How to reduce your use of plastic bags?

Question

Plastic bags can be real weapons! Virtually all of the plastic we’ve produced and used is somewhere on the planet, and according to the Plastic Disclosure Project, plastic negatively impacts more than 700 species of birds and animals.
We know plastics have disastrous environmental effects, so why not share ideas on how to reduce their usage?
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Answer 1

No matter what, grocery stores do not make much on the dollar. Plastic bags are a priviledge and not required by any place to offer for free(Making A a better solution). Maybe the key to this problem isn't so much reducing the amount of plastic bags, but trying to get people to move to canvas bags and/or boxes. Don't try to defeat a problem by targeting it directly - you need a solution that people would prefer compared to it. The store nor the people should be punished, so a better solution could be making store logo canvas bags. People can buy these bags making the store money, and get a card stamped say like for every $25 they spend filling their canvas bags. After like $100 -$150 give then a 10% off coupon. Enticing people to spend money to save money gets everyone.

Answer 2

Reduce, reuse and recycle, we can now get more wearable bags now called Bags For life.

My last house was over 400 years old and had an old fashioned open fire.

When I had trouble lighting it, I normally put a few plastic bags on it, it did the trick.

Anything else that burned, like paper we used as well.

It sure reduced the bin bags going into the landfill too.

OK, I was producing a little Carbon, but did that not offset the waste? per se

Now I have Central Heating, I take pride in using my Recycle bins, and for years now I have diligently collected, discarded Soda tins and Beer tins etc. and flattened them.

Then collected them in a large fish box I found discarded near a harbour.

The local Metal recycler gives me £5 for a full box.

Answer 3

Many years ago, we used to have Brown Paper Carrier Bags with string handles. Then came the Plastic Bags, but going shopping for my Mum, she always gave me a Cloth Bag. I still use this Cloth Bag now, after my Mother passing away over 20years. Its really looking its age now, but I would never use a Plastic Bag. I think, that Plastic Bags should be banned, but the big Supermarkets are charging 5p each. Surly, this is no way to get rid of Plastic Bags. They should not be made anymore. The Supermarkets say, the 5p is for charity, but I think that its money in there pockets, as they do not say which Charity the money goes to. To reduce the use of Plastic Bags do not buy them. By yourself a nice cloth shopping Bag, it will last you years.

Answer 4

I recycle them at Kroger. Lowes also offers recycling plastic and paper bags. I also use cloth bags.

Sometimes if I have a small item I will refuse a bag . I am safe as long as I have the receipt and the bookkeeping is straight.

I do use plastic Kroger bags to put in the cats' litter waste in at home.

Many places do require that a dog owner pick up their pets waste so that is another use as well. Newspaper plastic bags are great for that use.

My mom uses Kroger and Meijer plastic bags as a liner for her kitchen trash bag.

Answer 5

We need to learn from the past and go back to REUSABLE containers, bottles and bags. in the past (and in some third world countries) you'd buy a drink, drink it, take the bottle back to be washed and reused. now, we buy a drink, drink it, throw away the bottle or send it to be 'recycled' into something else.



Recycle plastic(s) and the product has to be found to be made out of this recycled material, it does not get used again as a bottle or anything, new plastic is produced to create more bottles.



recycling is inefficient at best.



Plastic bags are a very minor/small amount of plastic waste, everything you buy now has some kind of plastic, even metal drinks cans are sprayed with plastic inside, paper cups are sprayed with plastic to make them waterproof, cosmetic that 'exfoliate' have plastic beads in that wash strait into the ocean because they are too small to be filtered out.



Plastic bags are the very small tip of a giant iceberg,



Edit_



when i was younger my parents hardly ever used bags. they would put everything into the trolley when shopping and at the checkout, take the trolley to the car and put everything into box's in the boot of the car.



the only time they would use bags is when there was no parking to do this.

Answer 6

Wal Mart recycles, but you said reduce. One thing is to use cloth bags. Another is to stop buying sandwich bags and freezer wrap. Use the plastic bags you already have. If you freeze food in a grocery bag, you have to double bag. Wrap the first bag tightly around the food so to minimize the air against the food. Then put it in another bag to create an insulating air space. For sandwich bags, you can also use empty bread wrappers.

Answer 7

We should be able to reduce greatly our use of plastic bags. Banning them entirely would seem, however, an inconvenience, were it only for the garbage plastic bags. Paper bags would not do the trick.

Answer 8

There are many ways to reduce the use of plastic bags. You can always use paper bags , newspapers and instead of buying the plastic you may use the previous bag again and again till the time its feasible to use.

Answer 9

by using papers and other bags we can reduce plastic bags. If everybody can know the bad effect of using plastic bags.

Answer 10

Reduce use of plastics in general!!



Use glass containers to store food. Use wax paper and wax paper bags to wrap sandwiches, etc. Make your own cleaning products from vinegar, borax, baking soda, lemon juice, etc....that way you won't be spending money on multiple bottles of glass cleaner, laundry detergent, all-purpose cleaner, etc.



Use your plastic shopping bags to make reusable shopping bags. YouTube has plenty of videos that tell you how to turn them into "plarn" and crochet them into reusable bags.



Buy products in glass containers rather than those in plastic (depending on the product, it may be much healthier to do so anyway). Vitamins, cooking oil, beans, face cream, juice...all are available in glass containers which are easily reusable and most can be recycled infinitely.



Use washcloths instead of plastic bath poufs.



Use glass bottles to bring water with you.



Buy products in bulk packaging to reduce plastic waste.



Learn to make your own personal care and beauty products so you don't have to purchase overpriced stuff in plastic packaging (YouTube is a great resource to learn).



I'm sure I'll think of more 15 minutes from now...LoL.

Answer 11

Why reduce there use? Use more of them. Here were a kilo of rice a week is what welfare pays. They the poor go to the dump and collect them for resale. Kids will pick them up and take them home of the street. Also glass & cans. Or a bottle if you set it down to long 1/2 full. Put those on welfare to picking threw the trash before it is buried in the landfill. This reduces all. Plastic, glass, paper, metal. You also get a value added from those who do not have jobs. For work. This encourages them to find better jobs. Or if like here you could go to the market system. I take 2 bags there. A insulated bag, and a cloth bag. Insulated with a bottle of ice in it. That is for any meat I buy. As it can spoil fast in the tropics. A cloth bag as I buy fruit & produce fresh of the table in the market as needed. No bag provided there. Then there is rice. It comes in a bag with handle. That is your produce bag cloths bag, carry bag from the garden, till wore out.

Answer 12

Bring your own bag.......



If you are a retailer charge for each bag. If you are a customer bring your own bags when shopping.



I work in a shop and since it has been made law in England this October to charge for bags, I have noticed about a 60% reduction in the number of customers that will want a bag when purchasing something.



Most people now bring their own.

Answer 13

Let's ENCOURAGE Home builders (and insulators) to collect them at Markets and Malls then use them

as FREE added content shredded and combined with plant/paper cellulose INSULATION. People want

to cut HVAC expenses and ADD insulation so shred used plastic bags (and soda / water bottles) and

the Companies hired to Insulate get material at no cost just by collecting them!

, ,

UPDATE

I just came back from the store; I took plastic bags with me. I had to interrupt the person bagging

my purchases to re-use them! I stopped at the Liquour store and took a paper bag IN with me; the

City requires bags on all purchases (as if a paper bag "hides" the fact a customer bought beer or

booze! ) Again, I had to tell the cashier "Hey! I'm reusing the bag!"

Answer 14

Simply pass an international law making it illegal to produce or buy plastic bags.



This will force the worlds population into getting biodegradable bags in which to carry their shopping etc.



Poseidon

Answer 15

I use cloth/hemp bags for shopping, don't use bin liners (another plastic bag!).With a few exceptions (like hygiene), carrier bags now cost a minimum of £0.05 or around US$0.08.



Around 40 years ago in the UK, many brands of soft drinks were sold in 1 litre glass bottles, with a small deposit on them. Thanks to the lobbying of the manufactyrers, this has cstopped. More efficient to refill glass bottles, than recycle, after just one use.

Answer 16

Come live in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines. The mayor has banned plastic bags and straws. We're forced to bring our own grocery bags and baskets. When we buy drinks? They serve it in paper cups. When we ask for a straw? They give us a spoon! Grrr...

Answer 17

if you give me a paper bag that is strong enough to carry my 5+ kg groceries for the same price as a plastic bag I'm happy to use them

But I can't see any of those so I'd say- doing something , that's how

Answer 18

Stop using plastic bags.

Answer 19

Personally I just put items into my school rucksack but I think people would benefit from learning the environmental impacts of chucking away plastic bags without care

Answer 20

what nowadays i have followed is cloth bags...but yes i do take plastic bags & now my point starts...people mostly what do here is use plastic bags as garbage bags...& of course they aren't decompose & that is why in Mumbai a flood tragedy happened...so that's what i see as biggest problem..rest all plastic is ok & can be recycled but those who use non decompose plastic bags for garbage is the main problem in world according to me!so there decompose able bags to be used rest utensil toys even accessories can be used plastic but this garbage thing is a problem...:)

Answer 21

Use reusable bags. They cost a dollar and they last you years. I rarely ask for plastic bags when I go grocery shopping.

Answer 22

first of all make one paper bag.. use it for some days.. then make such more paperbags and distribute to your neighbours, friends family etc. throw away plastic bags from ur house...this method can be use to reduce the use of plastic bags

Answer 23

just take a fabric roll up bag with you and keep it in your purse just in case. Hang grocery totes with your purse and put a bunch in your car. It takes a while to find the right one but they are usually stronger than plastic bags. We really like the small square black folding totes at Zehrs Supermarkets. The Walmart ones are too big to walk with.

Answer 24

I have never used a plastic bag, i use cotton shopping bags, if i know i am going shopping i take a bag with me.

Answer 25

avoid using plastic bags

Answer 26

Reuse, not reduce. See if you can bring your own bags to the store, use them as bathroom trash bags like my family does, and maybe to carry swim clothes or something.

Answer 27

Try to only use the plastic bags when necessary to keep food fresh.

Answer 28

Use eco friendly things, less use of plastic bags, recycle a recyclable materials.

Answer 29

Which is why every retailer will charge you for plastic bags.

Answer 30

i reduce my usage by throwing them all in the bin after I get home. Then just buying more the next time I go to the supermarket. That way I don't use them too much.

Answer 31

Use cloth bags, or a suitcase when going shopping and you don't have a car.

Answer 32

Use recycle bag in daily life.

Answer 33

If you go to park,least chance is there for you to believe,that you get out of mentioning of Nylon bag use.

Answer 34

my daughter sewed four bags I use from old used jeans over twenty years ago that I use for all my grocery shopping, and a freebie from a nature organization for smaller buys

Answer 35

Reuse them until useless and replace with paper or fiber bags.

Answer 36

By using Paper bags... Also you can use bags made of jute..

Answer 37

I would use paper bags or fabric bags instead.

Answer 38

Use them as trash bags,

Answer 39

Use environmental bags from groceries or paperbags.

Answer 40

I USE MINE AS PEDAL BIN LINERS AT THE MOMENT! FOR MY BEDROOM PLASTIC ACID SMILIE BUCKET BIN AND ALSO THE BATHROOM SMALL WHITE PLASTIC PEDAL BIN! TAMPONS AND SANITRY TOWELS AND BOGIE TISSUES AND COTTON EAR STICKS AND TOILET ROLL END CARD TUBE ALL GETS THROWN AWAY LIKE THIS! THE PEDAL BIN LINERS CAN BE EXPENSIVE! THIS IS CRAZY AMOUNT OF CONSTANT USE! ONLY FOUR OF US AT HOME!

Answer 41

reuse bags they are now charging 10p per bag in Tesco :O

Answer 42

ask 4 paper bags at the checkout of the supermarket

Answer 43

reuse dem bags, recycle dem bags

Answer 44

use paper bag

Answer 45

reusable bags of course.....and or biodegradable bags

Answer 46

Just use em as a contraceptive.

Answer 47

use thermal cloth bags they are reusable

Answer 48

Ask for paper!

Answer 49

recycle

Answer 50

it is main cause today cancer ...plastics...

Answer 51

Buy less!

Answer 52

não usando

Answer 53

re use them

Answer 54

RECYCLE

Answer 55

idk niiga u tell me haha

Answer 56

Idk