant and has terrible reviews. I know how to keep an eye on troubleshooting and keep it in good working order 12 years now. (I learned that here on GW by generous members that are repair people.) Mom used to love shopping LLBean for years for gifting but always a bit off in desire...returns were always the boat-n-toe bags. We have many. Some are so washed they are favorites. Fresh and stiff I like as well. Rip-stop bags are annoying for groceries as they flop around in my car...the combo canvas/rip-stop is perfect....
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bcomplx
16 years ago
I keep a sturdy cardboard box (with carrying handles) in the back of my car, hopefully with a few cloth shopping bags in it, ready for action. When I know I'm buying wine or heavy canned goods, I bring in the box and then use it to carry things that clank or are prone to breaking. A good box will last a month or so before it gets weak. Then it becomes compost or mulch.

Here is a link that might be useful: my website
skagit_goat_man_
16 years ago
One concern with reusable bags for groceries is the "juices" from meat and poultry that may leak out of their packing. You don't want to be putting your vegies in that bag next time around unless it's been cleaned. That's tough with the canvas bags we have. Tom
flowersnow
15 years ago
It's an old thread, but had to add my 2 cents. I have one of the Target bags that fold up and zip to a nice size that I keep in my purse. I use it often instead of using one from a store.

When I grocery shop, I use the Meijer bags. They are far better than Walmart and Kmart. The Meijer bag has a plastic bottom and the handles are reinforced with a metal brad. I have put 12+ cans of vegies and have never had a problem. Meijer stores are only in Michigan and Ohio, unfortunately.
silversword
15 years ago
me too me too!!

Why is it that the baggers always look at me like I'm crazy? I was buying an inflatable mattress the other day at WalMart and declined a bag. She got kind of snippy with me. Then proceeded to put my items in bags, almost individually. Ping pong balls... in one bag. Bag of socks... in another bag. Insect repellent... still another bag. I ended up not leaving with one of my bags, I think somehow I missed it. Total count for ten items? 8 bags.

I forgot my Home Depot bags that day. Shame on me. :(
annebert
15 years ago
My experience is that cashiers are getting more accepting of not using bags - but I don't shop at WalMart. More and more I have cashiers ask if I want a bag when I have only one item. I think there is some progress.

My best bags are the giveaways from drug companies at scientific meetings - often have outside pockets to tuck things in, which helps avoid the cross-contamination that Tom talked about.
nckvilledudes
15 years ago
Not really sure the concern with cross-contamination of meat in canvas bags--just wash them and the issue is nonexistent. Isn't that why we use bags that are resuable?
gram999
15 years ago
Over on the sewing forum, there's a discussion & instructions for sewing shopping bags using a plastic bag as the pattern. I've made several & love them. At Walmart, I put them on their hooks for them. We've all left bags there, I'm sure. You can't miss these. I take plastic bags to put the meat, etc., in.

I have a Home Depot bag, but have never used it. Will have to give it a try. Thanks.

Here is a link that might be useful: Shopping Bag Instructions
finnbiker
15 years ago
Those nylon home depot bags rock for light items, like cereal-- I have actually put 10 boxes of cereal in them at Aldi! Before you complain about the cereal-box bags, I reuse the bags to bring home coffee grounds from work to compost.

Re-usable shopping bags

Comments (10)

dancinglemons

Scott Schluter

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