Plastic Bag Plague: Five Easy Ways To Remember Your Reusable

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom started the fire. In March of 2007, Newsom passed the nation's first plastic bag ban outlawing San Fran's supermarkets and large retailers from offering customers non-biodegradable plastic bags.

Though Germany, South Africa Ireland, Norway and Australia have long imposed restrictions on bag use, several countries and cities have recently jumped on the anti-bagwagon. In early January, China surprised the world by announcing plans to eliminate plastic bags this coming June. The next day, an inspired New York City ordered large stores and retail chains to collect and recycle used plastic bags. And in an exciting climax of events, supermarket chain, Whole Foods Inc., declared Tuesday it will no longer offer free plastic bags to customers of its 270 stores in the United States, Canada and Britain.

Given that plastic bags are particularly bad for the environment, there is cause for hopeful celebration. Yet, as we move closer to plastic bag extermination, a nervous tension settles in the air. "Oh no. How will I--as lazy, forgetful or busy as I am--remember to bring my reusable bag? And every single time I go to the store? I'm doomed" We secretly mull in apprehension.

1. Play Ball
If you enjoy pegging soft -- or sometimes hard--objects at your coworkers then you certainly won't forget the 24-7 Bag. The genius invention of Stanford students, Hetal and Eva (not to be mistaken with fairytale protagonists), this stretchy tote shrivels into a good-natured pelting tool. At $15 (Are Hetal and Eva talking guilders here?), the 24-7 Bag makes a worthy investment. Not only will it rile coworkers, but also, you'll stay armed with a reusable bag.

After a few rounds of cubicle dodge-ball and one harsh blow to the head, you'll never leave this ball-sac at home--if not for artillery then at least for the grocery store.

2. Stuff Your Bra
Hippie chicks (sorry to leave you out guys) stop burning your bras. Instead, use your faithful brassiere to support environmentalism. Triumph Japan's "No! Reji-bukuro Bra," Japanese for "No Plastic Bags Bra," includes two reusable carriers, discretely folded into twin breast-enhancing pouches. Once removed, the compressed bags expand and enhance to large and durable totes--perfect for carrying heavy loads like watermelons and milk jugs. (Treehugger.com).

3. Fill Your Pockets
If you claim "deep pockets," why not fill them with a bag or two. Perhaps the easiest and cheapest reusable-bag antidote, this trick keeps you conveniently equipped for any unplanned purchases throughout the day. Simply deflate air from an old plastic bag and stuff jacket or pants' pocket accordingly.

Best of all, this inexpensive last minute trick is easy to remember and maintain. When unpacking the groceries, you'll automatically remember to stuff that empty bag back in your pocket. Lest, a spin in the washer, you'll stay primed for future acquisitions.

4. Belt Up
Then again, if stuffing your pants pockets sounds uncomfortable or unsightly, why not attach a compact bag to your belt? Check out this reusable bag pouch from the Container Store. It simply clips on your belt, fanny pack, or girdle. Yes, it's nerdy and you'll still be unsightly -- but at least you won't look like your beleaguered by hip cellulite. Better yet, you'll always have a reusable bag right there for a quick draw.

5. Key In
Except for the occasional goof up, we generally don't forget our keys before leaving the house. If you're forgetting your tote just get a reusable-bag keychain. Behold efficiency experts, Reisenthel and their Mini Maxi Shopper Eden. This durable shopping bag folds down to a palm size pouch with built in clip, perfect for attaching to your keys, laser pointer and bottle opener. Now if I could only remember where I put those keys...

Comments

[LegalMomma]

I've been using cloth bags for years and have built up quite a collection. For a long time store clerks looked at me like I was crazy but it's finally beginning to catch on even in places where plastic bags have not been outlawed yet. Quite a few charities, particularly environmental ones, will send you a canvas bag with their name on it when you give them a donation. The cotton knotted ones are great because they expand to a huge size (as long as the weight isn't too great.)

[DavidMG]

I have studied reuse alternatives for my book, "Choose to Reuse" (coauthored with Nikki Goldbeck). I believe the best way to encourage reuse is with a combination of incentives for those who bring their own bag and a deposit program. With a deposit program consumers leave a dollar or two deposit for a bag. When it is returned it the deposit is returned. This means those who forget to bring a bag always have a reusable bag available. (The store has the responsibility for having the bags cleaned. I think that non returned deposits will cover the cost.) See my reusable bag contest at [e-mail]

[gemcando06]

I attend "tag" sales and estate sales and one of the items I search for is - cloth and canvas tote bags. Some sales have totes that are unused or barely used and I don't remember paying more than a few dollars or less for them.

Only thing is that when I send gifts I pack them into the totes and I have to keep getting new totes for replacements.

[janmarie]

These bags probably add up to less than 1% of disposable crap but carrying around a reusable bag makes many people feel pious.

[adzeman]

I just take them back out to the car as soon as I unload. Easy, they're always there.

[thevineyard]

I have cloth bags and I'm determined to use them. (Also, I've never owned a car-love the subway.) However, there are times when I might forget so I'm now keeping a used plastic bag in my purse. It weighs nothing, I can use it in a pinch and at least I don't have to get another one. If you don't carry a purse you can stuff one in your coat pocket.

[ramal]

In the south, Publix supermarket chain sells a very smart, synthetic cloth bag with their logo on it for 99 cents at all of their check outs. They can be used for a myriad of other things (lunch sacks, gardening, storage around the house). If I forget to bring them back to the store I always purchase another one, that's my pennance. I haven't forgotten to carry one with me when I go for groceries for quite a while now.

[enilorac]

Olivia: Love your style in picking up to date shopping bags and how you write about what will become a whole new way. Kind of, as it's all come around. I grew up in Europe during the 1950's and 1960's and then everyone went to the grocery store with a straw basket or a cloth shopping bag. Just look at old photos of town centers with people going to the shops, and you will see, or, look at your favorite movies from those days(Katharine Deneuve, Sophia Loren, Audrey Hepburn never carried their groceries in a bit of thin plastic. The big brown paper bag came into the U.S. food shopping culture, sometime in the late 1950's. Europeans would visit and think Americans looked kind of silly lugging those brown paper bags to their cars and they became a kind of Americanism. Then in came the plastic bags. Now they are OUT and as the French say "rien de nouveau" ( nothing is new ). The plastic bag phase will become history, as unacceptable as smoking, another habit plenty of people thought they could not live without.

[VillageGreen]

You don't have to spend much on reusable cloth bags. Go to a thrift store and you'll find dozens of fine cloth bags waiting to be put to use. Or check your local freecycle group.

I put mine on the doorknob as suggested above, as soon as I've unloaded them. I also keep extras in my vehicle. The trick is to remember to use them in EVERY store you go in, not just the grocery store.

[city]

You can use any bag at any store. Doesn't have to have that particular store's label.
BTW to the writer of the article: The contraction for "you are" is "you're," not your.

[drumz]

The plastic bags are recyclable. Most stores have bins to return them to.
They make patio furniture out of them.

[lamarguerite]

Interesting post . . . and comments.

I find it interesting that the solution to not forgetting reusable bags is more reusable bags, and products from green marketers. I have much simpler solutions: 1) leave your re-usable bags hanging on your front door know after you are done emptying them, 2) next time you go out, put them in your car, 3) if you still forget them, just pile up your groceries back into your cart as you pay, and unload them directly into the trunk of your car.

For those of the readers who do not understand the environmental damages from plastic bags, may I direct you to my blog. There you will find a recent article I wrote on 'It's moving on the plastic front', with some interesting links to the Algalita site, and some of the incredible research expeditions they are doing in the Pacific Garbage Patch. I swear, watch 'The Synthetic Sea' and you will never be able to grab a plastic bag without feeling sick about it.

http://lamarguerite.wordpress.com

[Pompomdana]

Not All Reusable Bags Are Created Equal! BaggyShirts Reusable Bags are made from recycled shirts! Lots of the reusable bags on the market now are made from petroleum-based materials, are made in sweatshops and then shipped into the US - BaggyShirts are made by artisans who work at home in the US and are paid a decent wage....check them out at www.baggy-shirts.com!

[anechoic]

I always buy touristy cloth bags (with Amsterdam or Copenhagen writ large on them) when I'm working in Europe to use at home when shopping. The people at Trader Joes sometimes strike up conversations about the places I've been.

I usually decline plastic bags when I can.

[PatA]

PeteBogs, when was the last time you stuffed groceries into anything and then left the store?
We put our groceries into our cart, go to checkout, hand our reusable bag to the checker and the sacker bags the groceries.