Do you opt for paper sacks, plastic bags, or ____ ?

I use plastic bags for trash also I save paper bags for save seeds....

Wow! I m here first!

I know I just post this first thread and I m in second to vote!




This message was edited Nov 12, 2007 4:30 AM

Where do you shop that you have a choice? We only have plastic at WallyWorld. I bring my own fabric totes.

I hate plastic shopping bags with a purple passion. They are shapeless, floppy obsolences. Your purchases end up all over the car's trunk unless you tie the handles together. The bottons give out half the time unless you encounter a bagger that puts one or 2 items in each bag. That's also bad because you can end up with 12 to 14 bags for a $35 grocery order. And yes, I would get paper bags if they were offered but the vast majority of stores do not offer them.

My wife is currently knitting a set of shopping bags. Yes, you have read right. She is knitting them. The finished product is an airy fisherman's net pattern. They are very sturdy. I'll have to keep them in the car anc carry them with me but at least, it will alleviate the frustrations described above.

Sylvain.

I use fabric shopping bags and reusable plastic totes. They stay in the car so I always have them with me.

I ask for paper-in-plastic. I don't shop very often, so when I do it's a very large order and I usually have at least 10 very full bags. This is the only way I can get my groceries home. I use the paper bags to put my recycling in (the town requires paper bags for newspapers and plain cardboard). And I bring the plastic ones back to the store for recycling.

Plastic here, easier to carry them all in. They are reused for dog droppings disposal ;)

My Publix Supermarket ALWAYS asks, "Do you want paper or plastic?". That is much the preferable manner as sometimes I want paper and other times I want plastic.

I use paper bags when I can because they will break down & decompose. Plastic will look the same a 1000 years from now.
We use plastic bags at the Farmers Market because of weather problems. Paper don't do well in rain or water. Lots of our produce is wet when sold.
Some of the customers are using their own tote bags or baskets. In this day of pushing organics, I can't see why more people aren't doing that.
The market had some nice canvas totes for sale very low priced, not many sold.
All boils down to lots of talk, no action!
Bernie

Paper bags were common growin up in the north so to see one would bring back memories of good times shopping with Mom but they don't offer them at all in Texas but now that I haul the groceries I see the ease of using plastic with handles. Of course we reuse them to line trash cans, doesn't everyone?

I bought six totes (two for frozen foods, four regular) from our Kroger, and use them whenever possible. It's nice because the freezer totes keep stuff cold if I have to make a stop or wait on a kid to finish practice somewhere before we get home. And they are sturdier by far - I can put at least twice the weight in a canvas tote versus a plastic bag.

Our Kroger gives a $0.04 credit for each tote you use each trip, so it doesn't take long for them to pay for themselves.

Any plastic bags we bring home get used, sometimes 2-3 times (take the newspapers to the community recycling bins, or carry a lunch or other item somewhere, then re-used again for trash can liners. Despite our efforts, we sometimes wind up with a gob of plastic bags built up, and we recycle them.

Bernie, maybe offering a small credit for each bag the customer brings themselves would help encourage people to at least re-use their own plastic bags or buy some totes.

I picked "other" only because all of the choices fit.
If the store offeres paper, I'll take it & reuse the bags for my newspapers.
If it's plastic, I reuse them for the cat's litter box cleanup. I have my own bags that I keep in the car - the problem is remembering to bring them in the store with me! LOL!

Nancy

Both Wegman's and Tops here sell canvas totes at the checkout for $.99, and I have a few of those. Except when I forget to put them back in the car. I also have an insulated tote for cold stuff, but soon, that won't be needed.

I think what happens, people are in such a hurry all the time, they don't stop long enough to think ahead.

12 to 14 bags for a $35 grocery bill !
I spent $33 on groceries yesterday and it was 2 bags and a gallon of milk. (I don't have them bag the milk)

I voted other since I do pretty much all of the above. I've been trying to bring my own bags lately, but sometimes I forget. When I forget, I'll usually ask for paper. But there are a couple places that don't ask you, they just automatically give you plastic unless you're really paying attention and make them do paper, so for those I'll reuse the bags (usually for cleaning up doggie presents in the backyard!) and the ones I don't need for that get recycled.

I also do all of the above depending on the situation.

The plastic bags get reused as trash can liners or sent to the local food pantry for them to use with their clients.

THe paper is used for recycling newspapers and cardboard or when the squirt needs a bag for school

I also have a cooler tote and fabric bags.

Like Jazzpunkin, I do all of the above. I try to remember to bring bags or totes, but I often forget. I have a couple of large totes my church was selling 15 years ago, and I bought a bunch of smaller ones (99 cents each!) from one of our stores. I have all the totes I need, if I'd just use them! I reuse the paper bags for newspapers. I'm afraid I throw out the plastic ones.

Rev..There might be a pantry in your area that would really appreciate those bags. :) Or you can just stick them in with the other recycled stuff

I use plastic because sometimes paper will have insect eggs in it (I'm from NYC and used to shop at a lot of small stores). If the store offers it, I will get paper if I am purchasing a lot of canned goods or other heavy things. I not only reuse the plastic bags at home but I also donate a lot of the extras to our local soup kitchen so they can send meals home with the folks.

We opt for paper because our neighbor recycles all of our paper. We recycle the practically unavoidable plastic bags to pick up after our St. Bernard. We also have our own shopping bags and use them when we remember to.

We use ours for litter box cleanup also, as well as sometimes carrying lunch or emptying trash. But I'll admit that I feel somewhat guilty about it! However, I'm the only one in my house who believes in recycling - my boyfriend and his son are heathens and couldn't care less. They think it's all a bunch of hype. I try to keep it to a dull roar, but I hope to figure out a better way in the future.

FYI - they do make some biodegradable plastic-like bags for pet cleanup - they are called Biobags and it says they are even compostable! We have them for when we walk the dog. Sometimes we use them for litter box cleanup, but they are smaller than the grocery bags so a little more tricky. I feel better when we use those!

I use plastic bags because I have dogs and cats and once a week 2 bags( both double bagged as required here ) go in the garbage with cat and dog litter . And if I have excess they go to the off leash dog park for others to use.

We use our own totes for everything. Garden_mermaid put me on to Chico bags which are great. Cheap and sturdy!

http://chicobag.com/

If I ever need an extra bag then I will use paper over plastic anyday, and they get recycled in many ways around the house or back into the recycling bin.

In most places in Australia & some supermarkets in NZ the question is not "paper or plastic" but "did you bring your own bags today". A deathly hush and many disapproving looks are cast your way if you say No. To further enhance that feeling of shame of being the only person in a crowded supermarket without your own bag, you will then have to PAY to purchase supermarket bags at around $0.30 each.

I always ask for paper. However, I do seem to accumulate tons of plastic bags. I also use them to do double-duty as often as possible but would love to recycle them in the true sense of the word. My local recycling station does not accept plastic bags or Styrofoam or (PC #6) anything. Which I inadvertently accumulate with packing materials and take-out containers. Where and when will we be able to recycle those items? I am now convinced that carrying a few canvas totes with me is really the smart thing to do. Hey I like the idea of knitted totes, they stretch! I think I'll keep a soft-sided collapsible cooler in the trunk as well.

For the most part I take my own tote. I also use the thermal bags that keep foods hot or cold.

I chose "other" because I'm one of the ones who use paper to hold my paper recycleables, and plastic to line small trash cans. Periodically, I take all the extra plastic bags to Walmart, where they have a box for them at the customer service desk.
Good to know that Kroger (local grocer) gives you credit for bringing your own--thanks for the tip, Terry!

Like so many others, I'm sorry to say I use plastic bags most of the time because Wal-Mart does not offer paper bags. We reuse them to line our small trash cans and to take our lunches to work. We by milk from Braum's and they only have paper bags. We have a paper bag next to our kitchen trash can and it collects all of our combustibles to go in the burn barrel. We also reuse juice and milk jugs to hold compost tea.

Plastic bags have so many uses, who recycles them? I actually hoard them, esp. from fancy stores! But I always get a few paper bags, b/c our curbside recycling service insists that our plastic/cans/glass be sorted and put out in paper bags only.

Oh, I hoard the "good" paper bags, too. I mean, what if I run out bags???!!! What will I put my stuff in when I've spent all of my $$ on plants and have to carry my stuff through the streets?

We don't have recycling pickup where I live now - the first place I've lived in 20+ years that hasn't had it! I keep my glass jars for future household use & recycle most of my paper myself in composting & papercrete, but my soda cans and plastic containers are a big failure for me right now. :(

I always get plastic bags at the store because it's easier to carry many bags at once that way, but I reuse the bags all over the house, for all kinds of things, including stuffing my balloon valances with.

The extras we accumulate get taken back to the grocery stores that have collection barrels for them.

Jax4ever - ROTFL!

I use the plastic bags all over the house for various trash liners, etc., but i don't like plastic. I always opt for paper bags if they offer them. I use those under the newspaper when I am potting up plants all the time.

The water doesn't run through a good paper bag as quickly as newspaper.

I reuse whichever type I receive. Newspapers go out for recyling in paper, and the plastic are used for lining garbage cans and kitty poo from the litter box.

Seeing that plastic bags are made out of petroleum, I request paper bags whenever I can and recycle every one. Sometimes there is no choice and I am forced to use the plastic bags. I make sure those are recycled also.

I keep seeing so many people on Dave's site who are so environmentally conscious which is great. I am just a farm girl and we could never exist out in the country if I ever got too concerned.

I don't have trash pick up! I either have to take it to the dump or go visit a farmer friend who has their own dump. I know it sounds horrible but you do what you have to do. Don't think I don't get tired of carrying trash in my car every time I leave the house to dump it somewhere appropriate.

Jax4ever :D

I initially bought knit bags to take to the store, and then I worked out how much I paid for poop bags- frugality won out over my ecological conscience.

I use whatever they offer then I re-use or recycle whichever. They don't just get thrown out. I take most of the plastic to good will or salvation army. Paper bags make good storage containers for news papers. that I use in the garden between the rows of veggies under grass clippings, to keep the weeds from getting ahead of me. Then in the fall it all gets tilled under. makes for richer soil, for growing more veggies.

This message was edited Nov 12, 2007 8:39 PM

I ask for paper when I have a choice, but until cloth diapers, glass soda bottles, pyrex instead of plastic for leftovers, reusable glass milk bottles, etc come back in style (and that will never happen!!) it seems that we're destined to be a world with billions of square feet of plastic in land fills...ug!!!

I use plastic only because Wally World only offers those and it is easier to carry those up the stairs. I reuse the plastic bags for lining trash cans and for cleaning up small areas too. I prefer paper but none of the stores around here offer those anymore.

Trader Joe's and Fred Meyers (aka Kroger's) offer good sturdy bags. Freddie's has them on sale now for 50 cents, you can't beat that, and TJ's are just under a buck and they take a tad off the bill if you bring them with you to shop.