I Need A Plastic Bag Intervention
Last year when I started gardening, I discovered one of those plastic grocery bags while digging a hole for my plant. I have no idea how long it had been buried there, but I’ve lived in this house for almost 5 years and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t my buried bag. According to National Geographic, those plastic bags can take hundreds of years to decompose and when they finally do, they release tiny bits of toxins into the soil (or lakes or whereever the end up).
To keep these plastic bags from messing up the environment, we’re supposed to bring reusable bags to the grocery store. I never remember to do this and it’s one of the things I really hate about myself. The picture above is my broom closet. It’s the worst room in my house. In fact, when I told my boyfriend that I was planning to publish a picture of our broom closet on the Internet, he really freaked out. I don’t blame him - it’s horribly embarrassing.
Ever since I dug up that old plastic bag in the yard, buying groceries nearly sends me into a panic attack. I never think about the bags until I’m checking out and I hear that crackle of the plastic bag when the bagger snatches open the first one. Furthering my guilt, the bagger only puts 2-3 items in each bag and double-bags the milk. I stand there anxious, trying to prevent myself from lecturing the bagger about environmental issues because I realize that would make me look crazy, and mean. Then I load all forty million bags in my trunk cursing myself all the way home for not remembering the reusable grocery bags.
Once the bags come home with me, they go in the bag (broom) closet to be reused as bathroom trash bags and lunch bags and even though it doesn’t look like it, many of them go in the recycle bin. I hope the Green Gods appreciate that I have good intentions even though I’m forgetful.
Here’s a cool site that’ll tell you every horrible detail about the evil plastic bags, how you can take action against them and some cool reusable bags.
Do you BYO canvas grocery bags, or do you have a secret grocery bag closet?
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
There are several ways to assuage your angst over plastic bags.
1. Enlist your boyfriend to help you remember to bring a reusable bag.
2. Create a ‘plastic bag’ fine jar that you contribute to — it’ll provide incentive to remember.
3. Give yourself a break; you have two of the three points in the eco-triangle covered: reuse and recycle.
4. You’ve already accomplished the hardest part of changing any bad habit: awareness.
Hi Ed! Thanks for visiting my blog. I love all your suggestions but #1 will be virtually impossible considering I can hardly get the bf to give up the plastic cups. He says he doesnt trust the dishwasher so he buys those big huge bags of plastic red cups to drink from.
I really like the plastic bag fine jar idea!
Gina! thought you might be interested…
I really enjoy your “GREEN” blogs as I’m an avid I’ll keep coming back to check on your ideas.
Also here is the list for PROJECT #1…We will make a shopping bag…To go along with one of my other passions “Green living” Once you make one you’ll be able to mass produce them for yourself and as gifts for family, friends and neighbors.
For it you will need one meter or yard of light to medium weight of cotton denim (not stretch-denim) or a medium weight Poplin. 1 meter or yard will be enough. A spool of all purpose thread a matching color or contrast.
You will also need your basic sewing kit that we discussed a few days ago.
I’ll have the project with pictures and instructions posted here Tuesday morning.
[...] over at Sewing With Suzy read my post about needing a plastic bag intervention and offered to teach me how to make my own reusable shopping bag. I should stop right here to say [...]
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[...] http://thehatchet.net/going-green/2008/06/11/i-need-a-plastic-bag-intervention/#comments [...]
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