Simple Ways Wednesdays – Episode 8

Posted by A. Caleb Hartley on September 10th, 2008 filed in Simple Ways, plastic

Re-use plastic bags; or, even better, use canvas bags!

We’ve all heard how plastic bags are bad for the environment – they are ingested by wildlife (specifically sea-life), and animals get entangled in them and are unable to protect themselves or hunt or even move.

But what do we do with the plastic bags we already have? Reuse them, if they are reusable. I use them over and over until they have holes in them and I can’t trust them to carry much weight anymore. I then either use them as a trash bag for my smaller trashcans (one last use for the bag), or I recycle them when I go to the grocery next.

I also use reusable bags – canvas, mostly. My wife got the below bag as a gift from my brother for X-Mas when we visited him in Hong Kong last year.

Okay, you say, but plastic bags are free, and I don’t want to pay for canvas bags – they can be expensive!

You’re absolutely right. Here’s a solution: make your own! You can make reuseable bags with nothing but an old tee shirt, some thread, and a needle! There are great directions at Not the Jet Set.

Namaste,
A. Caleb Hartley

Have another idea for plastic bag reuse? Have another way to make reusable bags (or get them very cheap or free)? Let us know in the comments!

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15 Responses to “Simple Ways Wednesdays – Episode 8”

Web-Betty Says:
September 10th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
I love canvas bags! I have about 15 of them and I take them EVERYWHERE. They’re good for grocery shopping, mall shopping, the library, carrying little boy’s stuff around–everything!

I’m out to save the world–1 canvas bag at a time.
NtJS Says:
September 11th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
We too love our canvas bags, but these T-shirt bags have come in quite handy, and they are nice to tuck in the car and keep with you as they don’t take up much space.

Glad you liked the project!
Matt Says:
September 11th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
I really hate those plastic bags and I would love to see them disappear forever. I appreciate you dedicating this post to alternative solutions to those harmful bags. Great job. Matt
Tim Says:
September 12th, 2008 at 5:51 am
You should have a look at this website:http://www.morsbags.com/
It is a very worthwhile cause to address this very problem

Tims last blog post..The Odd Behaviour Of Governments
Mike@EasyGreensy Says:
September 12th, 2008 at 9:32 am
You mentioned that plastic bags are free, but in many grocery stores they aren’t. Many are now giving you a credit for bringing your own bags in. Which means they’ve actually been marking up prices to cover them.

Ask at your local store if they will give you a credit for each bag you bring in.
simplyjacy Says:
September 12th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
i have my own canvass or green bag. i don’t like the thought of bringing plastic bags home and trying to figure out how to recycle or dispose them. the ones i had, i reuse it for bin linings.

simplyjacys last blog post..Going Back to Basic
Helen Johnson Says:
September 13th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
This is a great blog. We as a race of people need to be more consciously aware of the effects we have on this environment. Once we destroy it there is no going back to the way thing were! Life is about evolution and we have a hand in which direction we choose to go.

My plastic bag use:

1.Garbage can liners
2.Poop bags for my dog (why go out and buy plastic when we are constantly given plastic by the stores we shop in.
3.Shop at Costco and they don’t give out bags!
4.Turn down the offer of a bag carry the items in a backpack

Thank you for sharing.

Helen Johnsons last blog post..The Cosmic Game Of Life Part 2
Dave Says:
September 13th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Plastic bags are indeed a problem and with super ‘mart’ stores issuing them by the millions every day it’s hard to make a dent in the problem. It can be done though. I remember when the plastic 6 pack drink holders were killing their share of the wildlife. Instead of eliminating them completely the mfg’s made them so they would break apart easily to minimize the loss of life. Good article!
Dave

Daves last blog post..Help! I Can’t Breathe!!
MJ Says:
September 17th, 2008 at 6:31 am
I’m known in our office to be a re-user of plastic bags. In fact, one of my drawers is filled with nothing but plastic bags and my officemates are always free to just get one.

MJs last blog post..Of Rain and Landslides
Tennyson Williams Says:
September 17th, 2008 at 11:17 am
I think that the idea of the canvas bag is brilliant. I feel very positive about the advancements of human awareness for these issues. Especially with blogs like this.

Tennyson Williamss last blog post..Multiple Streams Of Income
bena Says:
September 17th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
canvass bag is definitely an ‘it’ thing these days. not that it comes with various chic designs but it indeed help a lot in minimizing carbon footprints..

benas last blog post..Glutton day!
wilson Says:
September 29th, 2008 at 4:57 am
I seldom use plastic bags while I’m shopping in the local markets, as I always bring the recycle bags beside me!

wilsons last blog post..Too Much of Ice Cream Will Award You a Gift – Migraine!
miquette Says:
September 29th, 2008 at 9:57 am
aww these photo’s are so sad especially that cute tortoise!
i don’t see why everyone doesn’t use canvas bags they are much better!

miquettes last blog post..Amazing!
pays to live green Says:
October 3rd, 2008 at 8:16 am
Getting rid of plastic bags is the way to go. I always take my reusable bags to the grocery stores and mall now.

pays to live greens last blog post..Save and Go Green on Gas
edward Says:
October 4th, 2008 at 8:20 am
Hi,
This is a good entry. We should remind and educate everyone about garbage which is dangerous to our wildlife both in the land and underwater.