Ideal Bite

I just started using reusable tote bags for my groceries and other shopping trips. You can get some great reusable bags at www.Rejavanate.com. Not only do they eliminate the waste caused by plastic and paper bags but they are made from recycled burlap coffee bags, keeping tons of burlap waste out of our landfills AND the manufacturing process provides employment for individuals with developmental disabilities !!!! It’s a Win, Win, Win !!!

Now those are bags would spend the money on if I did not have so many at the moment. Zig

If your grocery store offers self-checkout lanes, that's a good way to bag your own groceries exactly how you want and avoid weird/annoyed looks from the cashier. I live someplace where using your own bags or going bagless is SO foreign that the looks I get are more than just "weird". You can actually see the look of "you freaky-un-American-hippie-liberal-scum" in people's eyes. I have yet to meet a single person at any store that was even remotely interested in my cotton bags. I continue to carry them anyway, though. On the subject of trash, we have to bag it where we live. We do have a compost bin and a recycle bin, but all regular trash gets bagged. We could put it in a big trash can, but the trash collectors will literally pick up and take EVERYTHING on your curb, including the can, so we'd have to use a new can every week. Dumb. :(

let them give you weird looks, atl least you know you are doing something nice for the world and not polluting it with unnecessary bags. ZIG

I'm so glad becoming earth friendly is now fashionable. I've used cloth bags from trader joe's since they 1st offered them close to 20 years ago. Ralps give 5 cent credit for every bag you bring in.

I wanted to make a couple of comments: I got into the business of providing reusable shopping bags back in 1989 because I too was getting "funny" looks when I refused paper or plastic bags...my kids were toddlers & I just always hung up the emptied shopping bags on the knob leading out to the car...then once, in the store I did NOT allow myself to get into the check-out line without going BACK out to the car! That only took twice! Now it's an ALWAYS habit. Another subject: polypropylene & nylon synthetic fabrics. Oil-based, non renewable and polluting in manufacturing. Will not compost. Bags that only last 1-3 yrs will STILL end up in the landfills and will NOT bio-degrade! Cotton is renewable and ORGANIC cotton is the best! We have customers who have used our bags for over 18 years! www.bags4you.com (selling to a store near you, we hope!) Marcelle Bakula, Owner SteppingStones, manufacturer of the EcoSac Shopping Bag System (canvas, string, shoulder, produce)

If more people used canvas bags or bags made from recycled materials we could keep a lot of plastics and other materials out of our landfills. Zig

Forgetting reusable bags seems to be sutch a huge problem for using reusable bags. I always have that problem weather its leaving them in my car or at home. I have a friend who has just designed a reusable bag thats designed to never be forgotten ( www.flipandtumble.com ). Thats because its very easy to compact and so small you can just keep it your purse all the time. I find because I have it all the time I use it at the drug store, clothing stores, where ever I buy anything.

Yes, I've seen several versions of the "NYLON" bag (Chico bags, flipandtumble) BUT their problem is that 1. they are made from nylon, not the cleanest manufacturing product AND from a non-renewable resource (this is just as bad as the CHEAP polypropylene bags; 2. they are not known to last all that long & will end up in the landfill (not recycled as opposed to cotton which often is) and 3. I don't need just one small bag, when shopping for a family, I need 4 large bags & 8-10 produce-type bags!!! I just keep all the bags in one! AND I only have to remember to simply put them on the doorknob leading to the car, and keep them in the car...

I agree with the poster about the ChicoBag (www.chicobags.com). I stumbled upon them at an event recently and didn't even know what they heck they were. Lo and behold, my reusable bag prayers were answered. They compact to such a small size and are so lightweight that I just keep one clipped to my keyring all the time so I never forget my bag and don't feel like I'm lugging bags around. Then when I saw all the fun colors they had, I started ordering them for friends and they took them on trips to Europe and such and said they were really handy. This year, I'm giving them out as stocking stuffers for the holidays. I say, GIVE GREEN for the holidays and all other events. That way, those who normally won't try or buy the stuff get exposed to it and then get hooked and seek out green solutions on their own. It's sharing the good stuff! Oh yeah, and I agree with the other poster. I don't care what anyone thinks about me bringing my own bag. In fact, I've been stopped more often than not to be complimented for doing so or asked from where I got my bags.