Years ago when my local grocery store started having a collection center for used plastic bags, I started recycling them. The problem is that I would forget to bring them back sometimes several weeks in a row. I realized that these bags multiply fast and it was a good visual aid for me to realize the environmental impact of so many bags. Then, I started bringing my own reusable bags!
Now much more fashionable than it was about seven years ago when I started bringing my own bags, grocery store checkout clerks are now accustomed to the process. Some stores like Whole Foods give you a 10-cent discount for each bag that you bring. If your store doesn’t offer a program like this, talk to a store manager and tell them about your eco-journey and suggest it to the manager.
Bring your own bag to other types of stores, too! If I forget my own bag, I’ll tell the clerk that I don’t want a bag and that I’ll just carry the items (with receipt on top) out of the store. Some stores have a policy that their items have to leave in a bag and sometimes this even means you have to use their bag – most likely as a theft-deterrent. One time a clothing store clerk would not let me leave with one item out a door that was less than 10 feet away. I excused myself, went out to my car, and brought in my own bag.
More and more store clerks are beginning to understand the concept of not wasting bags. Our local pharmacy no longer puts a prescription, which comes in a paper bag anyway, in a plastic bag. However, be prepared to be firm but polite with your request. We are leaders here, People! I have had to tell clerks two or three times that I don’t want a bag. If they already put your items in a bag, then smile and just take it, though, because you know you’ll recycle it later. My experience has taught me this: if you tell them that you don’t want a bag after they have already put your item(s) in one, clerks will always take out your items, hand them to you, and promptly throw away the bag. Yikes! The only explanation I can think of since this has happened to me several times at several different stores with very nice clerks is that there must be some store policy about contamination. If you know the answer, tell me!
One final note about bringing your own bags. Choose nondescript, sturdy bags made as closely as possible to where you live. These bags should be sustainably made and/or recyclable themselves. They also should be something that you’ll enjoy using at many different stores. While some people have no qualms about using bags with Store A logos when they go to Store B, some people are more self-consious about that.