I can’t remember the year that I received my first reusable bag as a gift but I’m still using it. Yes, it has a hole in the bottom of it, but I still use it for large items or dirty laundry when we travel/camp. It’s one that I can roll up and fit in my purse, so that whenever I need an extra bag, I have one. Since that one bag, I’ve had another one that went into a little pouch (it’s currently in the basement holding old photos as the handles are on the verge of ripping), I have a flower one that is also almost done but can be used for light things (still in my purse), I have a spotted one, a green one and a sling style one – all of these either fold into a pouch or roll up into themselves. They are also still in my purse/bag, ready to be used. So in total, I have 5 reusable bags in my purse. Now I wish I had kept track of how many single use bags I’ve said ‘no thank you’ to over the years, as I not only use them for groceries but also for trips to the mall or leftovers from restaurants. I also keep reusable grocery bags in the car that don’t fit into my purse. Maybe I need to keep track of how many bags, I can decline in one month’s time. There have been a few times in the past that people have forgotten that I said no thank you to a bag or I’ve forgotten to speak up fast enough. I do find now that people are more receptive to me having my own bag as there has been so much publicity on single use plastic bags and some stores now charge for bags, so they ask if you’d like a bag. I appreciate the businesses that ask whether or not you’d like a bag, because it makes us think, oh can I fit that in my purse or just carry it as is? If we do get plastic bags, we either reuse them or recycle them. I’m going to think about what other single use items I can reduce/eliminate from my daily life. I’ll follow up with my ideas in a future blog. Thanks for reading!
Meghan Wagner