Big Brown Bags
Reader Leslie asked me where I got the bags I use for grocery shopping. I have a couple of super-sturdy Earth Totes from ReusableBags.com (which, just to be clear, I have no affiliation with; nor has the company bribed me with cupcakes, although that would have been nice). They fold up to the size of a brown paper bag and are strong and spacious enough for jumbo cartons of milk and juice, so you don’t have to worry about overloading or tearing.
I also use these reusable cotton produce bags for bagging loose veggies because I really hate those skimpy plastic bags that are 1. a damn waste of resources, and 2. almost always end up in the landfill after a single use (unless you’re the hub’s grandmother, who reuses them to give away her homemade tortillas). You might want to use Evert Fresh green bags instead, however, if you’re El Stupido like me and frequently forget to shake the water off veggies before bagging them, leaving a ghoulish, watery trail dripping behind you. The green bags are reusable so all you have to do is wash them (or at least dry them) before your next supermarket excursion.
Debbie said,
April 1, 2006 at 12:20 am
I’ve got to get some of those produce bags, I take my own shopping bags to the store and more often than not have to stop the cashiers from putting my produce in plastic bags before they put them in my bags (they apparently don’t approve of “naked” produce). When I ask them why they want to do that, they shrug their shoulders and say “it just seems like they should be in plastic.” I had one (very young) cashier tell me “you know you should wash those apples since they’ve been on the belt, right?” I just laughed at her.
The Worsted Witch » It’s Getting Hot in Here said,
May 2, 2006 at 3:25 pm
[...] 7. Always recycle. You’re saving raw resources that need to be mined or harvested. In fact, stop wasting resources by bringing your own commuter cup to your coffee shop, and use strong canvas bags instead of plastic bags for groceries. [...]
The Worsted Witch » Bring Your Ever-Lovin’ Own said,
June 15, 2006 at 11:38 am
[...] Now both Anna and I could continue to quote numbers until we’re blue in the face, but the fact is it doesn’t take very much additional effort to simply bring your own bag or mug—even your own tupperware for takeout lunches. For some people, change may be terrifying, but give it a shot for a few days, and I promise you, it’ll soon become second nature. [...]
The Worsted Witch » Paper Nor Plastic said,
July 25, 2006 at 8:26 pm
[...] The bags at Paper Nor Plastic remind me a great deal of the ones I already use to bag my groceries—down to the nifty way both heavy-duty types fold to the size of a flattened brown paper bag—and I wouldn’t be surprised if they shared the same manufacturer. One notable difference, however: The ACME Earth Tote is made from Cordura nylon, while Paper Nor Plastic’s are made from vinyl-backed polyester. Both nylon and polyester are petroleum-derived, which admittedly isn’t terribly sustainable in the first place, but we all know how I feel in particular about vinyl, that most vile of textiles. [...]
The Worsted Witch » To Market, To Market said,
July 23, 2007 at 9:16 am
[...] Related posts: 1. Big Brown Bags 2. Neither Paper Nor Plastic: An Ecological Intervention 3. Plastic Bag Ban: Friend or Faux Pas? [...]