Ditch the plastic

As eco-friendly consumers we know that one of the biggest eco ‘sins’ is to use plastic carrier bags. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency in 2001 on U.S. plastic bag, sack, and wrap consumption, between 500 billion and a trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide each year!  That’s one million a MINUTE! Just think about that staggering fact for a minute, and within that minute imagine the plastic being produced and used for no reason at all when there are good alternatives. More stores are realizing the impact of the plastic bags they provide and offer a recycling service, usually a box just inside the store for consumers to put there old bags in, but currently it costs the State of California about $25 million each year just to take such bags to landfills!

Alternatives?
Why not consider paper instead? Well though it is a renewable resource, it still isn’t that good for the environment either considering that trees have to be cut down to produce them and even the ones made from recycled paper have processing to undergo. By for the most eco-friendly way to pack groceries is to get some reusable tote bags. These reusable totes are everywhere now, pretty much every supermarket and store is marketing their own reusable bags usually with their logo emblazened on the front. You can also get reusable bags online from sites such as Reusable Bags which are made with fully recycled products and/or organic cotton.

Want a free tote?
First check your own house! I know I found a collection of reusable totes from festivals and conventions. Remember the first R is to reduce, don’t buy something you don’t need when an item you already own does the job just fine! Sure I have totes that say “Karen Foster Design” and “World Fest 2004″ but you know what? The groceries never seem to care! After checking your own house, ask friends and neighbors and also ask on freecycle or craigslist. You’d be amazed at the amount of totes people seem to accumulate! Especially those individuals that attend conventions and trade shows! Sometimes stores run promotions to cash in on the ‘trend’ of reusable bags so check your local supermarkets, many offer a free bag if you purchase $X in groceries. One such store with this promotion is Fresh & Easy, if you sign up on their site you’ll receive a coupon for a free tote (like the one pictured above) when you spend $10 on groceries.

Ditch the plastic, and grab that canvas tote!

dalgal | My Bio & Articles