Think about every time you go out to the grocery store or purchase a new outfit, those items have to go into a bag, nine chances out of ten that bag is plastic.
Those plastic bags really do add up, the average family in the United States uses 1,5000 plastic bags [1]. Most of those plastic bags will not be recycled into other items, they will end up in the ocean filling the stomachs of sea turtles and killing other marine animals.
The ones that don’t end up in the ocean end up in the landfill, taking almost 500 years to decompose [1]. So that Targe trip you went on this afternoon will stick around for 500 years, your great great great grandkids will be able to see them.
It’s time to be the change, and make the switch to reusable bags!
Reusable bags are not expensive, which is great, they normally cost between 50¢ to $10.00, depending on the material, size, and durability. Also, a lot of festivals and stores do provide free reusable bags.
The best part a lot of places provide a discount on bringing your own bags [2]! That means more money in your pocket, in the long run, those bags will pay for themselves.
Worried you won’t remember your reusable bags or you’ll forget your bags? Here are a couple of tips on how you can get better at using your reusable bags:
- Keep your reusable bags in your car, place them all in a larger reusable bag. This keeps them organized and easy to car into the store.
- Once you empty your reusable bags hang them on the door handle of your existing door. That way when you leave you can put them back in your trunk.
- When you forget your reusable bags in your trunk place your items back in your cart and fill them when you get back to your cart. Eventually, you’ll do this enough times you’ll remember your reusable bags.
In the end you may have to use a plastic bag or two, make sure you recycle them or find a dropoff location. Plastic Film Recycling has a zip code locator that will tell you the closest place to drop off your plastic bags [3].
Share photos of your cool reusable bags, @YourMomEatsMayo. Drop comments below on how you are going zero waste.