Green grocery bags - do you?

[B'sgirl]

I use the plastic grocery bags for:

Garbage bags in the bathrooms or and small garbage can
To pound out chicken breasts for scallopini
Lunch bags
Poo bags for the dog
Wrap and tie a paint roller tray for easy cleanup. The handles wrap right around the little legs.
To give away excess tomatoes (lol)

I keep them in a drawer in my kitchen for easy access.

That's exactly what I use mine for! (Except the dog thing, I don't have a dog).

There's no way of knowing what you have to price the item in order to make a profit. Generally the rule is twice the cost of the items needed to make one bag, plus your time. Be realistic in your pricing and if the bag is a good quality and the design of the fabric is appealing I would pay up to $5.00. But that's me. Try asking different prices for bags that are different in the original cost. If they're well made they will last a very long time. You might want to sell them on a wholesale basis to specialty shops as well. I once owned a cat themed shop and we could have blown cat designed bags out the door. Same with my year round Christmas shop. I would love using bags with a Chirstmas pattern. Use your imagination and I hope you follow through.

I'm guessing the durable fabrics would cost around $4 or $5 a yard, and it will probably take close to a yard to make the bags, so it may not work out so well. I like the specialty shop idea though. People tend to be more willing to spend at those.

I've been using heavy-duty woven nylon-coated bags for almost 25 years. Bought them back in Maryland from our Giant Food grocery chain. Liked them so much, I made three more out of rip-stop nylon. All my bags are washable and none of them show any signs of wear. The rip-stop nylon ones fold up/ball up so small they can almost fit in my pocket.

As for the plastic ones the stores use, I save a few for the purposes already mentioned. The rest, plus any produce bags, bakery bags, frozen vegetable bags, etc. all go into the recycling bin.

Where did you find the rip-stop nylon? That sounds handy? I know I will have a hard time wanting to haul re-usable bags into the store with a car seat and a toddler. The thinner (but stronger) the better so I can just stuff them in a pocket or diaper bag.

 

[B'sgirl]

I noticed that at least here, the new reusable shopping bags now fold up nice and tight and have a snap on them. I didn't want to buy new ones so I used a little scrap fabric and velcro and made it so mine can fold up too--and I added a bit of "me" to them as well. This was much cheaper and easier than trying to make my own from scratch as well.

 

[SierraCook]

I use green grocery bags all the time. They are also handy for other things. I carry stuff to work in them. It does not matter to me if I take a Trader Joe's bag into Winco, Whole Foods, etc. They should just be happy that I am using them.

 

[lifesaver]

I've got 1 that is black, i got it free in the mail a couple of months ago but otherwise i've never actually seen them being sold anywhere.

 

[luvs]

i own a few, except i re-purpose plastic when i clean litter, & often buy too many groceries at once to fit into those. i think i own 4, at best. not enough, as i shop infrequently. maybe weekly.

 

[Kayelle]

Jeff, I don't know if you realize how old this thread is but I'll add to your post.

I soooo agree with using them, and I have them. I either fail to put them back into the car after I unload them, or if I put them back in the trunk I forget to take them into the store until I'm already inside. I need some kind of reminder system I guess.
When I see others using them I feel slightly guilty that I'm not because we sure don't need more plastic bags flying around.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I don't use them.

I like the plastic bags from the grocery store.

I use the plastic bags from the grocery for many purposes before they end up as my garbage bags.

I keep my eye peeled for a reusable grocery tote that I like the looks of, at a price I'm willing to pay. I don't like the idea of becoming a walking billboard for a large retail store so I will probably end up with a canvas "beach" bag or net bag when plastic bags finally disappear.

I'm still not sure how using a grocery tote and purchasing trash bags will help me or the environment!

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

Can I throw my penny in too?

When DH and I travel, I like to collect unique souvenirs.

Last year I started my collection of 'green bags' from different locations, National Parks, Landmarks, Monuments, etc.

I keep mine in the wheelwell of the CR-V along with a small softsided cooler, all are folded up and at the ready for any duty. Because of our location, most markets offer complimentary bags of ice with your frozen/cold items.

It's think neat-o to have these bags from the different Park;
the kids that work in the markets `round these parts always ask questions about each one.
My favorite bag has to from Wall Drug in Wall South Dakota.

 

[Mad Cook]

I have purchased 6 of those fabric bags for groceries because I'm tired of the constant build up of plastic bags, not to mention what this is doing to our landfills. Now, I'm wondering, how many of you have these bags too? They are the best idea to come along in a long time and they hold a lot of groceries. No more plastic for me. How about you?

For years I was a source of amusement when I went shopping with a wicker basket but now I'm suddenly very trendy! I have long been avoiding plastic carriers. I have those canvas shopping bags with a plastic lining that Tesco et al sell very cheaply. In fact I have quite a few around the house and in the car because I find them so useful about the house and in the car for knitting, books, laundry, stable stuff, cleaning materials, filling paperwork, sorting craft stuff, ....and, of course, for shopping.

On the rare occasions that I do get lumbered with plastic carriers I save them until I have a bag full and take them to the charity shop who are always desperate for bags and packaging.

The Northern Ireland and the Welsh governments have implemented a 5 pence tax on plastic carriers, Scotland will be doing so in October this year and England in October next year. And about time too.

 

[Mad Cook]

i own a few, except i re-purpose plastic when i clean litter, & often buy too many groceries at once to fit into those. i think i own 4, at best. not enough, as i shop infrequently. maybe weekly.

I keep a couple of collapsible plastic crates in the boot of the car for shopping expeditions as well as a supply of "bags for life" as they are called here.

 

[GotGarlic]

I don't use them.

I like the plastic bags from the grocery store.

I use the plastic bags from the grocery for many purposes before they end up as my garbage bags.

I keep my eye peeled for a reusable grocery tote that I like the looks of, at a price I'm willing to pay. I don't like the idea of becoming a walking billboard for a large retail store so I will probably end up with a canvas "beach" bag or net bag when plastic bags finally disappear.

I'm still not sure how using a grocery tote and purchasing trash bags will help me or the environment!

I responded to this several years ago, but here it is again DH goes to several conferences a year and gets nice canvas bags at each one, so I use those for shopping. DH doesn't, so we get plastic bags for cleaning litter when he does the shopping.

Aunt Bea, plastic grocery bags often end up in the oceans where marine life mistake them for food, eat them, then die from the bags blocking their digestive systems. More info here: http://water.epa.gov/type/oceb/marinedebris/md_impacts.cfm

 

[Aunt Bea]

I responded to this several years ago, but here it is again DH goes to several conferences a year and gets nice canvas bags at each one, so I use those for shopping.

Aunt Bea, plastic grocery bags often end up in the oceans where marine life mistake them for food, eat them, then die from the bags blocking their digestive systems. More info here: Marine Debris Impacts | Marine Debris | US EPA

IMO the grocery sacks are not the problem, people are the problem.

I'm fairly confident that none of my plastic grocery bags have ever ended up in the ocean.

The day will come when I have to switch to a reusable shopping tote and that is fine. I will still need to purchase small plastic trash bags so I do not see much of an improvement, just more expense for me and less expense for the grocers of the world. Maybe we need to do away with the trash bags as well as the shopping bags. That would be fine with me, I'm too cheap to generate much actual garbage.

 

[GotGarlic]

IMO the grocery sacks are not the problem, people are the problem.

I'm fairly confident that none of my plastic grocery bags have ever ended up in the ocean.

The day will come when I have to switch to a reusable shopping tote and that is fine. I will still need to purchase small plastic trash bags so I do not see much of an improvement, just more expense for me and less expense for the grocers of the world. Maybe we need to do away with the trash bags as well as the shopping bags. That would be fine with me, I'm too cheap to generate much actual garbage.

And since you can't change human nature, people will continue to misuse the bags and they will continue to damage the environment. But the bags themselves are a problem because they are petroleum-based and they don't disintegrate, but they do break down and release endocrine disruptors into the environment, which can cause mutations in animals, including people.

 

[Aunt Bea]

And since you can't change human nature, people will continue to misuse the bags and they will continue to damage the environment. But the bags themselves are a problem because they are petroleum-based and they don't disintegrate, but they do break down and release endocrine disruptors into the environment, which can cause mutations in animals, including people.

Like I said "Maybe we need to do away with the trash bags as well as the shopping bags. That would be fine with me, I'm too cheap to generate much actual garbage. "

Now if we could only convince your DH.

 

[Mad Cook]

I don't use them.

I like the plastic bags from the grocery store.

I use the plastic bags from the grocery for many purposes before they end up as my garbage bags.

I keep my eye peeled for a reusable grocery tote that I like the looks of, at a price I'm willing to pay. I don't like the idea of becoming a walking billboard for a large retail store so I will probably end up with a canvas "beach" bag or net bag when plastic bags finally disappear.

I'm still not sure how using a grocery tote and purchasing trash bags will help me or the environment!

Not as funny as you think. Apart from lasting for 1000 years in landfill or, worse, as litter in the streets, plastic carrier bags are a danger to animals, birds and fish, they can cause serious accidents when they blow around and scare horses and other animals and, apart from the longevity and the danger connected with them, they look a mess when they are cluttering up the streets and countryside.

-A friend's son had a bad accident last year when a plastic bag blew on to his windscreen, obscuring his vision while he was travelling at speed on the motorway.
-I went to get Horse in from the field one night and couldn't understand why he wouldn't come when I called him as usual. He just stood there looking helpless. When I got to him he had one foot stuck in the handles of a Tesco's plastic carrier bag and adjacent foot in the bag. Fortunately, he's a sensible old boy and stood still until he was rescued but a less steady horse might have panicked and hurt itself.
-My milkman lost one of his cows when she managed to eat a plastic carrier bag

I don't use trash bags. I use the (compulsory) biodegradable bags which the council provide for the food waste bin and anything that's messy and needs to go in the unrecylable bin I wrap in newspaper. I collect the cold water when running the shower to get the warm water through and use it to wash the recycling bins when they are emptied (and for watering my house plants). So no need for wasteful bin liners.

 

[GotGarlic]

Like I said "Maybe we need to do away with the trash bags as well as the shopping bags. That would be fine with me, I'm too cheap to generate much actual garbage. "

Now if we could only convince your DH.

I'm working on him

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

I have two cars, and in the trunk of each car I keep a short styrofoam cooler from Omaha Steaks. If I have frozen foods and I need to make another stop on the way home, the frozen stuff goes into the cooler.
Inside each cooler I store 5 cloth grocery bags that I have purchased form the various stores that I frequent, one insulated bag in each for refrigerated/frozen foods, and one compartmentalized burlap bag designed by Cost Plus World Market to carry 4 wine bottles. I take my own bags into every store in which I shop, except Target. Target still has the thick plastic bags that are perfect receptacles when I am cleaning my cats' litter boxes!

Now if I could only get the baggers to put the cold stuff in the insulated bags and the canned stuff and baked goods in the cloth bags I would be all set. It has gotten to the point where I will place the cold and frozen stuff into the insulated bag as I shop, hoping the baggers will get the idea. I have suggested to the management of my regular groshree store that they stop giving urine tests and start giving IQ tests, to no avail.

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=ztaMPVI5Hmsg.k6H6G4X75vWg

Many US cities have enacted plastic grocery bag bans ...

*note to self, when we go back to Hawaii, remember our reusables ...

 

[Kayelle]

Interesting map Kgirl !! It looks like most all of California is covered except my county. Strange.

The pins are absent in all of the southern states. Hmmm, I wonder why?

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

Hawaii Is First State to Ban Plastic Bags

" Shops will still provide plastic bags for bulk items such as meat, grains or fresh produce. "

... this doesn't make much sense to me