…as long as they’re reusable bags!
Plastic bags are made in hell (not really), and my pantry was overflowing with them. I knew I was committing an eco-crime by not bringing my own bags to the store, but you know, I like to live on the edge. After reading about how plastic bags are made from petroleum, aren’t biodegradable, are a threat to marine life, are a cause of pollution, yada yada yada, I had to reconsider my eco-criminal activity.
I’m a creature of convenience (read: lazy), and I don’t want to drag a bunch of cumbersome bags with me all the time. Then IKEA started charging for their plastic bags (which caused me to curse at the check-out line), and eventually got rid of them all together. Whole Foods got rid of their plastic bags (no surprise, the hippies
), and you even get a refund for each bag you reuse (10 cents per bag at my neighborhood store). San Francisco banned them across the board (more hippies
). I took that as my cue to find something that I would remember to bring with me, wouldn’t take up too much space in a purse or diaper bag, but could hold a lot of groceries or whatever junk I decide to tote around on any given day. I found a few contenders that fold up into their own little pouch:
BAGGU
Envirosax
Tucker Bags
Acme Bags
BAGGU, come on down! You’re the antidote to my plastic bag nightmare!
They come in a bunch of colors (I’m vain), and I can order them with my shoes
(did I mention I was a creature of convenience?). I’ve gotten curious looks and comments from baggers who were impressed with how much these joints can hold. They’re designed to hold the content of 2-3 regular grocery bags, up to about 25 pounds. I can usually get a week’s worth of groceries into 3 bags. I use them at the farmer’s market, the beach, Target, jewelry heists (joke). If they get gnarly, I just throw them in with the laundry and poof, good as new. I’m only human, so I do sometimes forget to fold down my bags and end up leaving them at home. My pantry isn’t totally exorcised 
of the plastic bag demons, but it’s much less hellacious in there.
DISCLAIMER: No hippies were harmed in the making of this blog post.
So Fresh and So Green 