Alternatives to plastic bags

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Something mentioned in another thread got me thinking.

What do other people use? My mother always has a huge number of plastic bags. I rarely have any. 7 or 8 years ago I came across Onya bags at a Kate Rusby concert (yorkshire folk singer).

These bags are amazingly strong and large, but pack away really small.

We took one away with us when we sold everything and went off to cycle around the world and there was not a country where people were not amazed by the bag. Once we got home, we purchased another 5 of them which we now use for our weekly shop.
In addition we also use their vegetable bags (weight bags) which we put all of our veg into at the supermarket and store in them at home in the cupboards or fridge. When they are dirty they go through the washing machine as normal. No supermarket has ever objected to us using them instead of the plastic veg bags that are usually provided (or not as is normally the case!)

 

[woot223]

I have a bunch of environmentally friendly bags that would quickly decompose if I dropped them somewhere. They are pretty strong even though they feel like they're made from some cardboard-like material. They aren't harmful to the environment which is a huge plus and look just like your regular shopping bag.

 

[clairebeautiful]

I love these things.

I use re-usable bags at the grocery store, and most often, I just put my veggies right in the cart without a bag. No objections to that either at my stores. On the occasions where I find myself shopping without my bags, I most often get paper over plastic because it doubles as a recycling bag in my kitchen. Plastic bags get re-used as garbage bags in the bathrooms.

I hate the waste in America, and I admit I'm not doing a lot to curb it, but I at least try to reduce and re-use when possible.

 

[MyDigitalpoint]

Most of my plastic bags come from the stores where I buy merchandise and groceries, and most of them are used to dispose trash or temporary hold vegetables , fruits or other items.

Technically speaking, these bags are not longer 100% plastic, but made of a biodegrable poly paper, which is a treated heavy duty coated material, which are a more environmental friendly alternative.

In the beginning I opted to take with me a bag made of a special eco-friendly fabric, but today I see stores are making the great business selling these bags at gold price, so I refrained from using them.

Ultimately, at many supermarkets you can also receive cardboard boxes to carry your shopping and these serve to store items as well, besides being 100% eco-friendly

 

[pipps]

I love those reusable bags, they look fantastic! My family use lots of plastic bags but I know that when I do my own shopping things will be very different. Not only are these bags better for the environment but they are also a lot better to use! I often carry shopping in the plastic ones and they snap with only one 2 litre bottle in them. So I will definitely be switching to the long term bags in the future