Plastic Bags - Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle Them

I have several reusable tote bags that I shop with regularly, but I still have an abundance of plastic bags piling up in my pantry. I readily admit that there have been times I’ve forgotten all about my reusable bags until I was in the checkout line. It took a little effort, but I finally learned that if I don’t put the bags back in the car after unloading the groceries, they will never make it off the garage doorknob. So what is the big deal about plastic bags anyway? Why bother trying to remember a reusable tote? Plastic shopping bags are made from natural gas, a finite resource of which recent extraction techniques have caused environmental concerns. Plastic bags are lightweight and frequently become airborne litter problems, landing in trees and even finding their way to the ocean where sea turtles mistake them for jellyfish. They are highly reusable and recyclable too! Several cities and countries around the world have banned plastic bags or charge fees for their use, but have yet to achieve the outright results of ridding the world of plastic bags or litter.

Reducing one's dependence on them to easily haul purchases to the car is simple: take a reusable tote! The hard part comes in trying to remember it. Most stores sell their own for about a dollar. They are also the hottest giveaway item at fairs and festivals. I have acquired all of mine for free. Look for the Rappahannock Regional Solid Waste Management Board or the Fredericksburg Clean and Green Commission at community events in Stafford and Fredericksburg and get one of our free blue and white BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag) bags. Just last month, I gave away 100 to incoming freshmen at the University of Mary Washington.

Even with reusable tote bags, plastic bags seem to multiply around my house, especially bread bags, newspaper sleeves, and dry cleaning bags. Reusing them is incredibly easy! Some ways I reuse bags include scooping up after my pooch when we go for a walk, lining the wastebasket in the bathrooms, bringing home wet bathing suits and towels from the beach, pool, or water play day at daycare and packing shoes when traveling. There are many websites that provide instructions for plastic bag crafts, like knitting with plarn or plastic yarn. Please share any creative ways you reuse plastic bags in the comments below.

Did you know all of these bags and plastic film like the overwrap on toilet paper can be recycled too? Stuff them inside one of your grocery bags and take them back to the store. Many local retailers recycle their grocery bags with Trex, a wood-alternative decking company headquarterered in Winchester, VA. Check out their green manufacturing practices at www.trex.com. Visit www.abagslife.com and enter your zip code to find a plastic bag recycler near you.

Fun facts:

70% of all plastic bags recycled in the U.S. are part of an in-store collection program for Trex.

3.1 billion grocery bags were collected for use to manufacture Trex products in 2010.