San Francisco made national news by banning plastic bags recently. Rwanda, Bangladesh, and several other countries have also banned single-use non biodegradable bags. As a nation that uses billions of these bags annually this seems extremely daunting to most Americans.
However, making a replacement is a simple baby step. Most likely you have reusable grocery bags at home but frequently forget to use them and end up with a pile of plastic bags like this one:
The challenge for this week is simple- sort through your reusable bags and donate any you don’t like then stick the ones you do like in your car. If you don’t have any ask at your local health food store if they have any freebies- many stores have promotional bags they give away for free. Personally I love bags that stuff into themselves. I can fit 3 or 4 of these in my purse and am good to go whenever I go shopping. That’s all- just use your bags!
Bonus- many bags can be composted or recycled when they’re spent.
Want to take it one step farther? Look for certified compostable trash bags for your garbage can (which is hopefully getting less use as you follow along this challenge with us!) What to do with all those plastic grocery bags? Most major grocery and big box stores have a recycling bin for them.
As always, feel free to email me at blog@keeper.com and let me know in the comments if you’re going to pledge to use reusable bags!
Keeping it easy for you this week!
~Olivia
Make sure to enter below for a free Keeper or Moon Cup of your choice! We’ll pick the winner on March 31st and will do a new raffle every month of 2015
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Olivia lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband and 4 year old son. She enjoys spending time in the mountains, studying about essential oils, natural remedies and herbs, as well as upcycling/ DIY projects. Olivia’s family made the move last year towards becoming a Zero Waste household. They have gotten down to one bathroom sized trashcan a month of garbage but hope to be totally Zero Waste by the end of 2015.
Giveaway rules: Giveaway ends March 31st, 2015 at 10pm EST. Entries will be accepted until 10pm EST via the Rafflecopter widget. Winner will be notified via email and winner will be posted on our Facebook page. Winner shall choose either a Keeper or a Moon cup in either size A or size B. The winner will have one week to claim prize at which point a new winner shall be chosen.
Like this? Check out the rest of our Waste Less and Be Green in 2015 series for more tips!
I really like the ShopRite reusable bags. They have really nice pictures on them. They’re really durable. They are thick and can hold a lot of weight.
Just wish that they were more memorable and easier to take with me to the store. I usually forget them.
Hi Roseanne- Remembering the bags always seems to be the biggest hindrance to using them doesn’t it?? Try hanging them on a hook by your door of putting them in the car. ~Olivia
So excited to try several of these ideas from the Waste Less & Be Green in 2015 Challenge. We use reusable bags all the time, but I often forget them if I’m having to run into the store for an unexpected purchase. This post reminded me that I have a couple bags that fold down super small that will easily fit in my purse! Definitely going to add that to my conscientious habits list that I’m trying to work on – just little things that if I make a minimal effort to remember will make a big difference. Might pick up a couple more of them too and make a note to go in my car since I have a toddler and will have a baby soon. Always good to have extra reminders. Thanks again! So excited that I found this blog.
Hi Jessica! I’m so happy you’re enjoying the series. Stick with us all year- we’ve got lots of great tips coming still too. Another great place to keep the smaller bags is in the glovebox or the pocket on the back of your seat. Congratulations on your upcoming baby 🙂
~Olivia
Target’s reusable bags are my favorite. I like the little bulls eyes all over them and they are a bright red 🙂
My favorite resuable bags are from IKEA. We bought two for less than $1 each. They fold into a little pocket, so I carry one with me all of the time. I live in a county that charges $.10 for a plastic bag, so I receive positive reinforcement every time I pull the small bag out of my purse.
I am enjoying the series. My husband likes to crochet the bags into more permanent reusable bags. We agree that compost-able reusable is the way to go, but in the meantime, we have found ways to re-purpose the plastic ones that we do get from time to time.
See images of the handbags on google at:
https://www.google.com/search?q=plarn+crochet+handbag&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=xyoUVYT_J63-sATi5oLgCA&ved=0CB4QsAQ&biw=1366&bih=627
What a fun idea! Thanks for sharing that with us Mayda!
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