The ubiquitous "reusable" cheaply made shopping bagWell my good friend Jon recently made a comment in regards to the outrageous saturation of "re-usable" bags out in the market place. I have been thinking about this lately too and as I stood in line at Subway yesterday ordering 8 footlongs for the staff at Valhalla pure, I was accosted by a sign stating that with every kids meal purchase you would receive a "free" reusable lunch bag. Upon inspection, this bag was made of cheap materials, was sewn with single stitch lines and included shoddy at best carrying handles. Free for who I ask?
The reality is that having a reusable bag program at a retail store gives the consumer a green impression of the business. Add to that the fact that people love receiving something for free that has a higher perceived value than the previous option. You can see why this interesting case has developed. A quick web search reveals thousands of hits for "reusable" shopping bags, most are suppliers. I must announce that I too have collected a small army of shopping bags with "go green" or "save the planet" silk screened on the side that have only lasted 1 or 3 trips to the store. These bags have a bigger footprint than any plastic bag and if not made well, have a tremendously bad overall impact when compared to said simple plastic bag. Especially when it goes into the trash after a few uses. There are certainly a few companies that make bags that last, search out the bags that are well made and BUY them if you have too..the savings will not be outright but soon it will pay off as you will have the same ones for many years.
Bags available in Canmore that I have seen/used and my opinion:
Safeway: Black recycled fabric Bag- Good- Lasts- 1.00
Sobeys: Green plastic bags with pictures of fruit- Good- lasts, great gear bag too- 2.00
MEC- Shopping Bag - By far the best one I have ever seen. I have used this bag for anything from grocery hauler to moving heavy ski gear to and from the car on about 15 day trips. 10.00
Sea To Summit- Sil Nylon Bag- Sil Nylon shopping bag that packs to a golf ball size. Very tough and light.
Generic Cotton Bags- You have seen many organic cotton bags out there and generally these are awesome and last longer that any of the sobeys/safeway variety. Patagonia makes a good version.
VPO Big Bag- A good bag but bad handles. Don't overload. Recycled materials. Free with big purchase.
Pick reusable shopping bags like you do a good shirt or pair of jeans. Look at the way they are made: the seams, the fabric and ask yourself if you REALLY do need it for free?
3 comments:
the re-usable bags sold at The Bay in Banff are pretty big, strong, and light and they pack down into an internal pocket so they're conveniently small when not in use. I have one I use for heavy groceries and it has proven to be quite durable (in fact I will get a couple more when I am back in Canada as the re-usable thing hasn't caught on here at all). Thanks for your informative post! (ps love reading about all your adventures! keep up the great writing). Gaby
Not to mention they are a breeding ground for disease and bacteria.
amen brother. down with the greenwash monster!
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