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It's the law of unintended consequences. I used cloth bags thinking I was doing awesome. Then I found an article saying I had to use them 1000 times to equal

by bargl 6y ago

It's the law of unintended consequences. I used cloth bags thinking I was doing awesome. Then I found an article saying I had to use them 1000 times to equal the same carbon footprint of a plastic bag. (Not the article I'm linking below, can't find it.) I've also been to countries where these bags make it into the ocean and become micro plastics. As with all things there are pros and cons. Most of our civilization has cons for the environment, but from what I can tell the best situation for most people who's garbage makes it to a landfill is to use mult-reuse recycled plastic bags. Being as I've already made the commitment to the cloth bags I just have to keep using them until they hit their 131st use, then keep going. https://stanfordmag.org/contents/paper-plastic-or-reusable https://stanfordmag.org/contents/paper-plastic-or-reusable

Polylactic_acid 6y ago
The carbon footprint of making a cloth or plastic bag is so insignificant. Just walk instead of driving once and you have offset a lifetime of bags. Since Australia banned single use plastic bags at supermarkets I have not seen a single bag floating around the street which used to be a common sight.
asdff 6y ago
I couldn't care less about the footprint. Every time you see a pile of trash on the side of the road, in a river, on a branch, it will 9/10 times involve a ripped up plastic bag caught on something sharp. These things are tumble weeds in urban areas. It's a serious source of litter that is nonexistent if you have a bag you need to use next time.
KozmoNau7 6y ago
One of the cloth shopping bags I use was inherited from my grandpa, 24 years ago. I'm not joking, it's a sturdy cotton canvas bag that has lasted perhaps 30 years of shopping at this point. Another bag I've had since 2009, which I know because I got it from a nutrition experiment I participated in. They get washed once in a while when they inevitably get dirty and I can repair them quite easily if a stitch finally fails or they get tears, which hasn't happened yet. People need to keep and use what they already have instead of lazily buying more new stuff all the time.
- bargl 6y ago
  This is, I believe the best solution.

by bargl 6y ago

Polylactic_acid 6y ago

The carbon footprint of making a cloth or plastic bag is so insignificant. Just walk instead of driving once and you have offset a lifetime of bags. Since Australia banned single use plastic bags at supermarkets I have not seen a single bag floating around the street which used to be a common sight.

asdff 6y ago

I couldn't care less about the footprint. Every time you see a pile of trash on the side of the road, in a river, on a branch, it will 9/10 times involve a ripped up plastic bag caught on something sharp. These things are tumble weeds in urban areas. It's a serious source of litter that is nonexistent if you have a bag you need to use next time.

KozmoNau7 6y ago

One of the cloth shopping bags I use was inherited from my grandpa, 24 years ago. I'm not joking, it's a sturdy cotton canvas bag that has lasted perhaps 30 years of shopping at this point. Another bag I've had since 2009, which I know because I got it from a nutrition experiment I participated in. They get washed once in a while when they inevitably get dirty and I can repair them quite easily if a stitch finally fails or they get tears, which hasn't happened yet. People need to keep and use what they already have instead of lazily buying more new stuff all the time.

bargl 6y ago
This is, I believe the best solution.