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Plastic bags are unfairly maligned: - They are often quite economically produced, and only require a small amount of plastic. - They are likely reused, often

Plastic bags are unfairly maligned: - They are often quite economically produced, and only require a small amount of plastic. - They are likely reused, often as trash can liners. - As long as we bury them in appropriate landfills, then the carbon in the bag goes back into the ground. (See other comments on the myth of landfill space running out.) - Manufacturing cloth tote bags has a carbon footprint 20,000 times higher than a plastic bag. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/24/style/cotton-totes-climate-crisis.amp.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/24/style/cotton-totes-climat... - Furthermore, cloth tote bags hold bacteria and are unhygienic for carrying groceries. Washing the bags cost electricity/water and probably not carbon neutral either.

insane_dreamer 4y ago
Some fair points. However, many (most?) reusable grocery bags these days are made from jute, or a mix of jute and cotton, not cotton. Jute is much more environmentally friendly than cotton, and it can be rough so minimally processed. We're not talking about those highly-processed fashion cotton bags (that don't really replace plastic bags). Some cloth bags are made with plastic, which is still better than single-use plastic bags (esp since one of those larger tote bags, like the kind at Trader Joe's replaces 4-5 of those plastic bags that supermarkets would bag your groceries in. It's also not about how much plastic is used to create the plastic bags, it's how much environmental pollution is created from the bags.
userbinator 4y ago
They are likely reused, often as trash can liners. Indeed, I don't know anyone who doesn't reuse the free plastic bags they get from stores, even if it's only a single reuse. The other thing to note is that plastic bags are naturally waterproof. You can even wash (more like rinse) them if you so desire, but they also don't tend to attract dirt, unlike the woven types.
teeray 4y ago
The reusable bags have a serious UX problem too. I have to buy as many reusable bags as my largest grocery order ever. Next, I have to carry all those empty bags with me throughout the store. Then, I have to launder my bags to get the inevitable nasty grossness out of them. I wish they had a propane tank model instead: I buy reusable bag credits. At the checkout, my items are bagged from a supply of clean reusable bags, and that number is deducted from my credits (if I need more, I can instantly buy them). When I return to the store, I bring my bags back to the bag return where the bags will be laundered in bulk in commercial machines.
- lupire 4y ago
  How often do you have to wash your bags?
throwawaylinux 4y ago
It's really about the pinnacle of uninformed virtue signaling that does more harm than good. But it's okay because you got to say you were wonderful for being willing to sacrifice so much, and call anybody who disagreed or tried to have a rational discussion about the actual numbers an anti-The Science™ bootlicker for big plastic bag.
Dylan16807 4y ago
It's important to look at the actual study. Organic cotton bags have some kind of footprint 20,000 times higher than a plastic bag. For climate impact specifically, you have to reuse a cotton bag 52 times. And an organic cotton bag 149 times. The really big numbers are based on things like ozone impact and fertilizer runoff, which are worth considering but should be taken in comparison with daily life and not just plastic bags.

insane_dreamer 4y ago

Some fair points. However, many (most?) reusable grocery bags these days are made from jute, or a mix of jute and cotton, not cotton. Jute is much more environmentally friendly than cotton, and it can be rough so minimally processed. We're not talking about those highly-processed fashion cotton bags (that don't really replace plastic bags). Some cloth bags are made with plastic, which is still better than single-use plastic bags (esp since one of those larger tote bags, like the kind at Trader Joe's replaces 4-5 of those plastic bags that supermarkets would bag your groceries in. It's also not about how much plastic is used to create the plastic bags, it's how much environmental pollution is created from the bags.

userbinator 4y ago

They are likely reused, often as trash can liners. Indeed, I don't know anyone who doesn't reuse the free plastic bags they get from stores, even if it's only a single reuse. The other thing to note is that plastic bags are naturally waterproof. You can even wash (more like rinse) them if you so desire, but they also don't tend to attract dirt, unlike the woven types.

teeray 4y ago

The reusable bags have a serious UX problem too. I have to buy as many reusable bags as my largest grocery order ever. Next, I have to carry all those empty bags with me throughout the store. Then, I have to launder my bags to get the inevitable nasty grossness out of them. I wish they had a propane tank model instead: I buy reusable bag credits. At the checkout, my items are bagged from a supply of clean reusable bags, and that number is deducted from my credits (if I need more, I can instantly buy them). When I return to the store, I bring my bags back to the bag return where the bags will be laundered in bulk in commercial machines.

lupire 4y ago
How often do you have to wash your bags?

throwawaylinux 4y ago

It's really about the pinnacle of uninformed virtue signaling that does more harm than good. But it's okay because you got to say you were wonderful for being willing to sacrifice so much, and call anybody who disagreed or tried to have a rational discussion about the actual numbers an anti-The Science™ bootlicker for big plastic bag.

Dylan16807 4y ago

It's important to look at the actual study. Organic cotton bags have some kind of footprint 20,000 times higher than a plastic bag. For climate impact specifically, you have to reuse a cotton bag 52 times. And an organic cotton bag 149 times. The really big numbers are based on things like ozone impact and fertilizer runoff, which are worth considering but should be taken in comparison with daily life and not just plastic bags.