Switched from plastic bags to reusable produce bags last year, finally realizing I was the problem

I used to grab a new plastic bag for every apple or orange at the grocery store, thinking it was no big deal until I counted 40 bags from one trip. Six months later, I still wonder if the cotton bags are actually better or just feel better. Anyone else have that moment where you realized your "small" habit was a bigger deal than you thought?

3 comments

3 Comments

oliver22mo ago

That's a solid question about the cotton bags. Have you actually washed them yet? I read somewhere that unbleached cotton has a bigger water footprint than making plastic bags if you factor in growing the cotton and washing it regularly. Curious what your math turned up on that.

the_ryan2mo ago

oliver2 I actually looked into this pretty deep and came away thinking the cotton bag hate is overblown. A cotton bag needs to be used about 50-100 times to beat plastic, but the plastic bag stats usually ignore that most plastic bags end up in landfills or oceans after one use. The water footprint thing is real, but it mostly depends on where the cotton is grown - rainfed cotton in India or Turkey uses way less water than irrigated cotton in dry areas. And you don't need to wash a tote after every trip, maybe once a month unless it gets dirty, which cuts the water impact way down. The real problem with plastic is that it never breaks down, while cotton will rot in a year if it ends up in a ditch.

shaneb1629d ago

Wait are we really acting like 40 produce bags is some huge moral failing? lol I mean come on, its plastic bags for apples, not dumping oil in the ocean. I get that waste adds up but people act like using a few extra bags makes you personally responsible for the whole Pacific garbage patch. Cotton bags probably help a little but I bet half the people switching are just buying more stuff they dont need wrapped in cardboard and plastic anyway. Feels like we're all just trying to feel good about ourselves without actually changing much. Not saying do nothing but maybe chill out a bit on the guilt trip.