A million bags

[moreace01]

On the biodegradable note, look for these: BioBags

I can personally attest that these do break down.  We keep a small bin inside for collecting bits to go to the compost heap and use these bags as they can get composted.  If the contents are damp, the bags start to break down within a couple of days so we have to plan accordingly.

pansophia - than you for that confirmation and recommendation! I will look into it (and I see we have come up with yet another use for GMO corn?!)

[feedmec00kies]

But they might also be pissy because loading fabric bags is, believe it or not, much harder on the clerks!  I discussed this with a clerk in my local supermarket and she pointed out that their whole system is designed for the plastic bags to hang at just the right height for easy packing.  Canvas and other bags brought from home simply will not fit this system and the clerk is now trying to load bags at a very uncomfortable height and it becomes very tiring!  So that's the other side of the story.

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True, and a good point. However, I always load my own bags when I have cloth, and frequently pack my own plastic bags in the stores with the angry clerks (the groceries weren't packed directly into the plastic bags, so it was faster if I just took things and packed). I like to make sure my produce doesn't get squished, and that things are somewhat balanced for the walk. Plus my mom trained me to pack my own! I'm probably just annoyed because I always have/had issues at that supermarket in particular, probably because it's almost always busy and probably understaffed by the managers... I've stopped going because there's almost no benefit to me (financially, distance and time-wise, and in terms of selection).

[feedmec00kies]

On the biodegradable note, look for these: BioBags

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I wish those were more widespread. I've only seen a bag like that once, when I was in Brussels, Belgium at Cantillon Brewery. The woman who put our things in the bag was very proud of their biodegradable bags when I said, "Hey, cool!"

[Torrilin]

As for the bagging, not only does Trader Joe's actively encourage reuseable bags but I'm convinced they are better trained on bagging.  I never seem to leave there with more than two bags, no matter how much I buy.  It's either magic, or really good bagging skills.

Neither. Trader Joe's tends to have very good prices for a "regular" grocery store and tends to provide the right size of staples for a single person or couple. So if you're trying to be frugal, they're a good place to shop. And even a weekly stock up trip for a couple doesn't tend to need more than 2 grocery bags.

In some areas, TJs is also a favorite store for larger families, and then you'll see carts just stuffed with food and many more bags.

[helenjp]

More and more supermarkets are starting to charge for plastic bags in Japan.

The resuable bags I like best are the square canvas freebies from the donut shop, and the rectangular canvas freebies from computer shows! The square ones are perfect for bulky and heavy things like cabbages or flat packs of meat, the tall ones are great for bottles, cartons of milk, etc.

The home-made drag bags are capacious but not cool, and the nylon fold-up bags are compact but not so strong, not so easy to pack, and often narrow at the top (stupid idea!).

As for "I-forgot-my-bag"-itis, a furoshiki or Japanese wrapping cloth is great, because I can fold it flat and stick it straight into my bag again, all ready for those days when I can't walk past the green grocer's without falling in love with something bulky but cheap.

[dockhl]

As for the bagging, not only does Trader Joe's actively encourage reuseable bags but I'm convinced they are better trained on bagging.  I never seem to leave there with more than two bags, no matter how much I buy.  It's either magic, or really good bagging skills.

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They definitely are. I have a burlap TJ bag with bamboo handles (vintage!) that has a place for three bottles of wine. These fold flat if you don't need them. When I shop there, the cashier always manages to fill it perfectly to the top, well balanced and organized. Sometimes I need another bag, but only if there is NO MORE ROOM in the first ;-)

[Pierogi]

Has anyone else noticed the problem I alluded to in my previous post: little holes in the bottom of the plastic bags?

Abso-FREAKIN'-lutely !!!

I have, for about 10,000 years, used the grocery store plastic bags for my kitchen trash can bags. I absolutely REFUSE to pay MONEY for something I'm using for my trash ! Since I'm single, the small grocery store bags work perfectly for me. One bag pretty much equals one day's worth of garbage. I would say in the last 2 years, I've noticed about a 50% increase in unuseable bags due to the little nasty holes. Those go right into the recycling bin, which fortunately, in my city, will take the plastic grocery bags.

More annoying is when I *don't* notice the evil holes, and dump my coffee grounds or other goopy garbage into the can, and then discover the sludge in the bottom. ERRRRRRRRRR.

I hoard the larger bags (like from Target or the home improvement places) for mega-cooking days. But I do use reusables about 50% of the time, since the small plastic ones do tend to ummmm, accumulate. I think they breed when no one's looking, but....

However, for this reason, I am so completely opposed to banning or charging for these bags. Then, excuse me, I'll have to *PAY* for *MORE* plastic I'm just going to throw away ! I don't think so...........