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You get all the way to the store and realize you left your bags at home.
Or, you get into the store, do your shopping, and realize that you left the bags in the car (and it’s raining outside and you have 3 kids with you – are you really going to walk out to the car to get your bags?)
Or, you are carrying your bags with you and you start telling your kids “no” to every request they ask for while in line and before you know it, your stuff is bagged in plastic. Do you really ask the person to take your stuff out of plastic and put in your cloth bags when there is a long line behind you? Probaby not.
Or, you are carrying a cloth bag over your shoulder, start talking the cashier, pay, grab your plastic bag of items and walk out the store only to realize when you get to your car that you never used the bag on your shoulder (Yes – I have done this!).
Or, you give the cashier some cloth bags when you first get in line and they give “the look”. The look that says, “you seriously want me to use those bags?”
Or, the cashier actually starts to use your bags but is still in that mindset that only 2 or 3 items can be successfully put into a bag or it will break, so before they are even halfway done checking out your groceries, they have moved onto the plastic again.
These are just a few of the things that have happened to me that have made it hard to use my reusable bags. Here is what I have done to try to make it easier on myself to remember.
- Whenever there are offers for free reusable bags, I take them – you can never have too many!
- I stash bags everywhere in hoping that I will see them to trigger my mind to use them. There are a few in my trunk next to the baby stroller; there are a few on my front seat near my purse or diaper bag; there are even a few that fold up really tiny that I keep in my diaper bag or purse. My favorite I think is the Chico bag – it folds up so small so I always have it on me! This one is great for trips to the mall.
- I ask my 3 year old to remind me (and my husband) to use the reusable bags – and believe it or not – he remembers more times than we do!
- I offer to pack the bags myself at some stores where I know the cashiers are not the friendliest or most accomodating when it comes to bringing my own bags.
- When I am done unpacking my groceries at home, I leave the bags at the front door so I remember to bring back to the car the next time I go out.
- I sometimes write it down at the top of my grocery list to remember.
- If I forgot my bag and the store sells some at the check-out counter, I have bought a few news just to avoid the plastic. For a few extra dollars, there are times I think it is worth it. Like I said above, you can never have too many!
- If by chance I end up with some plastic, I either reuse it at home as a garbage bag (saves me money on buying garbage bags at the store) or I recycle them.
Here are some additional statistics about plastic bags that you can keep in the back of your mind to also help you remember to bring your reusable bags along and use them:
According to loveyourearth.org:
- Plastic bags are made of polyethylene which is a petroleum product. Production contributes to air pollution and energy consumption.
- It takes 1000 years for polyethylene bags to break down.
- It takes 1000 years for polyethylene bags to break down.
- Plastic bags don't biodegrade, they photdegrade- breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways. They then enter the foodweb when animals accidently ingest them.
According to envirosax.com:
- Approximately 380 billion plastic bags are used in the United States every year. That’s more than 1,200 bags per US resident, per year. Approximately 100 billion of the 380 billion are plastic shopping bags.
- An estimated 12 million barrels of oil is required to make that many plastic bags.
Does anyone have any other tips on how they remember to use their reusable grocery bags? I would love to hear them!
