Which do you use?

[PJ]

Paper, plastic or cloth bags when you shop?

 

[Salty]

Paper, plastic or cloth bags when you shop?

I double bag my bags and put them inside 2 plastic bag for groceries. I have had some paper bags for over 10 years. I call them my energizer bags...

Salty

PS, I bag my own groceries also

 

[PJ]

Energizer bags ... :applause:
If it's strength you're going for, wouldn't it be easier to use cloth bags? :wavey:

 

[Salty]

Energizer bags ... :applause:
If it's strength you're going for, wouldn't it be easier to use cloth bags? :wavey:

Why throw away a good grocery bag - they have another good 10 - 15 years use left:thumbs:

 

[donnA]

I don't throw away plastic bags unless they rip open.

 

[annsni]

I use plastic when I forget my cloth bags. We do reuse the plastic as trash bag liners though. I just realized, though - my paper bag stash is getting small so it might be time to get a few more. I use them for shipping paper when I'm selling stuff online. I just shipped out 2 winter boy's coats and I wrap them first in a plastic bag then cut open a paper bag and use that to wrap it all. It works great and the post office is fine with it.

 

[PamelaK]

Right now I have one cloth bag that I take to Aldi's where we bag our own groceries. (They offer cloth and heavy duty plastic bags for sale) You can also grab your own cardboard boxes there from the grocery aisles to use and I do that and then recycle them.

Anywhere else I get the plastic bags and reuse them as trash bags in the house and "poopie" bags in my yard for the dog. If they're ripped when I unpack my groceries, I put them in the recycling.

 

[Alcott]

Plastic bags, which I also use for trash bags. I have not bought 'trash bags' for 3 or 4 years. And I still have plenty of plastic bags to take the Wal-Mart's recycle box.

 

[SaggyWoman]

Then I recycle, sort of, and use as trash bags.

 

[donnA]

You do know those plastic bags are recyclable, you just take them to any store with the recycle barrels, usually somewhere near the door, sometimes even outside. When we had a Winn Dixie they had a barrel. I've seen a few others, but don't recall where.

 

[SaggyWoman]

You do know those plastic bags are recyclable, you just take them to any store with the recycle barrels, usually somewhere near the door, sometimes even outside. When we had a Winn Dixie they had a barrel. I've seen a few others, but don't recall where.

A lot of those places recycle them out to the trash bin. I can do that, using my own trash, and not buying bags.

 

[donnA]

Apparently plastic grocery bags are actually being recycled, because you can buy products made from them. There just aren't enough places to recycle them at. Or rather to take to them to be recycled.

 

[I Am Blessed 24]

I carry cloth bags in the trunk of my car and use them all the time. I have grocer's double bag ice cream, meat, etc., in plastic before putting them in the cloth bags. These bags, I recycle in my many waste baskets.

There is not a lot of recycling going on with plastic bags because it costs a lot more to recycle them than it does to make new ones.

Their recycling bins = landfills.

 

[donnA]

putting them in the trash can is still putting them in a landfill. It's only true recycling if it's not going to the lanfill, but being used for somethng else.

 

[I Am Blessed 24]

That's true, but if they are not empty when you throw them in the trash bin, they don't fly around like they do when they have something in them, i.e. trash, etc., and kill animals and stop up sewerage plants, pollute rivers and all that yucky stuff.

 

[donnA]

Claims that plastic bags are not recycled are false.

These plastic feed stocks are derived from such raw materials as post-consumer milk jugs, grocery bags, plastic wrap, bubble rap, detergent bottles, and water bottles, and other used plastic commodities.

http://www.metrokc.gov/procure/green/plastic.htm

After all, plastic bags also can be recycled, and today are turned into such products as decks and fences. Plastic recycling is not yet as widespread as paper programs, but ever more companies and communities are participating

http://www.enviroaffairscouncil.org/blog/2008/04/corporate-green.html

made from recycled plastic bags

http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/bordered-pencil-case-from-recycled-plastic-bags

 

[donnA]

That's true, but if they are not empty when you throw them in the trash bin, they don't fly around like they do when they have something in them, i.e. trash, etc., and kill animals and stop up sewerage plants, pollute rivers and all that yucky stuff.

So you've never seen a plastic bag burst open. Especially when being moved around by the hugh machinery they use in landfill, which not only bursts the bag, but empties it too.
I've never seen anyone who believed putting something in the landfill = recycling.
I guess, under those guidelines, landfill = recycling, I recycle all my plastics and have for years.

 

[PJ]

One major downfall of plastic bags is the oil used in their construction. Very precious, expensive oil, oil that is mostly imported.

I agree with Sue that when plastic bags are tossed in the trash in bulk, they are much more likely to blow around like balloons. This happens all the time, and wildlife and sealife see the bags as food, eat them and die. And that's just one of many pitfalls of plastic bags.

Other countries are MUCH more frugal with plastic bags. C4K says Ireland was overrun with plastic bags about 4 years ago, so they began to charge for them. Each bag is roughly 30 US cents. C4K says the problem was solved, almost instantaneously.

We are such a spoiled country. We could ALL benefit by shopping with reusable cloth but if it's inconvenient, most are not interested. It's really scarey if you stop to think about how disposable we truly are!

 

[donnA]

I agree about the use of oil for plastics.
but I still say, if your putting it in the landfill it isn't recycled. This goes against the defination and purpose of recycling.

 

[Dan Todd]

Plastic - I reuse them when I clean the cat litter boxes!

We said we were not going to get any more cats - six was enough. We now have four more - a momma and her three kittens!

Ten cats - hard to believe!