WEEK 1: PLASTIC BAGS

STOP accepting Plastic, Paper & Shopping bags. START using Reusable Bags

I. PROBLEM

When it comes to a ban on plastic, we initially target plastic bags. Always. Why? Well, there’s a reason behind it. (Source)

1. They are extremely expensive and hard to recycle.
2. Have an average life span of 12 minutes. Utterly POINTLESS.
3. Damage the waste sorting machines and clog drains.
4. Over 1 million sea animals die each year trying to ingest plastic bags.

Less than 1 percent of plastic bags are recycled every year

Their purpose? Lining trash cans.(Soon, I’ll discuss how this can be avoided)

II. SOLUTION: Reusable Bags

cotton, jute, recycled plastic or just old plastic bags — all reused repeatedly.

The only problem is that YOU FORGET TO CARRY IT. Of course I’d carry my groceries in my reusable bag if I had with me.

So…make carrying reusable bags a HABIT. What if you just always had it with you?

III. THE HABIT

I’ve placed 5 bags with my most-used items.

(1) KEY CHAIN

A recycled plastic packable chico bag. It’s made it much easier to find my keys!

(2) WALLET

An old plastic bag

(3) PHONE

An old plastic bag.

(4) BAGPACK

A cotton bag

(5) MY PURSE (S)

A cotton bag.

OTHER SUGGESTIONS

1. Car/Bike — My parents keep 2 bags in the back of our car :)
2. Kids Stroller — If you have kids.
3. Travel Bags — I have a bag in all of my luggage (I got it with the bags! :))

IV. SOURCES TO BUY

Use bags that you have at home and AVOID buying a new one.

If you don’t have any and want to invest in one — look for Packable Chico Bags or Cotton Foldable Totes in the following order:

USA

1. Want them for Free? Do a CS degree and wait in line at career fairs. Or run marathons. You’ll get tons of free ones at these events!
2. Find Chico Bags or Ecofriendly stores near you (confirm by calling the store). By visiting the store you might also get to explore other options!
3. Whole Foods near you.
4. Amazon
5. Etsy
6. Cafepress

India

1. Go to bag stores near you and request them to order “packable bags” for you. Show them a sample picture for reference. It’s very common in Bangalore these days and my parents use them :)
2. Cotton or jute totes can be found in many local gift shops or organic stores.

V. TIPS:

1. REPLACE YOUR BAG AFTER YOU USE IT.

Come home, remove the items from the bag and REPLACE it.

Once you do it, pat yourself.

2. WASH YOUR BAGS REGULARLY

Wash your bags with your clothes. If they’re plastic, hand wash them.

Ensure you air dry them well before replacing it.

VI. DISCUSSION

1. Wait..so you are still using plastic bags right?

Yes, but one is a recycled chico bag and the rest are ones I already had. Also, I’ll reuse them so many times that it would outweigh the effects of using a new bag each time.

2. Paper bags Vs Plastic bags.

Aren’t paper bags better? Nope. Both suck.

It’s war that’ll never end. While paper bags seem like they are better as they can biodegrade — it comes from trees, uses tons of water and chemicals to produce, fossil fuels to be transported as they are heavier, and if they end up in a landfill, they stay there virtually forever like plastic.

Avoid Both. Just use reusable bags of any form, and reuse the hell out of it.

3. Recycle your plastic bags

If you have extra plastic bags, take them to stores like Whole foods or Home Depot where you can return plastic bags for recycling. Ask stores near you if they take back plastic bags and avoid discarding them into a trash can.

VII. LOVE

If you end up using a new plastic bag by mistake or forget to carry one with you — don’t hate yourself or give up. Keep doing this regularly and avoid using new bags as much as you can. You’ll get a hang of it. :)

You might also get (really) frustrated seeing people around you using thousands of bags. Trust me. Every bag makes a difference.

Shop in style and save the planet while you’re at it? Yes, please.

Lots of love,

Meghna