Monday, July 7, 2008

Plastic bags

Someone sent me the following link in an email titled “Paper, Plastic, Neither?”

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080506/MULTIMEDIA02/80505016

As I watched the slideshow the link took me to I started to think about my plastic bag consumption. I have purchased cloth bags and was using them frequently although sometimes I would forget. I decided that each time I forgot to take my cloth bags into the grocery store I would purchase new cloth bags. After all, they’re only $1.00 a piece and I’m confident that if I continue purchasing cloth bags each time I forget them that eventually I would have so many that it would be difficult to forget to take them shopping with me. I don’t think I’ve since forgot to take my cloth bags while grocery shopping.

On a trip to a local department store I was surprised that I was leaving with yet another plastic bag. It dawned on me that not only do I have to take my cloth bags grocery shopping but I have to take them each and every time I got to a store of any kind. It’s just a shame that department stores don’t sell cloth bags near the checkout line as do most grocery stores.

I’m now known as the guy that doesn’t want a bag. The local liquor store doesn’t even ask me anymore. I will occasionally pick up a 6-pack at the bar around the corner from my house and I still find it amusing when I hear the bartenders say “oh, that’s right, no bag”. I went camping this weekend and stopped at the deli around the corner to pick up some hamburger rolls, paper towels, tuna salad, a big bag of charcoal and one or two other items. As I was leaving the store juggling everything in my arms the woman behind the counter asked “are you sure you don’t need a bag?” I assured her that I was.

Although I’m pleased that my contribution to the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” is reduced (see these links if you’d like to know more http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/19/SS6JS8RH0.DTL&hw=pacific+patch&sn=001&sc=1000; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch) I still need to find a way to dispose of kitty litter. Since my stockpile of plastic bags has diminished and will no longer be replenished I have to find something to put cat waste in. I’ll post my solution when I find one.

2 comments:

kittykat said...

I have the same problem with forgetting my bags when I go to the store. And I am also the ass who will carry out 10 things in my hands rather than take a bag.

A few problems so far:
(Maybe you wrote about this already and I missed it) But what do you do with trash that can't be thrown out? Do you not use bags at all?

Also, where do you put your fresh fruits/veggies? I think some sort of bag with compartments would be great for that. It's just so hard to check out if you've got loose fruits and veggies in a bag.

snu said...

Sneakekat, we meet again. OK, I'm not sure what you mean by trash that can't be thrown out. Technically speaking all trash can get thrown out but there are many things we shouldn't throw out. For those things that should never make their way into a land fill I put them in a box and wait until it's full. Once it is I take it to my local facility for disposing of things that should never see a land fill. They dispose of those items in a responsible fashion. I'm fortunate that my town has a center close to my home and since I live in the township there is great availability to dispose of things responsibly.

As for the bag question...yes, I do use bags. If I'm buying produce that is wet I will likely use one of those bags on the roll. As for the bags at the checkout counter...NO! I put all of my fruits and veggies in my cloth bag. Since I wash them anyway it's not a problem for them to touch the rest of my groceries. It's a good idea to scan them last though so they end up at the top of the bag.

I must say, I'm a little surprised to find out that you are so ecco friendly. I expect to be posting about my portable solar panels soon so I'm interested to find out if you have any questions regarding them.

I hope that I've answered all of your questions but if not feel free to leave another comment.