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For urbanites without cars and transpo by walking, bike, scooter, bus, or subway, using plastic bag alternatives that do not fold up easily such as crates, boxes, coolers does not work.
We used to live about half a mile from a grocery store, so for many trips I'd just walk. As a pedestrian I certainly don't want to be lugging around bags of any sort. I took a backpack with me to carry the food home.
My county is implementing a new five cents per plastic bag tax beginning January 1. Politics aside, the local government has morphed into some policies I do not morally support, my question is do local grocers allow consumers reuse plastic bags they previously purchased before and/or elsewhere? I am fortunate as I live within a 5-10 minute drive depending on traffic lights of the adjacent county, politics not quite as bad, which has no near future plans to implement a plastic bag tax and already do about 50% of my shopping there. If I take a competitor's bags of a different color say tan/brown vs white in the store in the county which live in uses, will they have a problem using allowing customers using these plastic bags? This way avoid alleged charges of shoplifting. Like to hear from those anywhere in the USA already in such a situation with a plastic bag tax. I sense this less of a problem at self checkout which use say 2/3 of the time than at full service checkout. In particular, interested in policies by Giant Food/Stop and Shop, Harris Teeter/Kroger, Walmart, Dollar Tree, and Safeway/Albertsons but add other stores policies to benefit others in this forum. I am already stockpiling plastic bags to save for future purchases in 2022 to avoid the tax.
Problem with mesh and cloth bags is time and maintenance wasting water washing these bags so environmentally still an issue with phosphates, etc. going down the drain into streams.
I've always found this to be a bizarre criticism of reusable cloth bags. I wash four loads of laundry a week: sheets, towels, lights, and darks. My reusable bags go in with either the sheets or the towels. So how is there extra water and detergent waste?
Pro-tip: Use a phosphate-free laundry detergent and dry your clothes and household linens on an outdoor line.
I've always found this to be a bizarre criticism of reusable cloth bags. I wash four loads of laundry a week: sheets, towels, lights, and darks. My reusable bags go in with either the sheets or the towels. So how is there extra water and detergent waste?
Pro-tip: Use a phosphate-free laundry detergent and dry your clothes and household linens on an outdoor line.
For one person, do laundry less frequently, so bag washing be in the sink separately. And outdoor line idea does not work for apartment dwellers and many HOAs frown on clothes lines in some places.
If you have the right set of life circumstances, your ideas work, but not for everyone.
I can't even imagine putting the loose cans, bags, and bottles back in the cart, and then moving them again to a plastic bin or tote in the car. I don't see how that's time efficient -- at all. At least the would not be for me.
I take my reusable cloth or coated cloth bags and insulated totes to the grocery store, pack them while the groceries are being rung up, pay, and I'm on my way.
Let's say I bought a decent amount of stuff. No where near a super haul. But enough that a person would need four bags to carry it all: 8 cans of beans, 3 bags of frozen vegetables, two bottles each of balsamic vinegar, rice wine vinegar, olive oil, and salad dressing, four packs of frozen fish, and all kinds of produce, and four gallons of water. four packages of prunes, two jars of spaghetti sauce, and four packs of some kind of various pastas.
Why one earth would I put all those loose things BACK into my cart, only to put them in a plastic bin in the car? That's already not time efficient. IF the food had been put into four cloth or insulated totes, I'd lift those totes from the cart to the car.....AND....
...when I get home because the bags have handles and I could carry some in my hand and others over my shoulder, I can take all four bags in the house in ONE trip. If on the other hand, you put all that in a plastic bin -- first of all it's too heavy to carry. in one trip. 1) carrying groceries in a plastic bin is not back friendly -- and 2) if you put so few groceries in the bin that it's light enough to carry, and put the other groceries in tote bags -- that means at least TWO trips from the car into the house.
BUT if that works for some people -- more power to them.
I can't even imagine putting the loose cans, bags, and bottles back in the cart, and then moving them again to a plastic bin or tote in the car. I don't see how that's time efficient -- at all. At least the would not be for me.
I take my reusable cloth or coated cloth bags and insulated totes to the grocery store, pack them while the groceries are being rung up, pay, and I'm on my way.
Maybe they shop at a store that has baggers and they aren't the ones putting them back in the cart? But I agree with you. I'd just bring my bags or boxes into the store so they can be put directly into them after ringing up. In fact, you can fill them as you shop then just lift a few bags or boxes onto the conveyor for the cashier rather than dozens of individual items and be even more efficient.
I can't even imagine putting the loose cans, bags, and bottles back in the cart, and then moving them again to a plastic bin or tote in the car. I don't see how that's time efficient -- at all. At least the would not be for me.
I take my reusable cloth or coated cloth bags and insulated totes to the grocery store, pack them while the groceries are being rung up, pay, and I'm on my way.
Let's say I bought a decent amount of stuff. No where near a super haul. But enough that a person would need four bags to carry it all: 8 cans of beans, 3 bags of frozen vegetables, two bottles each of balsamic vinegar, rice wine vinegar, olive oil, and salad dressing, four packs of frozen fish, and all kinds of produce, and four gallons of water. four packages of prunes, two jars of spaghetti sauce, and four packs of some kind of various pastas.
Why one earth would I put all those loose things BACK into my cart, only to put them in a plastic bin in the car? That's already not time efficient. IF the food had been put into four cloth or insulated totes, I'd lift those totes from the cart to the car.....AND....
...when I get home because the bags have handles and I could carry some in my hand and others over my shoulder, I can take all four bags in the house in ONE trip. If on the other hand, you put all that in a plastic bin -- first of all it's too heavy to carry. in one trip. 1) carrying groceries in a plastic bin is not back friendly -- and 2) if you put so few groceries in the bin that it's light enough to carry, and put the other groceries in tote bags -- that means at least TWO trips from the car into the house.
BUT if that works for some people -- more power to them.
You have obviously never been to an Aldi's. The cashier scans and tosses into the previous shopper's cart, and most people then stand at a counter transferring their goods to bags.
A properly sized picnic cooler with two handles IS an easy transfer from car to house for some of us, unless in a third floor walk up.
I live in the country. There is no such thing as a five minute trip to the store for two bags of groceries - unless I want to waste hours and pay for extra gas.
You have obviously never been to an Aldi's. The cashier scans and tosses into the previous shopper's cart, and most people then stand at a counter transferring their goods to bags.
A properly sized picnic cooler with two handles IS an easy transfer from car to house for some of us, unless in a third floor walk up.
.......
1) I have been to Aldi's like three times in my lifetime. But I don't really like it or shop there.
2) Can you get two weeks or more of groceries in a picnic cooler that you can lift and carry into the house in one trip?
When I think plastic bin I envisioned the grey/clear plastic bins that are 3 feet long by 2 feet high -- like one would you for garage or shed storage.
If you can fill that up with groceries -- with the weight of canned/bottled goods, and other items -- heck or even just full of meat and produce -- and carry that into the house more power to you.
1) I have been to Aldi's like three times in my lifetime. But I don't really like it or shop there.
2) Can you get two weeks or more of groceries in a picnic cooler that you can lift and carry into the house in one trip?
When I think plastic bin I envisioned the grey/clear plastic bins that are 3 feet long by 2 feet high -- like one would you for garage or shed storage.
If you can fill that up with groceries -- with the weight of canned/bottled goods, and other items -- heck or even just full of meat and produce -- and carry that into the house more power to you.
So use two coolers or smaller plastic bins, like about the size of milk crates. But if your totes are large enough and strong enough, that works too. Just about anything beats trying to loop your fingers through the handles of a dozen flimsy plastic bags.
I've been using reusable bags most of my adult life. I would think using bags that were designed to be reused to be a lot more practical than trying to reuse ones that weren't. Getting into the habit of carrying bags with you is the biggest adjustment. Two to three bags will hold a lot of groceries. They also take up about the same amount of room in the wash as 2-3 t-shirts. As someone else mentioned, you can throw a bag or two into each load of laundry & then I just hang them on a clothes hanger and let them air dry on the shower rod. I use phosphate free detergent, so that argument doesn't apply. I usually get meat and produce in plastic and then reuse those bags for the kitty litter box.
If you reuse the single use ones, you are going to run into the same sanitary issues with any bag reuse. They don't hold a lot, but I imagine if you are willing to bag your own groceries, stores won't care if you bring them in. Getting two uses out of a single use bag is a lot more environmentally friendly than 12 uses out of a reusable one from an environmental footprint point of view. The city near me had a single use bag ban in affect for about 5 years or so before the state overruled it. The largest grocery chain around here never brought their single use bags back. Those that don't like it shop outside the city limits. My husband can never remember to bring bags in, so he loads groceries back into the cart & then loads them into the bags in the truck of his car if he's at a store that doesn't provide bags. People bring in reusable bags from other stores is pretty normal here, but I've never seen anyone try and reuse single use ones.
As for bins/coolers (with no handles or handles cut out of the sides) -- vs -- tote bags....
...it's about the weight distribution and ergonomics of carrying that weight.
Which is easier on the body to carry?:
-- a tote bag with a gallon of milk in each bag? or a box with two gallons of milk inside carried in your arms in front of you?
-- two gallons of paint with one in each hand carried at your side -- or both gallons in a bin in front of you?
-- Even weight distribution in bags, arms at your sides?
-- OR.... ALL the weight carried in front of you putting strain on your back, and perhaps the person needing to look to the side to see where they're walking or where a step is because the bin/box is blocking the sight path?
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