Kick your Plastic Bag Habit - here's how!

You've heard it all already - how plastic bags are used for an average of 7 minutes then discarded. How they take thousands barrels of petroleum a year to make. How they end up in landfills to slowly disintegrate over hundreds of years. You have in fact heard all that, I'm sure.

So how to go from knowing plastic bags are a drag, to actually decreasing your use of plastic bags? Everyone tries, but I'm sure everyone can think of a time they ended up at the checkout reusable-bag free. Here's a few tips on the easiest ways to eliminate (or at least massively decrease) your bag usage.

Invest in good, robust reusable bags. A flimsy one that you don't trust, you won't use. Big ones with durable handles - especially ones you can put over your shoulder - are best. Even better are ones made from recycled or sustainable materials. The bags available at Loblaws or other PC stores are made from recycled plastics; bags sold at Lush cosmetics are free trade cotton. The more ways in which your bag is better for the planet, the better you'll feel about using it.

Keep your reusable bags where you will remember to take them with you. This is crucial. If you don't have them, you can't use them. Ours are hung by the door we use every day. It's not as obsessively neat as my husband would prefer, but it's far easier to remember to grab them on the way out if they're directly in my line of sight as I dash out the door. Even better, if you drive to the grocery store, then keep the bags in the car - get in to the habit of always tossing them back in when you're finished.

Keep a compact, foldable bag stashed away for emergencies. Tuck one into your handbag, knapsack, glove compartment, anyplace easy and convenient. Having one of these will save your bacon should you really, really need a bag and have totally, totally forgotten one. Generally, these bags are good for lighter loads, which means they're best for "emergencies only". Don't have a purse-sized reusable bag? Then fold up a plastic bag from your last shopping trip and put that in your handbag to reuse - how easy is that? I have three bags from Flip and Tumble and they work fantastically for this sort of thing. This practice alone has saved me several should-I-take-a-plastic-bag/awkward having-to-carry-it-all-out in my hands moments.

Use a carry basket when you're shopping. If you're just running out for a few things, use a shopping basket to pick up your purchases - or even better, use the reusable bag you brought with you - rather than a shopping cart. Being aware of the weight of your purchases will keep you conscious of what you can carry, preventing you from throwing those extra few pieces into your purchase - a practice which might lead you to need another bag to carry it out.

Learn to say "I don't need a bag". Just say no - because a lot of the time, you'll be pleasantly surprised to find that you really don't need a bag at all.

That's it? That's it. It's really that simple - and once you start using your own bags you'll wonder why you'd ever use flimsy, hard to carry plastic ones in the first place.

Have any more tips? Please leave them in the comments... and happy shopping!

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Kick your Plastic Bag Habit - here's how!

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