I feel sometimes like I'm the only one using the recycle bags at the supermarket..in fact the other day I definately was..I looked around and could see no-one else...but oddly everyone looked guilty when they saw my trolley full of them.
If you aren't using them...why not?
I can think of one good reason...some checkout operators aren't very good at packing them!
Plastic bags
I haven't yet managed to completely eradicate plastic bags from my home but I have reduced their number drastically. It's a work in progress.
Forgotten Bags
"but oddly everyone looked guilty when they saw my trolley full of them."
Like me they have the recycling bags but keep forgetting them - or have filled them up "temporarily" with other junk!
Noel
Bad habits
I know exactly what you're talking about Noel. I have had recycling bags in the back of my car for months but haven't once remembered to take them with me when I do the groceries. After reading this forum though I am going to change my bad habits and make an effort to remember next time! I challenge you to do the same ;-)
Cookee.
I was the same
That's the way I was. Always forgetting my recycle bags. Everytime I realised I had forgotton it made me feel guilty until I put one in my pocket as a matter of habit evertime I go out. I still occasionally forget this but not very often.
G J Goodsir
I keep mine in the car
I don't walk around the supermarket with my trolly full of reuseable bags, we just keep them in the boot and load up when we take the trolley out to the car. It might make a difference that we shop at pak n save where we pack our own bags anyway.
I hate plastic bags for the
I hate plastic bags for the havoc they cause all over the world. They clog stormwater drains kill dolphins pollute everything and never decompose. Take a moment to think - what did people do before these bags were invented?
I keep lots of reusable bags in the car. and if I am shopping for only a couple of things I usually refuse any bag at checkout.
Please Say NO To Plastic Bags wherever you can
self check outs at supermarkets
As a family, we usually use the self checkouts at our local pak n save - I haven't seen others doing it, but you can hang your own reusable bags and use them rather than the plastic ones provided.
Using Self Checkouts
I started trying out the new self checkouts at the local New World. When I replace the plastic bag with my recycle bag, the voice says "Unexpected item in baggage area and the staff member has to come over and press "Store Login" then wave a tag or something in front of the price code reader, so I always seem to slow things down a bit. Surely they could have this fixed.
G J Goodsir
I use recycle bags at the
I use recycle bags at the supermarket. They are great! especially when I am shopping at pak-n-save. The only downside we discovered is we don't have bin-liners anymore for our kitchen bin (we used plastic bags for this). Has anyone had this issue? I don't know what to replace the bin liners with. Maybe there are heavy paper bin liners that I need to source.
We use our compost for foodscraps, so its not hugely messy rubbish.
I think people aren't using the recycle bags mainly because they forget to take them, and others are out of the loop?
Use a little fantastic plastic now and again
We've reduced the number of plastic shopping bags we use, but still get a few now and again for things like bin liners, where they're really convenient. I don't think a few now and again is going to have any significant damaging effect on the environment.
you can buy bio degradable
you can buy bio degradable rubbish bags from supermarkets and biodegradable bags from some wholefood stores if that helps?
Do you still use plastic bags?
I am a Kiwi living in the UK. I have been using recyled bags for over 12 months now and in the last month the supermarkets have started to catch up. If you forget your own bags you have to pay for them.