What’s your favorite reusable bag?

There are so many types of reusable grocery bags. I started using them more once I found my favorite type.

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My introduction to reusable grocery bags were the big square bags that you can purchase from grocery stores like these adorable ones from Amazon. I collected gobs of them since they were so good for the environment (and usually free or very cheap). Well turns out having the reusable bag is a different story from using the reusable bag. Hubby and I would be halfway to the grocery store and one of us would ask, “Did you bring the bags?” Usually the answer was, “No…oh well.”

I thought moving the bags in my trunk would be the solution, and it helped, but I was still plagued by other problems. I would have to remember the bags were in the car before entering the store. Or I would have to run back out to the car. Then if they were used I’d have to remember to put them back in my car for next time. Also my husband drove most of the time and we never would remember to put bags in his car. So while it did help, they mostly just stayed in the trunk. I've since learned the trick of putting them by the door so you see them when you head back out to the car.

Example of the big square bags. Foldablebags.com 

Then for Christmas one year I got a small reusable bag as a stocking stuffer similar to these* or these*. I thought it was a great idea, it folded up into this little 2 inch cube. I could carry it in my purse! Unfortunately it had to be folded up in a very exact way, and very tightly, otherwise it wouldn’t snap close and you’d just have a loose bag to deal with.

Have you ever tried rolling up a sleeping bag only to have it not fit back in its pouch, so you have to keep re-rolling it tighter and tighter until it finally fits? It’s annoying, and dealing with that bag was the same thing. I must not be the only one with that problem, because the examples I show above seem to be designed better, thank goodness.

I was also in a different phase of life, so while I may have carried it around and had it physically in my presence more I still didn’t use it much. I’d like to think that if I were to receive one now I’d use it a lot, but the hassle with putting it back I doubt it would be a go-to.

When I moved to Hawaii I was given a free reusable bag for signing a petition to refuse plastic bags. This bag was revolutionary to me. It was a soft sided bag that came with its own pouch! Rather than having to roll or fold the bag to make sure it fit, I could just cram it in the bag and it had extra room to spare. This made storage a little bigger, but it was still only about the size of a sunglasses case so it easily fit in my purse. Also the pouch was attached to the bag. You didn’t have to worry about losing it.

My free bag from Plastic Free Hawaii. See how it fits nicely into a small bag!

Having a plastic bag in my purse at all times meant that I didn’t have to pre-plan trips or run out to the car to get bags. When we would be halfway somewhere I could finally answer, “Yes, I have bags in my purse!” It was also water resistant and washable so if something spilled I could either wipe it up or throw it in the washing machine (I think you were technically supposed to only hand wash it, but it was fine in the washing machine the few times I washed it). That bag lasted me about two years before some of the stitching in the handles started coming apart.

In the meantime I had bought a bag from EnvBags. They were very similar to my favorite bags with a few differences. What first drew them to me, was their fun prints! No longer did I need to have a boring light blue bag with a logo on it, I could have one with fun fish*! Next, the bag is sturdier than ones I've had before. It is still a soft sided bag, but it has a little more heft to it. Finally it has a gusset (whatever the heck that is), but it means it has a flat bottom which helps it carry more things. Gone are the days where I would get 5 bags for 7 items…it all fits in this bag. They say it can hold up to 40 lbs. and I am surprised by how much it can carry. To store it has a similar fold and snap closure like the bag from before, but the bag nearly folds itself and the snap straps are very generous. I sometimes even roll it too tight!

Rolled EnvBag

For me the biggest downside is the bag comes with a pouch. However the pouch is detachable from the bag. You can attach them, but I’m lazy and never would. So for me the pouch became waste, although one could easily repurpose it.

The EnvBag bags in use

Now technically these bags are still plastic since they are made of nylon. A better alternative would be to use a cloth bag such as these* I love that they roll up too! However in my attempts to conserve plastic I won't be on the hunt to replace these bags until they no longer work. EnV Bags will provide you a way to recycle their bags if you contact them, which is very nice of them to offer.

So what was your reusable bag journey? Do you have a favorite bag to use when you #skipthebag?

Love using your bags? Check out the #SkipTheBag Challenge.

*This post contains affiliate links, not a sponsored post. See my disclosures.

Recycling Programs: Hawaii, Florida, Oregon

We’ve lived many different places and it is very interesting to see how different cities handle their waste. I grew up in the Portland Metro Area in the Northwest where there was a culture of recycling and bottle deposits and caring for the environment. When I moved to Florida it was a bit of culture shock to see how different things were. (I talked about Oregon so much my friends called my comparisons Oregon-isms!) Well Oregon has continued to grow in their conservation efforts. So today I’m going to share the sanitation services (garbage, recycling, yard/compost) of Kailua, Hawaii and Pensacola, Florida to those of Portland, Oregon.

Recycling Bins Photo courtesy of Terence Ong

Kailua

Kailua has weekly trash services with yard and recycling pick-up every other week. They provide gray bins for trash, blue for recycling, and green for yard waste. In the recycling container they allow numbers 1 and 2 plastics, newspaper, corrugated cardboard, paper bags, glass bottles and jars, and metal cans. They do not allow plastics numbered 3-7, magazines, other glossy paper, or cereal/cracker boxes. They yard waste is for grass and tree trimmings. The trash can is for everything else. Hawaii has a 5 cent bottle deposit on most of their beverage containers to try and encourage people to return their bottles to the store, but the others can be recycled if they meet the requirements.

Pensacola

Pensacola has weekly sanitation services. They provide black bins for trash and brown bins for recyclable items. Yard waste is also picked up weekly, but they ask that items are placed on the side of the road (not in a bin). Items like branches are just put in a pile and they have a crane which picks up the debris and loads it into the truck. They just sent out a letter requesting that customers no longer put smaller debris like leaves or lawn clippings in plastic bags, but rather use paper or compostable bags.

The brown bin is for recyclable materials. They collect plastic bottles labeled 1 through 7, glass of any color, papers including magazines and phone books, cardboard boxes including cereal boxes, and aluminum cans. They do not recycle Styrofoam, waxed paper milk or juice containers or loose paper bags. However, their recycling program has been suspended because the third-party recycling processor that was contracted to the city has shut down. Escambia County Utility Association (ECUA) is building it's own plant to process which should become available later in 2016. No word on what materials they will continue to accept once the new facility is completed, but right now all waste is slated for the landfill. :(

Portland

Portland has some major differences in their sanitation services. They have weekly recycling, composting, and glass pick up. However, they have garbage pickup only every two or four weeks. They also have different size garbage cans for you. The fee you pay for sanitation is based on the size of garbage can you have and how frequently you have it picked up.

Portland allows all paper products including juice and milk cartons, shredded paper, and phone books. It accepts all plastic containers regardless of number as long as the neck is smaller than the base and it is at least 6 ounces in size. It accepts all tubs (think yogurt containers) as long as they are larger than 6 ounces. It even allows plastic buckets that are 5 gallons or smaller! They do not accept plastic bags, plastic lids, or rigid plastic containers “clamshells”.  They also collect bits of scrap metal, such as lids, screws and nails in addition to items like tin foil and aerosol cans. In the yellow glass container any glass bottle or jar of any color is allowed. It does not allow for drinking glasses or broken glass. Portland also has a 5 cent bottle deposit on beverages which further encourages bottle turn in.

Despite their large expansion into what items are recyclable the most novel in Portland is their use of a compost bin. The compost bin includes yard debris similar to that allowed in the other locations, but Portland also encourages its residents to dispose of food waste in the compost bin. Any meat, fish, dairy, grain, fruit or vegetable product can be disposed of in this container. Even coffee grounds and filters, pizza boxes and paper towels can be put in this bin. Things not allowed in the compost bin are pet waste/cat litter, coffee cups, plastics labeled compostable (except for approved bags), dirt, or branches over 4 inches. All other items which do not fall into the recycling, glass or compost bins would go into the trash bin. You can see how with such expansive recycling capabilities they are able to go to bimonthly trash pickup.

Ideally most locations would try and model their recycling programs after those in Portland. However note none of the locations allow recycling of plastic bags. The best way is to #skipthebag so you prevent its use in the first place. But most grocery and big box stores have boxes in the front which collect plastic bags to be recycled. So if you get a bag, recycle it!

What is curbside recycling like where you live?

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The Hawaii Bag Ban

Naturally everyone was worried. Plastic bags were to be banned on Oahu beginning July 1, 2015 and plastic bags could be found everywhere. How were people going to manage a life without plastic bags? Probably like how the other islands had done it.

About a year before the plastic bag ban was set to go into effect I stumbled across a group called Plastic Free Hawaii. They had a booth set up outside of the local Whole Foods talking about the dangers of plastic bags. They also were handing out reusable plastic bags, for free, for those who signed the pledge not to use plastic bags.

Well who doesn’t love a free reusable bag?! In addition this bag was different from the reusable bags I was used to seeing. Typically I’ve seen big bags that fold down to the size of a 9x9 square. Not exactly convenient to carry with you, but these* ones are really cute! However this one was made of a bag that could scrunch down and fit into a bag about the size of a sunglasses case, similar to these*. Best yet, it didn’t have some specific way to fold it up, the carrying pouch was large enough that I could just scrunch the bag in and it would fit. (Want to read more about my plastic bag journey?)

So I threw it in my purse and when I was in a grocery store I would use that instead of some or all of the plastic bags I would normally get. The bag was also washable, so if something spilled in it I could either wipe it down or just throw it in the laundry. The bag held up with pretty rigorous use for nearly a year when some of the stitching started to come out and I upgraded to another bag.

The ability to carry the bag in my purse was huge in my ability to actually use the bag. I just always kept it in there for when it was needed. When the bag ban started, there was really little that changed for us because we’d been using our reusable bags so much. A new Target store was built in Kailua shortly before the ban was to be in place and they simply never carried plastic bags. It was simpler to do that than start with plastic and swap over a month or two later.

So how did life change when the bag ban went into effect? Not by much. We were already in the habit of bringing our own bags. Besides, the law is actually pretty narrow in its coverage. The ban only applies to single-use plastic checkout bags. What you normally thing of as the plastic bag when you go to a grocery store.

However there are a whole list of bags that are still allowed, including those you would find at a grocery store. They include the bags you use for fruit and meat found in the produce or butcher areas, but also the bags you find in the floral department or get from the pharmacy. Laundry or dry cleaning bags and bags from restaurants or take-out establishments were still allowed. There was still a plethora of plastic to be found, just not at the register of a grocery store.

Furthermore the law states that checkout bags must be one of 3 things: recyclable paper, compostable. or reusable. Sounds great, right?

Paper bags that are 100% recyclable are generally made from at least 40% recycled materials. Compostable means that they can biodegradable, albeit possibly only in commercial composting facilities. That leaves reusable bags, like the one I had. Well there is a small caveat in this part of the law. Reusable was defined as a bag made of cloth, washable fabric, or other durable material including plastic that is 2.25 mil thick. So there were a few companies that still handed out plastic bags…they just handed out thicker bags (fail!). However in general companies went with paper bags and many more patrons were bringing their own.

Would you be worried to hear a plastic bag ban is coming to where you live? Have you taken the #SkipTheBag challenge? If you live in an area with a bag ban have you progressed to Level 2 or 3 of #SkipTheBag?

*This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures and privacy statement.

Shared on Share the Wealth,  Healthy Happy Green & Natural Hop, Homestead Hop, Homesteader Hop, Waste Less Wednesday, Home Matters, Pretty Pintastic

Skip The Bag

Welcome to Skip The Bag!

My husband and I moved to Oahu, Hawaii in about a year before Oahu started their ban on single use plastic bags in July 2015. Other islands had ‘bag bans’ for longer, but Oahu was the final hold out. They touted a number of reasons for the ban, but protecting the wildlife and habitat of the islands was chief among them. We were obviously given a lot of notice the bag ban was going to occur, but when the big day came, life didn’t end. We simply adapted to a life with fewer plastic bags.

Old home! Beach near Makapu'u lighthouse in Hawaii.

I started carrying a reusable bags in my purse that we used while shopping. We refused bags when only purchasing a few items. Which we did, because seriously sometimes getting the bag out of my purse was more hassle than just carrying the times (can we say laziness!). If we bought too many items there were paper bags available. But have you seen how much reusable bags can carry? 

Baggers are notorious for only putting an item or two into a plastic bag. I could fit the contents of 4 or 5 plastic bags in my two reusable bags! Most importantly baggers wouldn’t just mindlessly throw your stuff into a plastic bag. If you only had a few items they would ask if you needed a (paper) bag which also helps remind you to use your reusable bag.

About six months after the ban went into effect we moved back to Florida. I experienced a number of culture shocks upon returning to the mainland, but chief among them was the pervasiveness of plastic bags. Cashiers would automatically put my single item into a plastic bag rather than having me carry it out. They had carousels filled with hundreds of plastic bags at the end of their register waiting to end up in landfills (at best) and the stomachs of sea animals (at worst).

New home! Beach in Pensacola, Florida

Given my shock at the amount of plastic going to waste and my experiences living in a spot that had a bag ban, I wanted to get involved with a local group to help spread the word about how detrimental plastic bags can be, but I didn’t find any. I started doing some research on just how many plastic bags American’s use and the devastation they can cause. During my research I discovered that it is actually illegal to ban plastic bags in Florida and that’s when I got the idea to start Skip The Bag. Some powerful lobbyists must have rallied to pass that law and I’m not sure that a single person can combat that (although we are going to try!), so instead I wanted to instigate a movement where Floridians (and others!) simply refuse to use plastic bags. We cannot as easily affect the supply of the bags, but we can affect the demand.

So please join me on this journey of sharing facts about plastic bags and use the hashtag #SkipTheBag if you have refused a plastic bag or used a reusable bag!

This site uses affiliate links (disclosure). If you click on an Amazon link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission which is used to help fund this blog. The price to you is unchanged. 

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