I was super stoked to happen up on this article about how San Francisco has banned the use of plastic shopping bags, as has a small town in Manitoba where failure to comply with the new regulations will result in a $1000 per day fine. In San Francisco, grocery stores will have 6 months to comply with the new regulations. The city legislator who introduced the bill, Ross Mirkarimi, said that up to 200 million plastic bags are used each year in the city of roughly 740,000 people. By cutting 100 million plastic bags a year the city will save 1.5 million litres of oil, and eliminate 4.2 million kilograms of carbon dioxide.
Awesome. I ALWAYS take my own bags grocery shopping. The checkout people groan when they see me coming when I do my big once a month grocery shop, cause my bags are harder to pack than the disposable ones which fit in their bag holders. I usually help them out with packing my own bags in order to speed things along.
I have three gigantic sturdy bags I made by sewing some nylon webbing to a cheap rag rug, and then sewing the sides of the rug together. I also have a bunch of canvas bags my dad bought me from Lee Valley, and I think they were $3 each. Safeway has reusable bags which are made from recycled plastic bags. They sell them at the customer service desk (but you can also ask for them at the checkout) two for $1. These won't last quite as long as the canvas ones, but they say they should last you at least 50 shopping trips. You can also buy more expensive but funky bags from BYOB, a Vancouver company that makes funky shopping bags out of organic cotton. They have cool designs and awesome slogans on them. I might be a sucker and pick one up for myself - I especially like their 'cheeky' bag. Which is now in the picture up a the top of the post, which I can't move or make go away.
So do your part, get yourself some reusable bags, and remember to take them with you shopping. Keep a couple in your car or backpack for those impromptu trips to the grocery store. I have a rule for myself where if I forget one, I either have to carry all of my stuff out with no bag, or I have to buy a reusable one.
3 comments:
Hey, that's my rule for my chai mugs! Which means I now have over a dozen mugs kicking around the house...
I bought myself a string bag from the kitchen shop on Gran Isle, and was happily hauling along inside my Astrosatchel.. but it started breaking within a couple days, not cool. So, bigger one on my list of things to make as I continue my exploration of netting knitting stitches!
Hm. That's interesting.
Awhile back, a couple of municipalities were trying to put a tax on plastic shopping bags. It was pretty much shot down, but I forget the reason why. It worked out to somewhere arount $0.05 for every $1.00 you spent (I think and I'm too lazy to google it now).
Quite honestly the hundreds and hundreds of shopping bags in my kitchen are enough to make me switch to canvas. It seems every time I go on vacation, I acquire a new one that's usually given to me and I don't use them except for shopping or for vacation. Like the BCAA one with the zip-top. I have a one day Vancouver one too that's similar to the safeway ones but seems sturdier for some reason.
Oh and I usually stick a few plastic bags in them in case I have stuff that'll melt, although I think maybe the One Day Vancouver one should be for that.
I have a ton of those canvas shopping sacks. They give them away free at every conference I attend, but I really have enough already. So if anyone needs a couple...
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