Apologies in advance for the rant, but the plastic bag problem in the US really irritates me. When we left 10 years ago, I was seeing some glimmers of hope in the 'bring your own' bag campaign. In fact, I still have and use the cloth grocery bags I got as a promotion from Cub Foods in 2009! They've come with me to Bristol and I've used them consistently for about 6 years (they were in storage when we were in Abu Dhabi). They're in our shipment from the UK which should arrive in a couple of months and I'll probably be able to use them for another 5 years!
So, you can appreciate my disappointment to see almost zero progress in the fight to get customers to bring their own bags. And I know it's possible. In the UK, the large majority is now in the habit of bringing their own bags when shopping - and not just for groceries, but for most anything. The UK instituted a 5p charge per bag which I'm sure has helped get people started. The fact is, once you get in the habit, you'll not want to go back to the flimsy paper or ever multiplying plastic bags. The cloth ones are easier to pack, hold more, easier to carry and permit you to feel superior, hahaha. Seriously though, give it a try. I can get a week's worth of groceries for two people in four cloth bags and carry them all into the house at once because they're so sturdy and the handles are long enough.
Rant over - thanks for listening.
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