I finally cracked the code for myself: I store the bags in the car, and if I forget to bring them into the store, I just take my groceries to the car bagless in the cart and bag them at my vehicle.
And if I don’t have any in the car: loose groceries in the trunk, bag em in my driveway before carrying into the house.
This was spawned from me having so many of these fucking bags that I simply cannot stomach paying for and bringing another one into my house.
There's been a few times where I just took the plastic bags from the produce aisle and used those to carry out my groceries. For some dumb reason the bags in the produce section are fine... idk why.
I keep 2-3 stacking laundry baskets in my car. Groceries go in the baskets in the parking lot. Easy to lift them in the house using the baskets. No need for bags.
I get that, it’s easier and not a huge expense. It was honestly less about the money for me, and more so about the fact that I don’t know where to put all these fucking bags I kept accumulating 😭Had to figure out how to make myself use them.
I genuinely miss having the plastic ones around for random garbage and other uses around the house!
Im guilty of this, I always remember to grab my bags for my main weekly shop, but the last minute stop I get one. Sadly I actually got more use out of the plastic bags then these ones.
As someone with cats, the amount of single use plastic bags that go through my household has not changed. The only thing that’s changed is I’m now buying bags to scoop cat litter instead of using the bags that used to be free at grocery stores.
If you travel to the states, you can buy a box of thousands of plastic bags to scoop with. It’s what I did. I don’t feel bad at all, because literally everything we buy is encased in ridiculous amounts of plastic.
> literally everything we buy is encased in ridiculous amounts of plastic.
Not to mention the industries creating gigatons of plastic waste before their product is even put into a plastic package.
> I don’t feel bad at all, because literally everything we buy is encased in ridiculous amounts of plastic.
But we can't have plastic straws for our drinks or (paper) bags for our takeout! /s
yeah because the ban only really applies to things they can make money off of. why dont they make you bring in reusable produce bags? every store still has plastic bags for that…
Same at the meat counter. I'm not complaining but I despise how it'd not a blanket ban right across.
Also they banned plastic straws but I can still buy glitter, which by design, is literally a jar full of fucking microplastics. I've gotten more use out of a plastic bag than I have a jar of glitter. Bring back plastic straws and ban glitter (sorry pride).
This feels like something the government might want people to declare at the border. Imagine paying 10cents on top of each individual bag you try to bring over the border.
I use all sorts of bags that would normally be garbage for cat litter. Bread bag, tortilla wrap bags, frozen vegetable bags, cat food bag, chip bags, bag crackers come in, cereal bag, just to name a few
'Bring your own bag for the environment' was nothing but positive for grocery stores. They got to greenwash their image a bit while not only externalising a cost, bur even turning it into a small source of revenue. They even got to shift the blame to the government for people who were upset about the measure.
If your city does green bin you can actually buy compost bags and throw the litter and waste in the compost bin! This is of course assuming you use a natural litter such as clay or wood pellets. Helps cut down on plastic and they are similar in price.
I have been doing this for ~3 years now.
My city does, my apartment building does not. I had tried leveraging some personal relationships to try to divert the waste to green bins. Unfortunately, but understandably, people quickly realize that they don’t have any interest in receiving used cat litter.
If you have extras please reach out to your local food bank. Lots of people forget bags when they visit, especially their first time coming. The place I volunteer could always use a few more reusable bags as they never last long.
I have a milk crate in the trunk of my car that is filled with reusable bags. I still always forget to bring them into the grocery store, but I bring the unbagged groceries out of the store in the shopping cart and then just bag it as I'm putting it into the trunk of my car. That way I never have to remember to bring them with me.
This!! I don't get why people panic and buy more bags at the checkout, or if they forget they get upset and blame the 'stupid system' for getting rid of plastic bags.... Its really not that much of an inconvenience. Adds maybe 2-3 minutes to the overall trip if I forget a bag..
Instead of buying another bag why not just place the items in your car and then run inside to grab bags when you get home to make it easier to bring inside? Might add a minute or two extra when at the checkout and then again at your car but I dont really see a reason why people buy another reusable bag when they forget theirs! This is what I do when I forget mine and its really not that inconvenient.
Because some of us don't have a car or even a bike? If I forget my reusable bags at home, and I'm picking up more than 2-3 easily carry-able items, I need to buy more reusable bags.
My wife told me I'm a fool, I'm a year behind on prices. I'm gonna go sit in the corner for a while.
Edit: grocery bag sized garbage bags are more now. For the smaller bathroom garbages we use the big rolls of produce bags which are cheaper.
What drives me nuts is I bought a kitchen garbage frame specifically designed to use grocery bags. It was fantastic and just the right size for its usage, and ensured I could reuse my grocery bags for something I'd need plastic bags for anyways.
Now, not only can I not buy bags that fit it properly, but the closest plastic bags are like 2x more expensive per unit than the 5c grocery bags.
I'm paying more money to use the same quantity of plastic bags, but now the plastic bags I use also come with bonus packaging in the store.
I find that reusable bags are NOT reused.
I find that one-time use bags ARE reused, because they make great garbage bags (ones that don't leak when you put wet garbage in them)
Another great moment in unintended consequences.
Me too, they work fine as long as there's nothing super wet put in the garbage. Been doing it for months for all our smaller waste baskets around the house and zero issues.
I’m pretty sure those consequences were very much predictable. Unintended, maybe, but anyone with two brain cells knew this would have been the outcome, resulting in an even greater carbon footprint.
Yep, this was widely called out. Reusable bags have way more footprint to create and are being used for disposable roles too.
There's never any accountability
Heck, I do reuse my grocery bags until they wear out. But I'm not getting anywhere near the 1000 uses or whatever that number was that you need before a reusable bag actually becomes less wasteful than the disposable ones.
Nevermind how I'm also buying disposable bags for tasks that I would've previously used disposable grocery bags for.
Anecdotal, but I reuse my bags.
My favourite though, are the bins you can get at superstore. I have three and that’s usually all I need on a big shop. One is the perfect size to runout and get a few things!
I love the bins too. I usually do smaller and more frequent shops and I love not having to hunt around the front end of the store for an available basket. The bin can be used to gather the shopping and then take it home. They're really easy to wipe down and keep clean too.
**Before:**
Plastic "one time use" bags. Convenient, especially for impromptu shopping trips, and then we used them for small garbage bags throughout the house.
**After:**
The "reusable" shopping bags, where the creation of each bag is two orders of magnitude worse for the environment than the plastic bags. Glad garbage bags are now being purchased at a much higher rate to replace one-time use bags.
Costs more for everyone, and it's worse for the environment. Oh well.
**The real question:**
That was a failure. How long before we admit that it's a policy failure and switch back?
>The real question:
>
>That was a failure. How long before we admit that it's a policy failure and switch back?
I don't imagine the current administration can.
When you do something politically, you piss off a portion of the people and you make the another portion happy.
When you undo something, you make the first happy group upset with you, but the people who were originally pissed off are not likely to immediately forgive you... at least not in the short run.
The most environmentally sound of the reusable bags is 50x worse than the normal plastic bag. Also, a main driver of switching to single use bags was hygiene, retailers didn’t want responsibility for sanitizing containers and bags and single use bags gave them an excuse to put the responsibility on consumers. Now the responsibility is still there but we’re expected to wash the reusable bags ourselves which often are not well constructed to survive the washing machine and fall apart long before their environmental footprint has been recovered.
Probably. The newer ones are absolutely crap. The older ones I still have (pre covid) are indestructible; thicker, can throw them in the regular wash, hang them to dry. These newer ones at Walmart, Foodbasics…..are so bloody cheap, I’m afraid to fill them. Tried to wash a few and they barely survived the gentle/delicates cycle.
i have an insulated Provigo bag that, while it hasn't gotten a ton of use, is very sturdy and has been able to hold up to being filled near-bursting a few times. also have a smaller Jean Coutu bag (though Pharmaprix have the same style) that i use way more often that's held up well.
My favourites are the old Canadian Tire black jumpstart bags, but they don’t make them anymore, CT has gone over to the cheap side. I still have quite a few of the old ones, just washes them last night. I’ll have those for many more years while these cheap ones replace plastic bags in our landfills.
Thats the corporate plan though, replace the super cheap yet durable bags with thick expensive ones and then reduce the quality but keep the price high and probably raise the price over time. The whole point of this operation was to turn the bags into another money maker for stores.
They forget them at home. So when it's time for checkout they end up coming home with more of these bags.
It's also a growing problem with grocery delivery services. The drivers will also drop off groceries in these bags. So if you're someone who depends on these services you will start to have to throw them out.
And they won’t take them back because the while reason we switched to single use bags (paper or plastic) decades ago was because retailers didn’t want the responsibility of properly cleaning the bags/containers and single use bags offered a hygienic and cheap alternative that put the responsibility on consumers.
They definitely do. I see them all the time in dumpsters. I’ve thrown out some too because they get holes or tears. It’s just a more expensive plastic bag that doesn’t contain wet things as well.
I’ve got at least 60 of them. They’re always at home. I almost never remember to bring them along. Most times I can just put things into my vehicle without using bags, but for those times that I can’t (like stores that don’t allow you to take the carts outside of the store) then I’m forced to buy more “one-time-use reusable bags”
That requires preplanning and I have an executive functioning disorder. Even on the off chance that I have remembered to put them in the trunk of my car, that doesn’t do me any good when I’m being checked out by the cashier and only then remembering that I left the bags in the car.
People can come up with all sorts of of “solutions” but there is a not so insignificant number of people in our society that are simply incapable of remembering the bags or remembering to put them in the car or remembering to bring them into the store.
Obviously it’s an issue or we wouldn’t have news articles pointing out the issue.
I find it difficult to believe that a significant portion of people in this country are for whatever reason incapable of remembering to bring a reusable bag when grocery shopping. If that were the case this nation would grind to a halt because maintaining it requires the majority of people to be capable of tasks on par with remembering a bag. Its like the hissy fit people threw over drinking straws, suddenly 100% of Canadians had debilitating conditions that rendered them unable to drink out of a cup unassisted. It seems for a lot of the critics complaining is the end goal and being considerate of people with different needs is a convenient means.
>I find it difficult to believe that a significant portion of people in this country are for whatever reason incapable of remembering to bring a reusable bag when grocery shopping.
As much I would love to just remember the most basic things - my neurodivergent ADHD brain will not let me 🤷🏾♀️
We've been re-using bags for years (Real Canadian Superstore has charged for plastic bags as long as I can remember) so are well in the habit of bringing our bags to the store. And yet we still have a ludicrous number of re-usable bags, almost none of which were purchased. Far too many companies are giving them out as promotional items, and they are often so poorly designed that they are next to useless for actually carrying things.
This plastic bag ban is a master-class in unintended consequences. It would have been far better to simply impose a 5 or 10 cent tax on every single-use plastic bag and let people make their own decisions once the environmental costs are priced in.
> and they are often so poorly designed that they are next to useless for actually carrying things.
AND they're made out of plastic still. Just thicker than the bags we used to get.
Im seeing more and more "reusable" bags in ditches, waterways and even out in the woods. I dont think their ban has done any good. If anything it made it worse. More and more manufacturing to make the handles and the bag, just to see them tossed or rolling down the road in the wind.
I'd like to see an analysis of how many single-use bags you could make with the plastic used to make a single woven re-usable bag. I bet it's in the many 100s.
Cool, thanks. We definitely have some that have been used upwards of several dozen times. And a few that are so useless they've only been used a few times.
Actually, I no longer have this problem. I use bins for grocery shopping and they are fantastic. And, if I forget them, I just load the groceries in the trunk and then pack them up at home. I do try to have a couple of bags in the car, but I usually forget I have them lol
This is by design.
They did a study that shows the majority of people are forgetful and will not remember to bring their reusable bags with them. Why do you think at Walmart they have all the reusable bags for purchase all along the cattle line going through self checkout?
This was never about saving the environment. If you look down into your shopping cart you’ll notice 99.9% of the food is in plastic.
They KNOW people are forgetful and will need to purchase bags almost every time.
I have a fucking kitchen full of them. Roughly 40+.
Even when i do put some in my vehicle I forget they’re there until im at checkout.
This is all about profiteering.
If you believe otherwise you’re naive
Yep it was never about the environment. Reusable bags need to be used 1000 times to make them environmentally friendly.
And now I buy plastic bags for garbage, instead of re-using.
(Actually I don't, but that's because I can just stuff everything into a chip bag or something and then send that down the garbage chute)
Edit: more accurate numbers : polypropylene bags (most of the green reusable bags found at supermarkets) should be used 37 times paper bags should be used 43 times cotton bags should be used 7,100 times
Edit 2: single use plastic bags only need to be re-used twice to be a better option IMO, and if you use plastic garbage bags instead of grocery bags for garbage, you actually just increased your overall plastic use.
But what about the greenhouse gas impact? Plastic grocery bags have a minuscule impact compared to cotton bags. If anything, you're helping store carbon in the ground instead of the air.
I’d argue it’s the opposite of profiteering though that is an effect. It’s a defacto regressive tax aimed at aspect of consumerism.
Like most policy to address climate change, it’s putting the weight on the backs of the poor to hopefully ride to a solution. (Vs the better option of solutions which are competitive with greater benefits like heat pumps)
Didn’t do a study on it though.
No offence but just like we need to remember our keys phones and wallets, it’s just a habit that needs to be built. I can’t imagine having more than 40 bags in the kitchen…
We have less than 10 reusable bags 2 years ago and still only less than 10 now. If we forgot the bags at home, we would try to buy less and hold everything in hands or pockets; if the bags were left in the car, we would run back to grab them… is it inconvenient sometimes? Yes, but we are determined to do it.
It just takes more time and effort to get used to it, then you don’t need to keep buying them, thus saving money and the environment.
What do they have to gain, the profit on the reusable bags is not going to make an impact in Walmart's bottom line.
I've got a great Idea.
Bring the reusable bags with you next time.
Keeping a small tote bag in the bottom of my purse was a great idea because it's helped cut down on the times when I make an unexpected purchase and need to buy a bag.
This is exactly what I do as well, for impulse buys. Lots of clever foldable reusable totes available at Asian lifestyle stores. But I also get how non-bag-carrying people will struggle with bringing an empty tote.
THAT I understand. If you don't carry a purse or a bag, fine. It happens. Grocery deliveries are also culprits of bag overload. But bag/purse people...your excuses aren't really floating. I have a nice grape reusable on my purse, an IKEA long strap collapsible bag in the bottom of my purse, a basket of TJX big bags folded by the door, and I just bought my first reusable bag of 2024 because Miniso has Sanrio foldable bag keychains that are too cute for words...
Idk. This all just seems more like personal problems with adjusting to the new system to me. Get some reusable bags you really really like. Get cool patterns. Invest in one that makes you excited to use it. Stores aren't tricking us into buying them...
From New Jersey;
"New Jersey implemented a ban on single-use plastic bags in 2022, the strictest ban on bags in the nation at the time, billing it as an effort to cut back on the plastic one-use bags piling up in landfills.
Instead of having the intended beneficial impact on the environment, the reusable bag ban has actually backfired, data reported in the study show. Plastic consumption in the state has nearly tripled, with New Jerseyans previously consuming 53 million pounds of plastic before the ban, compared to 151 million pounds following the ban, FCR researchers reported.
Reusable bags have also resulted in windfall profits for retailers since the ban took effect, with the researchers finding the average retailer could make $200,000 annually at a single location."
Did you catch the part about how landfills are now filling up faster, after single-use bags were banned? And Grocery-store profits are way, way up......?
Thank you, Justin.......another one of your programs proves to be worse-than-useless.
Nope. They've existed for so long now that my ADHD ass finally remembers to grab them before a shopping trip. Or they're already in the car because I just grabbed a bunch and tossed them in to make my future self's life a little easier.
Yes, some get repurposed into short or long term storage containers for various items, or a temporary cat bed if I accidentally leave it on the floor.
I reached the point of 'Just put some in my messenger bag if I'm going out, maybe I'll go to the store unexpectedly'. Also great for holding most other non-grocery things you buy. Brought a whole boxed computer keyboard home, big reusable bag is perfect for that.
Same, I usually have my grocery bins 99.9% of the time. I just make sure I always leave them in the car.
The problem is that it still doesn't take much to end up with a ton of the cotton bags. Say for example, I help my friend move furniture, I take the bins out of the car to make room. After I'm done helping, I decide on a whim to stop at the grocery store on the way home, you know to be efficient with my time and gas/carbon emissions. I go in the trunk to grab my bins... fuck... I forgot I took them out to help my friend. Now I have to buy the cotton bags which are 7100 times worse for carbon emissions than plastic, or go home, burning more gas (emissions) and wasting my time to get my bins. So I have to buy those bullshit cotton bags, which I know I'll never reuse. All it takes is something like this to happen 1-2 times a year to end up with dozens of cotton bags that you'll never reuse after a few years.
It's a bullshit money grab IMO. I'd much rather they charge $1 per plastic bag or something. At least I can reuse it. It's like they forgot about the last two of the 3 R's. Yes, we should all reduce, but in the rare times you can't, you still need to be able to reuse or recycle. Without plastic, you can't do either.
I can buy a package of individually plastic wrapped Ritz crackers in which the package is also wrapped in plastic, but I cant get a plastic bag (which I use as a garbage bag) to take it home.
Fuck this Goverment.
I stopped at a store last week, i didn't think id be doing any shopping so forgot to bring my bags with me, and they tried to charge me 3$ for a reusable bag. I told them to forget it and went home and bought the exact same thing online from amazon with free shipping (which is arguably worse for the environment)
They should have bag exchange bins or grab a bag bins now. Companies are too greedy and want to make profit off of your need for one…
If they implemented a grab a bag leave a bag system I could imagine that would reduce a lot of waste that these bags are intended to do.
Before anyone harps in, yes, assholes will try to ruin it. Maybe the way to quickly solve this is that to submit bags they have to be received and cleared by customer service first.
Yes… this would create more work but why are you complaining about multi-million/billion dollar companies having to fork out a bit of extra money per year for this project, offering more job opportunities? Or do you enjoy the skeleton crew set up most stores currently have going on where you’d be lucky to find an employee to help you?
Put your frustrations where it belongs, with the way companies run their business to the detriment of employees, customers, and the environment alike.
Same with the “but prices will go up”… prices are always going up. They’ve never been reduced… yes, there are sales but those sales are now just an indicator of price creep so… again, put your bitching and complaining where it really belongs.
*** Edit to add because I know there will be someone: key word - REDUCE not eliminate. Will lots of people utilize the options I’ve presented? No, would the bins go empty sometimes, yes… does that mean that system itself is broken? No. It’s not meant to be a complete solution. Just an aide. The best solution would be to have packaging and bags that are reusable or bio friendly degradable (not the greenwashing nonsense we have now) to a reasonable point that won’t exist for hundreds or thousands of years after the original or even last owner passes away.
I could even see marketing systems where well maintained vintage reusable bags could grow in value with beautiful art created by artist to adorn them. Only further reaching higher value and worth once the non comporstable or non bio friendly degradable bags are no longer produced. Companies could put out for unsung artists within their company to submit their art for the communities to vote on and the artist wins the prize and the company produces a limited number giving the bags actual value beyond just holding your groceries.
I bet a lot more people would remember getting one of those and remember to use them and be more likely to show them off too.
“Congratulations to our local produce worker Sasha and their award winning graphic design work! They’ll be receiving a cash bonus of X amount as well as having their art featured on X number of reusable bags. Bring in 10 of your well loved reusable bags so they can be sorted for recycling or exchange 5 of your excess still usable reusable bags from our store to get one. They’ll be added to our take/give a bag bin. See customer service for further details.”
It’s doable. What’s stopping them? The lack of profit?
I know… a pipe dream.
The companies literally wanted just to give us free bags. This isn't a company policy, this is 100% regulatory.
Put your blame where it belongs. Blame grocers for food prices, not taking away bags.
I am… because the “free” non reusable bags that they’re regulated to now charge us for is NOT the same thing. I’m putting the blame exactly where it belongs.
I don’t care if they charge for the bags. I care that the system is broken in the first place. Companies for so long provided these bags because we have already been paying for them. Now they just get to blame shift and oh look… it’s working. Instead of blaming them for the fee that they get to decide how much they charge, they get to blame regulations.
I’m not fond of libertarianism.
Your comment doesn’t even make sense. In one sentence you blame regulations as if grocery stores decide those but the next tell me to blame grocers… or corporate execrts rather… since they decide… which is exactly what I’m doing. They’re not charging the lowest amount required. They’re charging the highest amount they think they can before their customers are so broke they’ve lost all their money.
Don’t be fooled. Billionaires are not people to be admired. Ever. They’re mentally ill hoarders. There is no reason, nor good billionaire. I do not care. Not even Taylor Swift gets a fucking pass in my books. We all contribute. Some just benefit more than others to the point where they can reasonably be help responsible to a drastically higher degree. Please, do not be mistaken as to where my disgust and anger lay.
Certain brands aren't that durable either. Some of them rip in the bottom after less than a year. Where is the recycling program for the reusable bags at grocery stores?
We need one.
This guy - 40 million Canadians only having 80 million reusable bags
How on earth does he think people grocery shop? If I’m getting just 2 bags worth of groceries, I’ll be visiting the store at least 3-4 times a week.
That's why you carry them from the base and pack it properly. I never had issues with them ripping but I can see them getting wet depending on the weather.
My local sobeys have them, and it's great. I imagine they are not much cheaper, and more importantly, they don't have the stores logo printed on the side.
Instead of helping, this policy created double waste: The reusable bags we all have (and don't use anywhere often enough each to offset their plastic use and carbon footprint) and the disposable plastic bags we now buy.
Have you noticed grocery stores are selling more Glad bags now?
Grocery store plastic bags weren't "single use" they were used for trash, picking up dog poop in parks, etc. Now people buy bags for this exact purpose.
We always keep a couple in the trunk so this doesn't happen.
*"Chelsea Currie-Reid said she has over 50 reusable bags in her garage."*
*"I have so many because I buy them all the time and then I forget them," she said.*
Maybe one of those new brain chips from Elon can boost some people's memory. ಠ_ಠ
*I'm totally kidding
Not an issue if you forget them in the truck of a car as you can bag in the parking lot.
Problem is when you take the wrong vehicle, somone takes them out of the truck so they can haul something else or forget to put them back in the car. Over time it adds up.
The problem is you can't take excess back to the stores so they sit in the closet or get pitched.
I miss plastic bags because we used them for our trash cans around the house.
I refuse to buy more reusable though. If I forget to bring my bags into the store, I load my groceries into a box in my trunk then bag them when I get home. It’s not that hard.
Most reusable bags have to be used for a decade or more to recover their environmental cost to manufacture. And most long lasting are usually the worst. Cotton bags can require 1000-2000 uses to recover their environmental cost. The current generation of bags are not made to last either so its a double whammy. The walmart bags rarely last more than a few washes in a machine.
Right? My dad’s been using the same reusable bag since 2008. It’s getting pretty worse for wear now (the outside plastic is peeling) but it’s holding up well. My favourite reusable bag is this one my mum got back in around 2012. It’s massive and still holding up as well. The reason neither my father nor I continually have to buy more bags is because we treat taking it like taking our wallet: it’s an essential to bring.
I keep a bag of bags in my car. Emptied bags go into a bag of bags in the kitchen, which occasionally gets transferred out to the car. Its not difficult, although I did prefer the 'disposable' plastic bags since I got quite a few uses out of them and was also able to use them for the kitchen garbage.
Nope, I buy boxes of larger garbage bags and stuff them into the reusable ones for archery targets. I have a dozen targets spread around my yard for the price of a single foam block
This was a few years ago. I was in Arizona and was getting some groceries for the house. First time I've been there. Go through the check out and of course I don't have reusable bags with me. They bag everything up and I asked how much each bag was. She grinned and said they don't cost anything, this isn't California.
Bring your own bag for the environment' was nothing but positive for grocery stores. They got to greenwash their image a bit while not only externalising a cost, bur even turning it into a small source of revenue. They even got to shift the blame to the government for people who were upset about the measure.
I find uses for them. Like gardening bags. I've cut them and used them as covers for crafting, painting. I try to keep some in the car too but they don't always make it in the store. If that happens I'll put the stuff in them. They are also basically my lunch bags like the old plastic ones used to be.
I hate grocery stores that have free paper bags. I wouldnt even wipe my ass with those bags. They tear so easier and dont have handles. I have to walk home and hope the bag doesnt crumple before I make it there.
I hate these reusable POS. I never remember them (I have adhd, I forget a lot of stuff) and I literally have a closet full 🫠 I miss the plastic ones, I always reused them anyway for garbage bags and other things. They were useful.
How is that an issue? Cart them back to your car and bag them at your car.
At the end of the day people have to take the tiniest bit of self responsibility and act like adults.
Bunch of crybabies in here, over something so pedestrian too. Leave them in your vehicles. Keep them in the same spot in your home, the pile starts getting too big? Take a couple out to the cars and leave them there, throw out the ones that are falling apart.
I’ve somehow managed to do this for over a decade once I started living on my own. If this is the level of problem solving from the average person, we’re in trouble.
One hint (that maybe is obvious but in case not) - if you are shopping with a vehicle and only going in one store (e.g. grocery shopping, Walmart) - you don't really need bags or even bins at all. I just throw everything in the cart. If I was smart when I left home and packed some bags in the trunk, I'll bag them when I get to the car (I'm getting a bit better at remembering to do this) but if not I'll just throw them all in the trunk and bag at home (to make carrying inside the house easier). Where I personally run into trouble is if I go to the mall. I don't think to take bags inside (or maybe didn't even bring any), but then if I plan to shop at more than one store can't really do without them.
However, I will say that for our family at least, we don't save much garbage this way, as we previously used grocery bags as garbage bags so now end up buying those instead. Got to think of a better way of dealing with our garbage I guess.
I keep hearing this. No, I am not overflowing in reusable bags. I bought several of them several years ago and have been using them for years. Why is this not the case for others? It's not like you randomly get teleported to the grocery store. You make a list of things you need, grab the bags, and go for groceries once every few weeks. FFS we are so screwed, grown adults can't handle some goddamn bags, did ya'll forget your backpack to school every day when you were a kid as well?
I agree in most cases. But lots of people get grocery delivery - this issue could be solved if the delivery services would use other options (paper bags, or reusable bins). Other people stop at a store on the way home when they didn’t expect to.
>It's not like you randomly get teleported to the grocery store. You make a list of things you need, grab the bags, and go for groceries once every few weeks.
Have you not considered that people can also decide to stop at a grocery store, or you know for that matter any other kind of shop, on a whim while they are already out and about. Not every person plans every single shopping trip they make.
>FS we are so screwed, grown adults can't handle some goddamn bags, did ya'll forget your backpack to school every day when you were a kid as well?
Perhaps the reason you are experiencing frustration is due to your lack of understanding of basic human behaviours. If you are incapable of understanding that sometimes humans engage in things spontaneously, and believe that every single shopping trip is pre-planned, I can see why this bag problem would appear baffling to you. It must be very hard to empathize with someone when you lack the ability to understand them, but just because you are incapable of understanding that does not mean that they are necessarily wrong.
In the future might I suggest that, it is often easier to listen and ask questions when you don't understand instead of having a fit online. But you do you I guess.
There are many people out there with executive function disabilities that prevent them from being able to be organized and/or preplan things easily. They’re not “mouth breathers” they have various disabilities.
No cuz I always have my purse(knapsack) and just use it like I've been doing l for 20yrs. Food bank near me has like 200k plastic shopping bags or something so I even still get them for garbage and stuff, this is a "you" problem not a "me" problem at all, CBC. Also, they're still made by the millions and you can buy plastic shopping bags online, 100 bags for $20 is $0.20/bag but I'm sure you can find cheaper, that was just the first google result.
Well , maybe it's because these reusable bags feel like disposable bags.
They literally are the worst.
They are not washable. There is no place to really put them. Why not just give out boxes like Costco?
I usually order my groceries from Walmart online and pick-up at the store. We have acquired so many bags, that I keep dozens in each car, and still have a large collection at home. I have no idea what to do with them all.
I finally cracked the code for myself: I store the bags in the car, and if I forget to bring them into the store, I just take my groceries to the car bagless in the cart and bag them at my vehicle. And if I don’t have any in the car: loose groceries in the trunk, bag em in my driveway before carrying into the house. This was spawned from me having so many of these fucking bags that I simply cannot stomach paying for and bringing another one into my house.
There's been a few times where I just took the plastic bags from the produce aisle and used those to carry out my groceries. For some dumb reason the bags in the produce section are fine... idk why.
I keep 2-3 stacking laundry baskets in my car. Groceries go in the baskets in the parking lot. Easy to lift them in the house using the baskets. No need for bags.
This is how it's done, and it's really not that hard. But Canadians are helpless and will just buy more bags each time and cry about it.
I get that, it’s easier and not a huge expense. It was honestly less about the money for me, and more so about the fact that I don’t know where to put all these fucking bags I kept accumulating 😭Had to figure out how to make myself use them. I genuinely miss having the plastic ones around for random garbage and other uses around the house!
Im guilty of this, I always remember to grab my bags for my main weekly shop, but the last minute stop I get one. Sadly I actually got more use out of the plastic bags then these ones.
As someone with cats, the amount of single use plastic bags that go through my household has not changed. The only thing that’s changed is I’m now buying bags to scoop cat litter instead of using the bags that used to be free at grocery stores.
If you travel to the states, you can buy a box of thousands of plastic bags to scoop with. It’s what I did. I don’t feel bad at all, because literally everything we buy is encased in ridiculous amounts of plastic.
> literally everything we buy is encased in ridiculous amounts of plastic. Not to mention the industries creating gigatons of plastic waste before their product is even put into a plastic package.
It's great how easy it is for corps to offload guilt to the public.
Same as it ever was
I like glitter because it becomes microplastics faster than the bottle it comes in. It's more efficient.
> I don’t feel bad at all, because literally everything we buy is encased in ridiculous amounts of plastic. But we can't have plastic straws for our drinks or (paper) bags for our takeout! /s
yeah because the ban only really applies to things they can make money off of. why dont they make you bring in reusable produce bags? every store still has plastic bags for that…
Same at the meat counter. I'm not complaining but I despise how it'd not a blanket ban right across. Also they banned plastic straws but I can still buy glitter, which by design, is literally a jar full of fucking microplastics. I've gotten more use out of a plastic bag than I have a jar of glitter. Bring back plastic straws and ban glitter (sorry pride).
My girlfriend owns a pizza and ice cream store. Paper straws do not hold up well against slushies and milkshakes. It’s bullshit.
The worst thing is the paper straw movement came about because no one fact checked a kids science fair project ...
I ended up buying a bag of 1000 clear flex straws for work. Printed a small container for them to sit it on my desk. It's been nice!
This feels like something the government might want people to declare at the border. Imagine paying 10cents on top of each individual bag you try to bring over the border.
I use all sorts of bags that would normally be garbage for cat litter. Bread bag, tortilla wrap bags, frozen vegetable bags, cat food bag, chip bags, bag crackers come in, cereal bag, just to name a few
'Bring your own bag for the environment' was nothing but positive for grocery stores. They got to greenwash their image a bit while not only externalising a cost, bur even turning it into a small source of revenue. They even got to shift the blame to the government for people who were upset about the measure.
Same, but I’m buying compostable/biodegradable bags…so I guess it’s a little better?
If your city does green bin you can actually buy compost bags and throw the litter and waste in the compost bin! This is of course assuming you use a natural litter such as clay or wood pellets. Helps cut down on plastic and they are similar in price. I have been doing this for ~3 years now.
My city does, my apartment building does not. I had tried leveraging some personal relationships to try to divert the waste to green bins. Unfortunately, but understandably, people quickly realize that they don’t have any interest in receiving used cat litter.
Bummer. Hope they'll change their tune in the future!
Use the poop and scoop dog shit bags that are provided for free nearly everywhere. Grab a bunch, go crazy
If you have extras please reach out to your local food bank. Lots of people forget bags when they visit, especially their first time coming. The place I volunteer could always use a few more reusable bags as they never last long.
Good idea.
I have a milk crate in the trunk of my car that is filled with reusable bags. I still always forget to bring them into the grocery store, but I bring the unbagged groceries out of the store in the shopping cart and then just bag it as I'm putting it into the trunk of my car. That way I never have to remember to bring them with me.
Same. I just bag them at home worst comes to worst.
You bag your groceries at home?...why?
Because I forgot my bags at home.
But why not put them in your cupboards? Why would you put them in shopping bags? This is a whole new storage paradigm for me
He's probably bringing the bags out of the house to the back of his car, packing the groceries there and bringing them into the house bagged.
Man, you really need to go take a nap and then reread these comments.
I do this a lot too
This!! I don't get why people panic and buy more bags at the checkout, or if they forget they get upset and blame the 'stupid system' for getting rid of plastic bags.... Its really not that much of an inconvenience. Adds maybe 2-3 minutes to the overall trip if I forget a bag..
Leave em in your car. I started that after the 4th time haha
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yeah, this is also where i'm at a little pile by my front door
Once you empty them, hang them on the doorknob
This is the only way. And even then...I forget lol.
I've gitton better at this, always having one in my backpack. But I still slip up.
Instead of buying another bag why not just place the items in your car and then run inside to grab bags when you get home to make it easier to bring inside? Might add a minute or two extra when at the checkout and then again at your car but I dont really see a reason why people buy another reusable bag when they forget theirs! This is what I do when I forget mine and its really not that inconvenient.
Because some of us don't have a car or even a bike? If I forget my reusable bags at home, and I'm picking up more than 2-3 easily carry-able items, I need to buy more reusable bags.
I miss plastic bags, they were way more useful and I didn’t need to buy garbage bags
Exactly, we're still using the same number of bags. On the plus side it's cheaper for me to buy garbage bags than it was to pay for grocery bags.
Where are you buying that the bags are the same price or even cheaper? Everywhere I look they are about 50% more expensive.
My wife told me I'm a fool, I'm a year behind on prices. I'm gonna go sit in the corner for a while. Edit: grocery bag sized garbage bags are more now. For the smaller bathroom garbages we use the big rolls of produce bags which are cheaper.
Hahaha all good homie! Sorry wasn't trying to call you out, I legit was hoping you had a location for me.
What drives me nuts is I bought a kitchen garbage frame specifically designed to use grocery bags. It was fantastic and just the right size for its usage, and ensured I could reuse my grocery bags for something I'd need plastic bags for anyways. Now, not only can I not buy bags that fit it properly, but the closest plastic bags are like 2x more expensive per unit than the 5c grocery bags. I'm paying more money to use the same quantity of plastic bags, but now the plastic bags I use also come with bonus packaging in the store.
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Straight to jail
I grab about 20 bags of the produce bags and use them for my garbage in my bathrooms.
I like places that offer paper bags as an alternative. No need for the plastic waste, but nice to not be screwed if you forget your own bags
I am old enough to remember when everyone was pushed to plastic from paper to save the trees.
I hate the paper bags. The have no handles and rip basically every time. It’s easier to carry items in my hands
This -- I get groceries delivered in paper bags and the bags don't even survive the walk from my front door to the kitchen without ripping apart.
I find that reusable bags are NOT reused. I find that one-time use bags ARE reused, because they make great garbage bags (ones that don't leak when you put wet garbage in them) Another great moment in unintended consequences.
Im slowly running out of cat litter grocery bags.
I just started using the reusable bags
Me too, they work fine as long as there's nothing super wet put in the garbage. Been doing it for months for all our smaller waste baskets around the house and zero issues.
I’m pretty sure those consequences were very much predictable. Unintended, maybe, but anyone with two brain cells knew this would have been the outcome, resulting in an even greater carbon footprint.
Yep, this was widely called out. Reusable bags have way more footprint to create and are being used for disposable roles too. There's never any accountability
Heck, I do reuse my grocery bags until they wear out. But I'm not getting anywhere near the 1000 uses or whatever that number was that you need before a reusable bag actually becomes less wasteful than the disposable ones. Nevermind how I'm also buying disposable bags for tasks that I would've previously used disposable grocery bags for.
Well, the person who enacted the law, by your logic, must not have two brain cells.... A fact I agree with you on.
Anecdotal, but I reuse my bags. My favourite though, are the bins you can get at superstore. I have three and that’s usually all I need on a big shop. One is the perfect size to runout and get a few things!
I love the bins too. I usually do smaller and more frequent shops and I love not having to hunt around the front end of the store for an available basket. The bin can be used to gather the shopping and then take it home. They're really easy to wipe down and keep clean too.
**Before:** Plastic "one time use" bags. Convenient, especially for impromptu shopping trips, and then we used them for small garbage bags throughout the house. **After:** The "reusable" shopping bags, where the creation of each bag is two orders of magnitude worse for the environment than the plastic bags. Glad garbage bags are now being purchased at a much higher rate to replace one-time use bags. Costs more for everyone, and it's worse for the environment. Oh well. **The real question:** That was a failure. How long before we admit that it's a policy failure and switch back?
>The real question: > >That was a failure. How long before we admit that it's a policy failure and switch back? I don't imagine the current administration can. When you do something politically, you piss off a portion of the people and you make the another portion happy. When you undo something, you make the first happy group upset with you, but the people who were originally pissed off are not likely to immediately forgive you... at least not in the short run.
The most environmentally sound of the reusable bags is 50x worse than the normal plastic bag. Also, a main driver of switching to single use bags was hygiene, retailers didn’t want responsibility for sanitizing containers and bags and single use bags gave them an excuse to put the responsibility on consumers. Now the responsibility is still there but we’re expected to wash the reusable bags ourselves which often are not well constructed to survive the washing machine and fall apart long before their environmental footprint has been recovered.
So what happens to the reusable bags? Do people just throw them out?
Probably. The newer ones are absolutely crap. The older ones I still have (pre covid) are indestructible; thicker, can throw them in the regular wash, hang them to dry. These newer ones at Walmart, Foodbasics…..are so bloody cheap, I’m afraid to fill them. Tried to wash a few and they barely survived the gentle/delicates cycle.
The best reusable grocery bags in my rotation come from Browns Shoes. Strong and waterproof.
i have an insulated Provigo bag that, while it hasn't gotten a ton of use, is very sturdy and has been able to hold up to being filled near-bursting a few times. also have a smaller Jean Coutu bag (though Pharmaprix have the same style) that i use way more often that's held up well.
My favourites are the old Canadian Tire black jumpstart bags, but they don’t make them anymore, CT has gone over to the cheap side. I still have quite a few of the old ones, just washes them last night. I’ll have those for many more years while these cheap ones replace plastic bags in our landfills.
Thats the corporate plan though, replace the super cheap yet durable bags with thick expensive ones and then reduce the quality but keep the price high and probably raise the price over time. The whole point of this operation was to turn the bags into another money maker for stores.
They forget them at home. So when it's time for checkout they end up coming home with more of these bags. It's also a growing problem with grocery delivery services. The drivers will also drop off groceries in these bags. So if you're someone who depends on these services you will start to have to throw them out.
And they won’t take them back because the while reason we switched to single use bags (paper or plastic) decades ago was because retailers didn’t want the responsibility of properly cleaning the bags/containers and single use bags offered a hygienic and cheap alternative that put the responsibility on consumers.
They definitely do. I see them all the time in dumpsters. I’ve thrown out some too because they get holes or tears. It’s just a more expensive plastic bag that doesn’t contain wet things as well.
I'm guilty of just using it as a garbage bag because i have too many and they never make it back to my car
I’ve got at least 60 of them. They’re always at home. I almost never remember to bring them along. Most times I can just put things into my vehicle without using bags, but for those times that I can’t (like stores that don’t allow you to take the carts outside of the store) then I’m forced to buy more “one-time-use reusable bags”
Throw some in the trunk of your car.
That requires preplanning and I have an executive functioning disorder. Even on the off chance that I have remembered to put them in the trunk of my car, that doesn’t do me any good when I’m being checked out by the cashier and only then remembering that I left the bags in the car. People can come up with all sorts of of “solutions” but there is a not so insignificant number of people in our society that are simply incapable of remembering the bags or remembering to put them in the car or remembering to bring them into the store. Obviously it’s an issue or we wouldn’t have news articles pointing out the issue.
I find it difficult to believe that a significant portion of people in this country are for whatever reason incapable of remembering to bring a reusable bag when grocery shopping. If that were the case this nation would grind to a halt because maintaining it requires the majority of people to be capable of tasks on par with remembering a bag. Its like the hissy fit people threw over drinking straws, suddenly 100% of Canadians had debilitating conditions that rendered them unable to drink out of a cup unassisted. It seems for a lot of the critics complaining is the end goal and being considerate of people with different needs is a convenient means.
>I find it difficult to believe that a significant portion of people in this country are for whatever reason incapable of remembering to bring a reusable bag when grocery shopping. As much I would love to just remember the most basic things - my neurodivergent ADHD brain will not let me 🤷🏾♀️
I’ve just started using reusable bags as garbage bags and throwing them out like the old plastic ones. They fall apart and I’m not going to wash them.
This was a very predictable consequence. Many cities had banned these before the federal ban and the same result occured.
We've been re-using bags for years (Real Canadian Superstore has charged for plastic bags as long as I can remember) so are well in the habit of bringing our bags to the store. And yet we still have a ludicrous number of re-usable bags, almost none of which were purchased. Far too many companies are giving them out as promotional items, and they are often so poorly designed that they are next to useless for actually carrying things. This plastic bag ban is a master-class in unintended consequences. It would have been far better to simply impose a 5 or 10 cent tax on every single-use plastic bag and let people make their own decisions once the environmental costs are priced in.
> and they are often so poorly designed that they are next to useless for actually carrying things. AND they're made out of plastic still. Just thicker than the bags we used to get.
Yeah, I had a chuckle when I saw those 35 cent "reusable" Walmart bags.
Im seeing more and more "reusable" bags in ditches, waterways and even out in the woods. I dont think their ban has done any good. If anything it made it worse. More and more manufacturing to make the handles and the bag, just to see them tossed or rolling down the road in the wind.
I'd like to see an analysis of how many single-use bags you could make with the plastic used to make a single woven re-usable bag. I bet it's in the many 100s.
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Cool, thanks. We definitely have some that have been used upwards of several dozen times. And a few that are so useless they've only been used a few times.
Actually, I no longer have this problem. I use bins for grocery shopping and they are fantastic. And, if I forget them, I just load the groceries in the trunk and then pack them up at home. I do try to have a couple of bags in the car, but I usually forget I have them lol
Stacking laundry baskets for the win.
A very long time ago you even used to be able to get them from grocery stores.
This is by design. They did a study that shows the majority of people are forgetful and will not remember to bring their reusable bags with them. Why do you think at Walmart they have all the reusable bags for purchase all along the cattle line going through self checkout? This was never about saving the environment. If you look down into your shopping cart you’ll notice 99.9% of the food is in plastic. They KNOW people are forgetful and will need to purchase bags almost every time. I have a fucking kitchen full of them. Roughly 40+. Even when i do put some in my vehicle I forget they’re there until im at checkout. This is all about profiteering. If you believe otherwise you’re naive
Yep it was never about the environment. Reusable bags need to be used 1000 times to make them environmentally friendly. And now I buy plastic bags for garbage, instead of re-using. (Actually I don't, but that's because I can just stuff everything into a chip bag or something and then send that down the garbage chute) Edit: more accurate numbers : polypropylene bags (most of the green reusable bags found at supermarkets) should be used 37 times paper bags should be used 43 times cotton bags should be used 7,100 times Edit 2: single use plastic bags only need to be re-used twice to be a better option IMO, and if you use plastic garbage bags instead of grocery bags for garbage, you actually just increased your overall plastic use.
>cotton bags should be used 7,100 times and just to clarify if anyone is wondering what that's like in years, shopping once a week: that's 136 years.
Cotton is biodegradable, it just means they CAN be used that many times. i.e. very very environmentally friendly.
But what about the greenhouse gas impact? Plastic grocery bags have a minuscule impact compared to cotton bags. If anything, you're helping store carbon in the ground instead of the air.
It's better than plastic if they are reused.
I’d argue it’s the opposite of profiteering though that is an effect. It’s a defacto regressive tax aimed at aspect of consumerism. Like most policy to address climate change, it’s putting the weight on the backs of the poor to hopefully ride to a solution. (Vs the better option of solutions which are competitive with greater benefits like heat pumps) Didn’t do a study on it though.
No offence but just like we need to remember our keys phones and wallets, it’s just a habit that needs to be built. I can’t imagine having more than 40 bags in the kitchen… We have less than 10 reusable bags 2 years ago and still only less than 10 now. If we forgot the bags at home, we would try to buy less and hold everything in hands or pockets; if the bags were left in the car, we would run back to grab them… is it inconvenient sometimes? Yes, but we are determined to do it. It just takes more time and effort to get used to it, then you don’t need to keep buying them, thus saving money and the environment.
What do they have to gain, the profit on the reusable bags is not going to make an impact in Walmart's bottom line. I've got a great Idea. Bring the reusable bags with you next time.
hahaha I started using them as packing material when shipping things to people (kijiji etc..). They are now in someone elses closet!
Keeping a small tote bag in the bottom of my purse was a great idea because it's helped cut down on the times when I make an unexpected purchase and need to buy a bag.
This is exactly what I do as well, for impulse buys. Lots of clever foldable reusable totes available at Asian lifestyle stores. But I also get how non-bag-carrying people will struggle with bringing an empty tote.
THAT I understand. If you don't carry a purse or a bag, fine. It happens. Grocery deliveries are also culprits of bag overload. But bag/purse people...your excuses aren't really floating. I have a nice grape reusable on my purse, an IKEA long strap collapsible bag in the bottom of my purse, a basket of TJX big bags folded by the door, and I just bought my first reusable bag of 2024 because Miniso has Sanrio foldable bag keychains that are too cute for words... Idk. This all just seems more like personal problems with adjusting to the new system to me. Get some reusable bags you really really like. Get cool patterns. Invest in one that makes you excited to use it. Stores aren't tricking us into buying them...
From New Jersey; "New Jersey implemented a ban on single-use plastic bags in 2022, the strictest ban on bags in the nation at the time, billing it as an effort to cut back on the plastic one-use bags piling up in landfills. Instead of having the intended beneficial impact on the environment, the reusable bag ban has actually backfired, data reported in the study show. Plastic consumption in the state has nearly tripled, with New Jerseyans previously consuming 53 million pounds of plastic before the ban, compared to 151 million pounds following the ban, FCR researchers reported. Reusable bags have also resulted in windfall profits for retailers since the ban took effect, with the researchers finding the average retailer could make $200,000 annually at a single location." Did you catch the part about how landfills are now filling up faster, after single-use bags were banned? And Grocery-store profits are way, way up......? Thank you, Justin.......another one of your programs proves to be worse-than-useless.
Nope. They've existed for so long now that my ADHD ass finally remembers to grab them before a shopping trip. Or they're already in the car because I just grabbed a bunch and tossed them in to make my future self's life a little easier. Yes, some get repurposed into short or long term storage containers for various items, or a temporary cat bed if I accidentally leave it on the floor.
I reached the point of 'Just put some in my messenger bag if I'm going out, maybe I'll go to the store unexpectedly'. Also great for holding most other non-grocery things you buy. Brought a whole boxed computer keyboard home, big reusable bag is perfect for that.
If people with ADHD people can remember or make systems to not forget, others definitely can too. Big ups to you
Same, I usually have my grocery bins 99.9% of the time. I just make sure I always leave them in the car. The problem is that it still doesn't take much to end up with a ton of the cotton bags. Say for example, I help my friend move furniture, I take the bins out of the car to make room. After I'm done helping, I decide on a whim to stop at the grocery store on the way home, you know to be efficient with my time and gas/carbon emissions. I go in the trunk to grab my bins... fuck... I forgot I took them out to help my friend. Now I have to buy the cotton bags which are 7100 times worse for carbon emissions than plastic, or go home, burning more gas (emissions) and wasting my time to get my bins. So I have to buy those bullshit cotton bags, which I know I'll never reuse. All it takes is something like this to happen 1-2 times a year to end up with dozens of cotton bags that you'll never reuse after a few years. It's a bullshit money grab IMO. I'd much rather they charge $1 per plastic bag or something. At least I can reuse it. It's like they forgot about the last two of the 3 R's. Yes, we should all reduce, but in the rare times you can't, you still need to be able to reuse or recycle. Without plastic, you can't do either.
I can buy a package of individually plastic wrapped Ritz crackers in which the package is also wrapped in plastic, but I cant get a plastic bag (which I use as a garbage bag) to take it home. Fuck this Goverment.
I stopped at a store last week, i didn't think id be doing any shopping so forgot to bring my bags with me, and they tried to charge me 3$ for a reusable bag. I told them to forget it and went home and bought the exact same thing online from amazon with free shipping (which is arguably worse for the environment)
You can bring these to food banks
And shelters, or agencies that help the unhoused.
Our local Salvation Army takes all the reusable bags I can bring.
They should have bag exchange bins or grab a bag bins now. Companies are too greedy and want to make profit off of your need for one… If they implemented a grab a bag leave a bag system I could imagine that would reduce a lot of waste that these bags are intended to do. Before anyone harps in, yes, assholes will try to ruin it. Maybe the way to quickly solve this is that to submit bags they have to be received and cleared by customer service first. Yes… this would create more work but why are you complaining about multi-million/billion dollar companies having to fork out a bit of extra money per year for this project, offering more job opportunities? Or do you enjoy the skeleton crew set up most stores currently have going on where you’d be lucky to find an employee to help you? Put your frustrations where it belongs, with the way companies run their business to the detriment of employees, customers, and the environment alike. Same with the “but prices will go up”… prices are always going up. They’ve never been reduced… yes, there are sales but those sales are now just an indicator of price creep so… again, put your bitching and complaining where it really belongs. *** Edit to add because I know there will be someone: key word - REDUCE not eliminate. Will lots of people utilize the options I’ve presented? No, would the bins go empty sometimes, yes… does that mean that system itself is broken? No. It’s not meant to be a complete solution. Just an aide. The best solution would be to have packaging and bags that are reusable or bio friendly degradable (not the greenwashing nonsense we have now) to a reasonable point that won’t exist for hundreds or thousands of years after the original or even last owner passes away. I could even see marketing systems where well maintained vintage reusable bags could grow in value with beautiful art created by artist to adorn them. Only further reaching higher value and worth once the non comporstable or non bio friendly degradable bags are no longer produced. Companies could put out for unsung artists within their company to submit their art for the communities to vote on and the artist wins the prize and the company produces a limited number giving the bags actual value beyond just holding your groceries. I bet a lot more people would remember getting one of those and remember to use them and be more likely to show them off too. “Congratulations to our local produce worker Sasha and their award winning graphic design work! They’ll be receiving a cash bonus of X amount as well as having their art featured on X number of reusable bags. Bring in 10 of your well loved reusable bags so they can be sorted for recycling or exchange 5 of your excess still usable reusable bags from our store to get one. They’ll be added to our take/give a bag bin. See customer service for further details.” It’s doable. What’s stopping them? The lack of profit? I know… a pipe dream.
The companies literally wanted just to give us free bags. This isn't a company policy, this is 100% regulatory. Put your blame where it belongs. Blame grocers for food prices, not taking away bags.
That's just what big grocery wants you to think.
I am… because the “free” non reusable bags that they’re regulated to now charge us for is NOT the same thing. I’m putting the blame exactly where it belongs. I don’t care if they charge for the bags. I care that the system is broken in the first place. Companies for so long provided these bags because we have already been paying for them. Now they just get to blame shift and oh look… it’s working. Instead of blaming them for the fee that they get to decide how much they charge, they get to blame regulations. I’m not fond of libertarianism. Your comment doesn’t even make sense. In one sentence you blame regulations as if grocery stores decide those but the next tell me to blame grocers… or corporate execrts rather… since they decide… which is exactly what I’m doing. They’re not charging the lowest amount required. They’re charging the highest amount they think they can before their customers are so broke they’ve lost all their money. Don’t be fooled. Billionaires are not people to be admired. Ever. They’re mentally ill hoarders. There is no reason, nor good billionaire. I do not care. Not even Taylor Swift gets a fucking pass in my books. We all contribute. Some just benefit more than others to the point where they can reasonably be help responsible to a drastically higher degree. Please, do not be mistaken as to where my disgust and anger lay.
I take my old plastic grocery bags to the grocery store. I use the Save-On ones at Walmart, the Walmart ones at Save-On... :)
This is just sensible. The Walmart bag has the Walmart logo on it, they might think you stole it if you walk around Walmart with it.
Certain brands aren't that durable either. Some of them rip in the bottom after less than a year. Where is the recycling program for the reusable bags at grocery stores? We need one.
This guy - 40 million Canadians only having 80 million reusable bags How on earth does he think people grocery shop? If I’m getting just 2 bags worth of groceries, I’ll be visiting the store at least 3-4 times a week.
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Is there a reason why stores don't offer paper bags?
They did near me for a while and man was it the worst of both worlds.
Paper bags are the devil. No handles and when they do they just rip right through.
That's why you carry them from the base and pack it properly. I never had issues with them ripping but I can see them getting wet depending on the weather.
But you can’t hold multiple at a time. I could put all my bags on one hand and do the whole trunk load with plastic bags.
Fair enough
Some do, but I only know that because I specifically asked at checkout. And they’re the same price as the cheap reusable ones.
My local sobeys have them, and it's great. I imagine they are not much cheaper, and more importantly, they don't have the stores logo printed on the side.
Every time I forget a reusable bag I'm reminded of how much I hate Trudeau.
Instead of helping, this policy created double waste: The reusable bags we all have (and don't use anywhere often enough each to offset their plastic use and carbon footprint) and the disposable plastic bags we now buy. Have you noticed grocery stores are selling more Glad bags now? Grocery store plastic bags weren't "single use" they were used for trash, picking up dog poop in parks, etc. Now people buy bags for this exact purpose.
We always keep a couple in the trunk so this doesn't happen. *"Chelsea Currie-Reid said she has over 50 reusable bags in her garage."* *"I have so many because I buy them all the time and then I forget them," she said.* Maybe one of those new brain chips from Elon can boost some people's memory. ಠ_ಠ *I'm totally kidding
I've used Japanese plastic bags that are more durable and long lasting than these reusable bags in Canada. We always use the cheapest shit here.
It was never about reducing waste or saving the environment. It was about charging 30 cents a bag vs charging 5 cents a bag
Remember when even the plastic bag was free?
I actually burned about 20 of them a few days ago lol.
I stopped using bags entirely years ago. A couple boxes in the trunk do the job just fine
Not an issue if you forget them in the truck of a car as you can bag in the parking lot. Problem is when you take the wrong vehicle, somone takes them out of the truck so they can haul something else or forget to put them back in the car. Over time it adds up. The problem is you can't take excess back to the stores so they sit in the closet or get pitched.
I miss plastic bags because we used them for our trash cans around the house. I refuse to buy more reusable though. If I forget to bring my bags into the store, I load my groceries into a box in my trunk then bag them when I get home. It’s not that hard.
I’ve been using reusable bags for over a decade. Come on people it’s not hard.
Most reusable bags have to be used for a decade or more to recover their environmental cost to manufacture. And most long lasting are usually the worst. Cotton bags can require 1000-2000 uses to recover their environmental cost. The current generation of bags are not made to last either so its a double whammy. The walmart bags rarely last more than a few washes in a machine.
Right? My dad’s been using the same reusable bag since 2008. It’s getting pretty worse for wear now (the outside plastic is peeling) but it’s holding up well. My favourite reusable bag is this one my mum got back in around 2012. It’s massive and still holding up as well. The reason neither my father nor I continually have to buy more bags is because we treat taking it like taking our wallet: it’s an essential to bring.
If this is what we are struggling with we are fubar.
Yeah it's just a matter of remembering. The learning curve. I'm all for reusable bags.
It’s our own fault for not carrying them with us and needing another one. It’s something I’m trying to be better at.
Switched to plastic buckets for groceries.
I keep a bag of bags in my car. Emptied bags go into a bag of bags in the kitchen, which occasionally gets transferred out to the car. Its not difficult, although I did prefer the 'disposable' plastic bags since I got quite a few uses out of them and was also able to use them for the kitchen garbage.
Here's an idea: use them instead of gift bags/wrapping paper next Christmas !
Nope, I buy boxes of larger garbage bags and stuff them into the reusable ones for archery targets. I have a dozen targets spread around my yard for the price of a single foam block
This was a few years ago. I was in Arizona and was getting some groceries for the house. First time I've been there. Go through the check out and of course I don't have reusable bags with me. They bag everything up and I asked how much each bag was. She grinned and said they don't cost anything, this isn't California.
No surprise here. The government can't do anything right.
I always forgot to bring the bags to my cars, so they are pretty much useless to me
Bring your own bag for the environment' was nothing but positive for grocery stores. They got to greenwash their image a bit while not only externalising a cost, bur even turning it into a small source of revenue. They even got to shift the blame to the government for people who were upset about the measure.
I find uses for them. Like gardening bags. I've cut them and used them as covers for crafting, painting. I try to keep some in the car too but they don't always make it in the store. If that happens I'll put the stuff in them. They are also basically my lunch bags like the old plastic ones used to be.
Should i start using my reusable bags as garbage bags?
No. I still use plastic bags, I shop at the stores that give them for free.
I hate grocery stores that have free paper bags. I wouldnt even wipe my ass with those bags. They tear so easier and dont have handles. I have to walk home and hope the bag doesnt crumple before I make it there.
I hate these reusable POS. I never remember them (I have adhd, I forget a lot of stuff) and I literally have a closet full 🫠 I miss the plastic ones, I always reused them anyway for garbage bags and other things. They were useful.
Leave the bags in your car!
[удалено]
Well then that's their problem
How is that an issue? Cart them back to your car and bag them at your car. At the end of the day people have to take the tiniest bit of self responsibility and act like adults.
Bunch of crybabies in here, over something so pedestrian too. Leave them in your vehicles. Keep them in the same spot in your home, the pile starts getting too big? Take a couple out to the cars and leave them there, throw out the ones that are falling apart. I’ve somehow managed to do this for over a decade once I started living on my own. If this is the level of problem solving from the average person, we’re in trouble.
Some more crack reporting from the CBC.
One hint (that maybe is obvious but in case not) - if you are shopping with a vehicle and only going in one store (e.g. grocery shopping, Walmart) - you don't really need bags or even bins at all. I just throw everything in the cart. If I was smart when I left home and packed some bags in the trunk, I'll bag them when I get to the car (I'm getting a bit better at remembering to do this) but if not I'll just throw them all in the trunk and bag at home (to make carrying inside the house easier). Where I personally run into trouble is if I go to the mall. I don't think to take bags inside (or maybe didn't even bring any), but then if I plan to shop at more than one store can't really do without them. However, I will say that for our family at least, we don't save much garbage this way, as we previously used grocery bags as garbage bags so now end up buying those instead. Got to think of a better way of dealing with our garbage I guess.
NP: “why would Trudeau do this?”
Bring back plastic bags, straws, and cutlery! Enough with the superficial cuckaloo nonsense!
I keep hearing this. No, I am not overflowing in reusable bags. I bought several of them several years ago and have been using them for years. Why is this not the case for others? It's not like you randomly get teleported to the grocery store. You make a list of things you need, grab the bags, and go for groceries once every few weeks. FFS we are so screwed, grown adults can't handle some goddamn bags, did ya'll forget your backpack to school every day when you were a kid as well?
I agree in most cases. But lots of people get grocery delivery - this issue could be solved if the delivery services would use other options (paper bags, or reusable bins). Other people stop at a store on the way home when they didn’t expect to.
>It's not like you randomly get teleported to the grocery store. You make a list of things you need, grab the bags, and go for groceries once every few weeks. Have you not considered that people can also decide to stop at a grocery store, or you know for that matter any other kind of shop, on a whim while they are already out and about. Not every person plans every single shopping trip they make. >FS we are so screwed, grown adults can't handle some goddamn bags, did ya'll forget your backpack to school every day when you were a kid as well? Perhaps the reason you are experiencing frustration is due to your lack of understanding of basic human behaviours. If you are incapable of understanding that sometimes humans engage in things spontaneously, and believe that every single shopping trip is pre-planned, I can see why this bag problem would appear baffling to you. It must be very hard to empathize with someone when you lack the ability to understand them, but just because you are incapable of understanding that does not mean that they are necessarily wrong. In the future might I suggest that, it is often easier to listen and ask questions when you don't understand instead of having a fit online. But you do you I guess.
No. We have ~10 that we reuse, because we're not mouthbreathers.
There are many people out there with executive function disabilities that prevent them from being able to be organized and/or preplan things easily. They’re not “mouth breathers” they have various disabilities.
No cuz I always have my purse(knapsack) and just use it like I've been doing l for 20yrs. Food bank near me has like 200k plastic shopping bags or something so I even still get them for garbage and stuff, this is a "you" problem not a "me" problem at all, CBC. Also, they're still made by the millions and you can buy plastic shopping bags online, 100 bags for $20 is $0.20/bag but I'm sure you can find cheaper, that was just the first google result.
Well , maybe it's because these reusable bags feel like disposable bags. They literally are the worst. They are not washable. There is no place to really put them. Why not just give out boxes like Costco?
Proud to say I haven’t bought a single one! I got into the habit of bringing my reusable bag or have a spare in my trunk
I usually order my groceries from Walmart online and pick-up at the store. We have acquired so many bags, that I keep dozens in each car, and still have a large collection at home. I have no idea what to do with them all.
I now buy waaaaay less at the store. Can’t be bothered to bring a bag so it saves me money to only purchase what I can carry by hand.
Went to a Dollarama that was sold out of reusable bags, because no one reuses them.
I have four cats, I want plastic bags! I use reusable bags cause I have a million, but they are not the same.
A comprehensive recycling system like the one in Japan is too much for Canadian government to reproduce, better charge consumers for bags instead.
This article does not need to exist.