The Nature of Things

Bagging it, but in a good way

May

For $5.98, and tax, of course, I am now (mostly) paper-and-plastic-bag free.

The guilt about using grocery-store-issued plastic bags had really been building.

It’s not like I hadn’t seen the reusable cloth bags at ShopRite in Airmont, where I buy my weekly groceries.

Or at the Pathmark in Nanuet, where I sometimes shop because it’s close to the newspaper office.

Or the A&P in Valley Cottage, which I sometimes hit if I have to pick up a prescription at the nearby Rite-Aid.

No, these bags have been staring me in the face for a looooooong time now.

But hanging on their display racks, the bags looked small, like they couldn’t hold much, and wimpy, like they’d break if you put a half-gallon milk container inside.

I’m happy to report, I was totally wrong.

I purchased six of the bags thinking I was probably going to need at least 12.

I was able to fit a week’s worth of groceries, and had room left over in each bag.

They open up to a significantly larger size than they appear on the rack, and are pretty strong.

As some already know, communities around the nation have been considering outright bans on plastic bags or even charging customers who don’t bring or use their own reusable bags.

Just last month, the Rockland and Westchester county legislatures voted to require stores that are 10,000 square feet or larger to set up collection bins so customers have a place to return their plastic bags. The bags would then be sent to recycling companies that use the material in outdoor fencing and decking.

Here’s a shot of one of my new bags, purchased for 99 cents (plus tax).

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 7th, 2008 at 6:50 pm by Laura Incalcaterra.
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