In Praise of a Token Move
Plastic bags are a nice novelty if you don’t remember to bring a reusable bag with you everywhere you go, other than that, they are not the most effective means of transporting goods. At least any more. The newer reusable bags are light years beyond the plastic bag.
When the concept was first introduced, I was among the sceptics. After all, why would I want to pay 99-cents for a bag made from tarpaulin? Especially when plastic bags are given away for free. Of course, as time wore on, I found that the plastic bags were woefully inadequate for carrying heavier items like 2-L bottles of pop and would often break because they are made with cheap materials and cannot even hold a fraction of the quantity allowed by the reusable bags offered by my local grocery (in this case, Dominion).
Then came the day I broke down, after taking the advice of my parents, who had both already opted to use the reusable bags. I bought one. I didn’t know how many more I would need but one was a start. That number has since ballooned up to four, which I always bring with me when I do my groceries. The clerks are efficient at packing. At least they are at grocery stores.
Most people would happily migrate over if they could remember to bring the bags. Some stores are already aiding in that process. No Frills, Costco and Food Basics already do this. You are given the option of no bag or a box. Either way, they amongst all other major grocery and produce stores are offering the reusable bag.
Each of the four bags I have can carry up to the equivalent of about 4 regular bags of groceries or near 50 lbs. The same bags are also easier to carry and distributing the weight between the four is very easy. The handles are cloth as oppose to plastic and don’t eat into my skin like the plastic bag handles did.
After having used these bags for almost a year I am a hardcore convert and I can’t bring myself to take the plastic bags from the grocery, and the only plastic bags I’m using in my house these days are the green garbage bags and we’re throwing out maybe one of those a week if that.
It’s not that much of a leap. It’s a small sacrifice, if it can even be considered that. It’s nothing. It’s one of the easiest ways to do something for the environment as a consumer even if the companies are going to be socially irresponsible by using excessive packaging for products that don’t require it. We as consumers can lessen the impact by making the switch from plastic to reusable.
