West Chester Dish

Plastic bags—they’re everywhere. They line the ends of almost every grocery-store checkout in America, stacked and ready to be handed out in mass quantities. They also line the edges of most American roads, from alleyways to interstates.

According to Environmental Protection Agency, the United States uses 380 billion plastic shopping bags annually. Unfortunately, these 380 billion bags are not biodegradable. Instead, they are photogradeable and break down into smaller and smaller toxic pieces over time. These toxic pieces can contaminate soil and waterways. [ from reusablebags.com ]

It’s easy to choose these readily available bags at the grocery store, but this WC Disher is trying her hardest to make amends and urges you to do the same.

There are small efforts shoppers can make to keep our world breathing easily. The simplest is to save your plastic bags and reuse them at least once for trips to the grocery store, carting food to a friend’s barbecue, cleaning up Fido’s messes at the park… you get the idea. I keep my used bags in an apron pocket in my kitchen, and it takes up little space and little effort. By reusing the same plastic bags as often as you can, you could save up to hundreds of bags per year!

Another way to live green is to use a fabric tote, which can hold lots of groceries at once and still be manageable. If you are self conscious about reusing plastic bags, these fabric totes are your best bet. You might even have some stashed away in a closet (think old beach bags). Carrying totes instead of plastic bags can even be easier—you don’t have to worry about the bulging bags splitting in the middle of the parking lot or the thin handles cutting into your hands or arms as you finagle your way from the car to your kitchen counter.

If you don’t have any fabric bags hidden away you’re still not off the hook because many companies offer reusable grocery sacks for purchase. They range in style (plain canvas to haute couture) and price ($0.99 to $999) and have designs to suit everyone’s taste. Small stores and internationally famous designers are creating eco-friendly bags—one British designer put out a limited-edition tote for $15 that sold out immediately and is now selling on eBay for up to $200!

The following is a list of green bags offered at a low cost. So, next time the cashier asks you, “Is plastic okay?” you can say, “No thanks – I have my own bags!”

Trader Joe’s

Trader Joe’s (www.traderjoes.com) offers a red Hawaiian tote for just $0.99! They’ve been selling reusable canvas bags for years, and are tweaking their style this summer (Valley Forge has a great Trader Joe’s just a short drive away).

Gaiam

Gaiam (www.gaiam.com) sells paper-thin nylon sacks, called ChicoBags, that fold into a sewn-in pouch about the size of a cell phone. Three bags, offered in blue, brown and green, cost only $15.

Whole Foods

Whole Foods (www.wholefoods.com) will be offering Anya Hindmarch’s limited-edition designer tote for $15 in select tri-state area stores July 18th.

EcoBags

EcoBags (www.ecobags.com) is a New York-based company offering the original GreenBag® for $3.60. Buy 10 or more at once and they’re only $3.20! They also offer produce bags for messier groceries—what a great idea!

West Chester Growers Market

West Chester Growers Market (parking lot of Church & Chestnut every Saturday morning from 9 AM to 1 PM) offers a reusable canvas tote at the community table for $3.50 . This is a local’s best bet, and it supports local markets!