You’ll be leaving the grocery store soon, and a common question at the checkout counter is “Paper vs. plastic?”
Whatever your response, you most likely have your reasons. Perhaps you want to recycle that bag or use it again. Or maybe you have plastic shopping bags you can use for cleaning the house. Perhaps you feel that the paper bag or plastic bag is the better option. In reality, no matter what your motives are, whether you choose between plastic or paper, you still make the wrong choice. Instead, you can opt for a reusable grocery cart.
It is becoming more popular for customers to bring their bags to the grocery store and use them to carry their items home. Reusable bags may be more expensive, but there are many benefits to using reusable bags, especially in terms of reducing plastic bag waste and the negative effects plastic has on our environment.
Are plastic bags wasteful for the environment? Many factors make plastic bags bad for the environment. Plastic bags pose a serious threat to the health of the entire planet.
Paper bags do not have some of the problems of plastic bags. However, paper bags can be recycled and take a shorter time to decompose if it doesn’t end up in landfills. Custom Earth Promos indicates that paper bags are either made from trees which are important to preserve, or from recycled material.
These are the main reasons to use reusable bags in place of paper or plastic bags. Now let’s see some of the more specific advantages of reusable bags, the negative impact plastic bag pollution has on the environment, and other reasons to bring your bag.
Why You Should Reuse Bags?
1. Conserve Resources
Plastic bags are small and light but have a huge environmental footprint. According to research, twelve million barrels worth of oil is used each year to make plastic bags in the United States.
2. Reduce Pollution
Plastics can have disastrous effects on the earth’s environment. Plastic products such as plastic bags can take as long as 1,000 years to completely break down. And that’s just assuming the bag makes it to a landfill, rather than ending up in rivers, streams, or the ocean. A mere 1 percent of the 100,000,000 plastic shopping carts Americans use every year is recycled. This results in a lot more plastic bag pollution each year.
3. Avoid Recycling Problems
According to a 2016 report, recycling bags is difficult, even when one has the best intentions. Bags get stuck on conveyors belts or wheels and can block the machinery. It is possible to recycle plastic bags by taking them to a designated drop-off facility for bags. You may also find these at your local grocery.
4. Protect Wildlife
According to studies, there are more than 100,000 marine animals die each year because marine animals mistake plastic bags in the ocean for food. Plastic bags can also get caught in trees and become stuck to small animals. This causes more wildlife deaths.
5. For Strength And Stability
Reusable bags won’t tear off their handles or get pierced by sharp objects or corners, unlike plastic bags. Reusable shopping bags are easier to use, making it much easier to load and unload groceries. Additionally, they are more likely for your purchases to survive the journey from home to the supermarket. Reusable bags are less prone to leakage, and it’s easier and more convenient to check where the bags have been stored and any germs that they may contain.
6. Save Money
In the United States, many shops now charge plastic bags to customers. It may seem small to pay a nickel per bag, but that is a significant amount of money for someone who uses five to ten bags to go to the store every day.
7. Repurpose For Other Uses
Reusable grocery carts can be used more than just to carry groceries. Reusable bags can be used for almost all of the things that a regular tote bag would. You can take along your lunch, snacks, books, or even books on a road trip in these bags.
