Oct 2021: Reusable Bag Rituals

Hi everyone, and welcome back to the blog! I am so grateful for your readership and just wanted to take a moment to thank those of you who have been reading my posts for years now. I also want to thank and give a warm welcome to anyone who is new to the blog! 😊

In this post we will be discussing reusable bags. In many people’s sustainability journeys, bringing reusable bags to the grocery store is often one of the first steps. Although it can be considered a simple step, it is a critically important practice because many of us shop pretty often (many trips to different stores throughout the week). If we don’t have a reusable bag on hand, a single-use bag becomes necessary (now often at a cost), which is either made of paper or plastic. While paper may be considered the better choice over plastic due to its ability to biodegrade, and due to plastic bags’ ability to persist for decades to hundreds of years, both bag types are still less sustainable than multi-use (or reusable) bags. Plus, as many of us may have heard, single-use plastic bags that make their way to the ocean can often mimic sea creatures (i.e. jellyfish), threatening sea life by tricking them into eating the bags (leading to eventual death by clogging their digestive system). Not surprisingly, plastic bags are one of the most persistent polluters in many natural ecosystems.

Using single-use bags is less sustainable because, with every trip to the store, you generate the waste of a single-use bag, versus when you opt for a reusable bag, you only generate waste at the very end of the reusable bag’s life (5-10 years or more?). Therefore, your per-shopping-trip waste is far less when using the reusable bag than the single-use bag. On the other hand, one might say, “but I can reuse the paper and plastic single-use bags!”. While this is certainly true (and great if you do!), a more effective solution to the problem is to eventually cut off the source (origin) of single-use bags, so that you don’t have to be creative with how you end up reusing them. Instead, if they're simply never used, you’re not fueling the industry to produce more, and you end up generating less of an environmental impact. Furthermore, an added benefit of opting for reusables is you don’t end up with a drawer or cabinet space full of leftover bags (dubbed the “bag drawer”, see photo below). Ending up with less clutter is something I’m sure we can all appreciate! 😉

This discussion is symbolized by one of the earliest mantras of the sustainability movement (also known as the “three R’s”): REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE. While this saying may feel old or cliché to those who have been interested in environmental issues for a while, it continues to be relevant. REDUCE is the first “R” listed because the greatest effect you can have on reducing your environmental impact is to simply reduce how much you consume. REUSE is next because in order to minimize your impact, it is best to use (and reuse) the items that already currently exist or that you already currently own. Finally, RECYCLE comes last for items that simply can’t be used (or aren’t functional) anymore (ideally re-directing them from disposal in a landfill). By refusing single-use bags and donning your reusable bag at the store, you are actively embodying the first two components of the 3 R’s (REDUCE and REUSE)!

The grocery store isn’t the only place we can bring our reusable bag. It can be used at any location where you buy a product and want to carry it home with you. This could be when ordering takeout (tip: when calling ahead, ask for “no plastic bag please” and put the items in your bag when you arrive). You could also use them at your favorite clothes shop or when checking out the thrift store! By reducing your waste every time you shop, you are immediately making your actions more sustainable and reducing your strain on the planet’s resources.

All of this sounds awesome, right? But what if you can’t use your reusable bag because you forgot it at home? In my (and many of my friends’) experience, this is one of the BIGGEST hurdles to making reusable bags a way of life. If we’re not used to the practice of bringing them with us, and we don’t leave ourselves reminders to do so, it can be difficult to make it happen. This is where reusable bag “rituals” come in handy! We can create some rituals to make sure we remember our bags before leaving the front door of our homes. Here are a few suggestions:

1) By the Front Door: if there is a coat or storage closet next to your front door, hang the bags on the handle of the door when you’re done using them. That way, you’ll see them the next time you’re on your way out the door, and will remember to grab them!

2) Clip it to Your Bag: use a bag that packs into itself compactly and clips onto a bag, so that you can attach it to your purse, backpack, or work bag and always have it with you on the go! LOVE Bags’ STASH IT bag is a great choice! Check out this cute one with succulents on it.

3) In the Car: If driving is your main mode of transportation, choose a spot in your car where you’ll always put them (and will know to grab them when you get out of the car and into the store). One spot might be the pockets on the backside of your seats?

Ignore my sandy/dirty seats!

4) Phone Reminder: to get yourself in the habit of remembering, set a phone reminder to alert you around the time you leave the house in the morning (or afternoon for errands), so that you’ll remember to bring your bags!

5) Get Creative: Find something that works for you! Remember that no one is perfect on their sustainability journey, but every little action is a step in the right direction and helps the greater goal. We are in this together!

Now that we have some new rituals to remember our bags, why not be stylish when doing so? LOVE Bags (as mentioned above) is an awesome company selling reusable bags that are not only durable and well-designed, but are also made using recycled plastic bottles (rPET). (Therefore, these incorporate both RECYCLE and REUSE from the three R’s above!). While the STASH IT bag is a nifty design for on-the-go, LOVE Bags also offers a wide range of tote bags, pouches, and even coolers to help you cut down your ecological footprint in style. 😉

Check out this cute tote bag from LOVE Bags!

LOVE Bags has offered our readers a special one-time 20% off discount, using the code KAILI20. Thank you to Joe and LOVE Bags for this opportunity!

So. what do you think? Are you ready to establish YOUR reusable bag ritual? 😊

#reusablebags #LOVEBags #refusesingleuseplastic #plasticbagban