Every year at the Minnesota State Fair my alma mater, the University of St. Thomas, hands out bags. This year instead of their typical cloth bags they handed out reusable grocery bags. My wife and I were able to snag four bags in total (we went to the Fair twice and got bags both times).
While it seems a (very) large majority of people still use the throwaway grocery bags, I thought it would be interesting to look at the pros and cons of reusable grocery bags.
Pros of reusable bags
- Environmentally Friendly
Every day thousands of plastic (and paper) grocery bags find their way to landfills. This is one reason why cities such as Los Angelos are moving to ban plastic and paper bags. Reusable bags can be used over and over and reduce waste.
- Discounts for use
Some stores give discounts if you use reusable bags vs. using plastic and paper bags. I know that Target offers a .05 discount for each reusable bag. While the savings might be small, it’s still a savings. Over time you would save money, especially if you got your reusable bags for free.
- Durability
These reusable bags are not flimsy; they are made to last and you shouldn’t have to worry about the handles tearing off or the bags ripping under the weight of heavy groceries.
Cons of reusable bags
- They spread bacteria and disease
As reported by Rachael Rettner, reusable bags can play a role in the spread of disease. Reusable grocery bags need to be cleaned and disinfected regularly or they can become an easy way for bacteria to spread.
- Inconvenient
Not only do reusable bags need ot be cleaned and disinfected, they also need to be remembered. If you forget to bring them to the store, it defeats the whole purpose. These may be minor inconveniences, but it is still true that using the throwaway bags are easier than using reusable ones.
Should you use reusable bags? As with most things, there are pros and cons to consider. Ultimately, using reusable bags will help the environment, but there are inconveniences that come with using them.
What are your thoughts on reusable grocery bags? Do you use them?
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Photo by David Carlson
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We have some and I can NEVER REMEMBER to bring them to the grocery store. We have talked about it a zillion times. Someone suggested keeping hem in my car. That is probably a good idea!
@Holly at ClubThrifty Haha I can see how that can happen and keeping them in the car seems like one of the few ways to avoid forgetting them.
DC, I don’t know if you remember, but in Hawaii, we had to purchase the reusable bags ‘cuz they have had a ban on plastic bags for some time. I took a couple of them home with me and never bring them anywhere. I should, but I just forget them. I guess if the store didn’t provide plastic bags to use, I would remember them. A person can keep them in the car, but you carry your groceries into the house and then don’t feel like going back out to the car. Thus, you leave them at home. At least that is what I do. I do think it is a good idea, but then I would have to purchase garbage bags for my small garbage cans.
@RobertaRenstromNyquist Yeah there is definitely issues with remembering them. You can’t win! But now that you mention it, I do remember having to buy those bags in Hawaii.
I try to use them whenever I can. I usually forget to bring them with me. Similar to what Roberta said below, I went to Kauai earlier this year and they don’t have any.
@SenseofCents It seems like most people forget them!
We have them and use them relatively regularly. But when I don’t I do it on purpose. I like have plastic bags handy for picking up dog waste and storing soiled clothes in when an accident happens away from home. So, 10% of the time i use plastic bags so I can restock on them.
@Em23 I use plastic bags to bring my lunch and other crap to and from work, so I do the same thing. Once I have a dog I imagine I will have even more incentive to stock up on them.
Typically, we use reusable bags, but ask for one plastic bag for raw meats. I feel this eliminates the biggest threat of disease or bacteria. I do think it is very important to use reusable bags whenever possible.
@MoniqueSeibel Ah great tip!
I never thought about the bacteria, DC! Holly, if you’re like me, you’ll put them in your car and say “problem solved!” only to forget to bring them in from your car to the grocery store. :)
-M
@seedebtrun A had a communications teacher who was pretty passionate about how they transfer bacteria. It’s stuck with me.
I never use reusable grocery bags and now that you mention bacteria I never will. We always use plastic bags at the grocery store because they also work well for dog waste bags.
@OneSmartDollar I haven’t watched a dog for a while (and I don’t have my own) so I completely forgot how useful they are for dog waste. Great point.
I don’t use them because I would always forget them. I also reuse the grocery bags at least once before I trash them either for my dog or my lunch.
@Money Life and More Same here, use them for lunch every day.
I usually have a couple in my car, but like anything it took awhile for using reusable grocery bags to become a habit. I even use them when I go shopping too because I don’t want my cupboards to be full of plastic bags. I don’t find them a hassle to clean, I just throw them in with the rest of my laundry.
@MakintheBacon Didn’t even think about throwing them in the laundry…that just might work.
I love reusable bags because you can just put tons of stuff in them. I hate it when the clerk puts two things in a plastic bag and you end up with 40 bags per trip. I do need to wash ours though. Thinking about germs now, ew!
@Eyesonthedollar I actually like to stock up on the plastic bags because I use them for so many things :0
We use reusable clothes bag and wash every two weeks. I don’t thing I’ll ever catch bacteria.
@One Cent at a Time Nice as long as you wash them sounds like they should be fine.
I have to say I was never really a fan of the cloth reusable bags, always preffered paper. But then the wife bought some and started using them for grocery shopping and I know I’m not the only one who does this but I try to carry everything in on one trip. Well with paper bags you would get the occasional tear which leads to having to clean up the spill. That doesn’t happen anymore and I can make it all the way in the house without having to do a second trip.
@DebtnTaxes Nice, you don’t want to be cleaning up spills!