Plastic bags blowin' in the wind...

I hate plastic sacks. The blue ones (you know who they belong to) and white ones blowing around the streets, parks, yards and even on campus. The sound of them is like fingernails on a chalk board. In the past, when forced to go from paper to plastic, I would re-use them as garbage bags. All the while thinking that I was doing "my part".

How wrong I was.

What I needed to do was refuse them all together and use bio garbage bags. And if I was recycling the way I should, I would have at least 30% less garbage anyway.

So I made a New Year's goal, not a resolution as those tend to fail, but a goal to eliminate all plastic bags from my life. I've done pretty good. I use all-cotton washable bags for shopping. I find that if I keep them in the car and transfer my wallet to an empty bag I am more prone to remember to use it. Last week while at the Piggly Wiggly (love that name, hate the store) I forgot to take in my bag. The check out line was short so there was no time to run back to the car so I just asked the cashier to hand the items back to me and I put them back into the cart UNBAGGED! Horrors! You would have thought I had asked to go naked in the store! When I convinced her and the bag-carryout-guy that I wasn't up to something sneaky I took my own cart out (bag guy wanted nothing to do with the whole thing), placed my purchased items in my cotton bags and returned the cart to the store. Easy enough!

I found my new grocery bags in my own closet. It's amazing what you can make do with. I originally thought I should go out and BUY new bags but further thought made me realize that I would be defeating my purpose somewhat. It's all about re-use, reduce and recycle. Think that through the next time you get a bright "Green" idea and make sure that is really is what is best.

Final note: Click on the title of this entry (Plastic Bags blowing in the wind) and check out Wal-mart's reusable bag program. Not too bad if you must go to Walmart!