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Now my target bags use 5x the amount of plastic and cost me $.10 before I put them in the bin. If anything it seems like waste is increasing from them. Why can’

Now my target bags use 5x the amount of plastic and cost me $.10 before I put them in the bin. If anything it seems like waste is increasing from them. Why can’t somebody make a paper bag with a handle that doesn’t rip in the parking lot?

orf 3y ago
Why don’t you just reuse them instead of putting them in the bin? It seems like the waste is coming from you.
- mattlondon 3y ago
  What are you supposed to do? Carry around bags with you all day in case you happen to go to the store? If it is a planned visit sure, but if you are just out and about you don't want to be carrying around spare bags in your jeans pocket just in case.
  - orf 3y ago
    Do you usually pop into target because you’re out and about, walking around with no access to a vehicle in which you might keep bags? And then you purchase enough stuff that you require a large plastic bag for? And this happens often enough for you to be throwing away large quantities of these bags, and rather than reflect on your habits and adapt, you say something else is causing the waste?
  - 9935c101ab17a66 3y ago
    Just leave them in your car? Most people drive to stores, especially in the US. I also almost always have a backpack with me when I’m out and about, I just leave some cloth backpacks bags in it. Realistically, how much stuff are you buying on trips to the store on a whim?
  - Johnny555 3y ago
    The vast majority of Target stores are not urban stores, they are big suburban stores where few people visit without a car. But even in the city, I almost always have a small backpack with me, and in one of the pockets I have a very compact fold-up shopping bag that I use when I stop at the store on the way home.
  - mustacheemperor 3y ago
    I actually essentially do that, I have a reusable bag that folds up into itself with a zipper into a package about the size of a wallet. Fits well in a purse or jacket pocket and is more pleasant to carry when full than a plastic bag anyhow. So really, there’s not even a small sacrifice involved for me, just a little bit of planning, to avoid making that waste. And isn’t this kind of ingenious gadget based solution much more in the hacker spirit than throwing up our hands and saying, give me back the old traditional way regardless of the flaws?
    - jolmg 3y ago
      Same. My bag's the size of half a wallet when folded, so it's not really a bother to carry a couple, let alone one. I tend to keep at least a couple in my car's glove box as well. I'm not sure my plastic usage has decreased though, since I used to recycle the thin plastic bags to line my trash bins. Now I buy oversized white plastic trash bags to line my bins. I just can't wrap my head around e.g. having a bathroom trash bin without a bag protecting it. It feels incredibly gross, though I do know one family that does that. I guess/hope they wash their bins very regularly.
    - prepend 3y ago
      That’s cool that you do that. I don’t like carrying things that I rarely use and try to minimize stuff I carry. And that’s basically just a phone and my clothes. Even if you carry a bag, I frequently find that I need two or three or more. I think a better solution is to just have decomposable plastic bags and solve the issue that way.
      - DoctorOW 3y ago
        I'm a little surprised you don't bring a wallet or money into a store. I'm not being pedantic, but folded it's around the same size. A good reusable bag carries about what two to three plastic bags do. Plus, you only have to carry a bag when you're actually going into the store, anywhere else you can keep it in your vehicle.
        3y ago
  - mattlondon 3y ago
    Edit: stores outside of the US are accessible without a car. It is very common for people to go to local stores during lunch breaks or on their way home from work on public transport etc. I personally don't have space in my jeans pockets after a wallet and the ridiculous size of modern phones to then also pack in 2 or 3 reusable bags too. Sure if you drive to a store, keep some bags there. I do this a lot but I am not going to carry bags around with me on the off-chance I might go to a shop that day.
    - prmoustache 3y ago
      The answer is foldable shopping bags. Any intelligent person that regularly go to stores during lunch breaks or when commuting is either always carrying a backpack or a small foldable shopping bag. There are many folding bag designs that fit into your pants backpocket. I have no car and I very rarely leave home with either a foldable bag, a backpack, a drawstring bag and when I don't have one of those that is usually because I am using my bicycle which is equipped with a basket and panniers on the rear rack, or my motorbike with its top case.
      - prepend 3y ago
        > Any intelligent person that regularly go to stores during lunch breaks or when commuting is either always carrying a backpack or a small foldable shopping bag The problem is all the non-intelligent people, like me, who don’t carry this. I don’t carry a backpack around on my lunch break (or really anywhere other than when I’m hiking).
        prmoustache 3y ago
        It doesn't have to be a backpack. A foldable shopping bag fit in the pockets of your pants. If this is something you do regularly, you would learn at the second occurence to have any kind of bag ready at your place of work.
        rmccue 3y ago
        I have a foldable shopping bag which is smaller than my wallet, you don’t need a full backpack. If I think I might want to pop into the shops while out, I’ll chuck it in my pocket. Sure, if you want to do a big family shop then it’s a bit different, but that’s more of an event anyway.
  - adrr 3y ago
    Most americans drive cars. You can easily keep them in your cars. How do europeans do it with higher public transportation utilization?
    - bmoxb 3y ago
      Most people I know tend to go about their business with some sort of bag on them.
    - prmoustache 3y ago
      Euro here. I rarely get out of the house without some kind of bag and when I do that's because I take a bicycle which is equipped with a basket and panniers.
razemio 3y ago
Reusable bags aren't an option for you? We have several of them and just put them in the trunk. If I forget to bring one (which happens 1-4 times a year) I buy a new one for 2€, replacing an almost broken one.
- kibwen 3y ago
  The amount of learned helplessness in this thread is astounding. I bought a pair of collapsible reusable bags years ago for $5. I use them every week and they're as good as new. The stronger construction means that each one is replacing at least three disposable plastic bags with every trip. You don't need disposable bags. And yes, I have a cat, and disposable bags are shite for litter, because they always, always have holes.
  - prawn 3y ago
    I imagine all the "I can't fit bags in my pockets for my impromptu shopping trips" people posting when mobile phones first became popular: "Are they expecting us to put these in our pockets?! All the time!? Just in case someone calls???" Seems like a broader resistance to change?
  - PlunderBunny 3y ago
    There’s a certain point where “I keep forgetting” is really just “I don’t want to”.
mattlondon 3y ago
They started as £0.05 here in the UK. Now a few years later it is £1 for a plastic bag from Waitrose. Outrageous. Even worse are the places that offer only paper bags, but charge you for them because they can now. 30p for a paper bag from Boots makes no sense when the whole point of the bag levy was to stop people using plastic ones.
- snet0 3y ago
  I think the thought is that you should buy less bags. I'm seeing you in other comments, lamenting the fact that you routinely go shopping without any bags. I'll admit that there could be perfectly reasonable situations that are negatively impacted by the bag levy, however I think the entire purpose of this levy is to discourage you from buying bags. You should have a few, and re-use them when you go shopping. Eventually you'll replace them, but it'll be after a while and it'll be at negligible cost. If you're buying so many bags that a £1 cost is "outrageous" to you, you are the problem.
  - mattlondon 3y ago
    I do reuse them, and I have a load of "proper" bags in the boot of the car. But I can't carry bags around with me on the random off chance that I will go to the shops that morning or afternoon or whatever. Just let me buy paper ones for the actual cost, and not some price gauging plastic bag.
- willsmith72 3y ago
  why shouldn't there be a cost? it's the best way to shape behaviour.
morepork 3y ago
Maybe they should have a deposit that gets refunded if you return it. Say it cost $1 per bag, but you could get it refunded if returned on your next trip you get most of the convenience with little hassle.

orf 3y ago

Why don’t you just reuse them instead of putting them in the bin? It seems like the waste is coming from you.

mattlondon 3y ago
What are you supposed to do? Carry around bags with you all day in case you happen to go to the store? If it is a planned visit sure, but if you are just out and about you don't want to be carrying around spare bags in your jeans pocket just in case.
- orf 3y ago
  Do you usually pop into target because you’re out and about, walking around with no access to a vehicle in which you might keep bags? And then you purchase enough stuff that you require a large plastic bag for? And this happens often enough for you to be throwing away large quantities of these bags, and rather than reflect on your habits and adapt, you say something else is causing the waste?
- 9935c101ab17a66 3y ago
  Just leave them in your car? Most people drive to stores, especially in the US. I also almost always have a backpack with me when I’m out and about, I just leave some cloth backpacks bags in it. Realistically, how much stuff are you buying on trips to the store on a whim?
- Johnny555 3y ago
  The vast majority of Target stores are not urban stores, they are big suburban stores where few people visit without a car. But even in the city, I almost always have a small backpack with me, and in one of the pockets I have a very compact fold-up shopping bag that I use when I stop at the store on the way home.
- mustacheemperor 3y ago
  I actually essentially do that, I have a reusable bag that folds up into itself with a zipper into a package about the size of a wallet. Fits well in a purse or jacket pocket and is more pleasant to carry when full than a plastic bag anyhow. So really, there’s not even a small sacrifice involved for me, just a little bit of planning, to avoid making that waste. And isn’t this kind of ingenious gadget based solution much more in the hacker spirit than throwing up our hands and saying, give me back the old traditional way regardless of the flaws?
  - jolmg 3y ago
    Same. My bag's the size of half a wallet when folded, so it's not really a bother to carry a couple, let alone one. I tend to keep at least a couple in my car's glove box as well. I'm not sure my plastic usage has decreased though, since I used to recycle the thin plastic bags to line my trash bins. Now I buy oversized white plastic trash bags to line my bins. I just can't wrap my head around e.g. having a bathroom trash bin without a bag protecting it. It feels incredibly gross, though I do know one family that does that. I guess/hope they wash their bins very regularly.
  - prepend 3y ago
    That’s cool that you do that. I don’t like carrying things that I rarely use and try to minimize stuff I carry. And that’s basically just a phone and my clothes. Even if you carry a bag, I frequently find that I need two or three or more. I think a better solution is to just have decomposable plastic bags and solve the issue that way.
    - DoctorOW 3y ago
      I'm a little surprised you don't bring a wallet or money into a store. I'm not being pedantic, but folded it's around the same size. A good reusable bag carries about what two to three plastic bags do. Plus, you only have to carry a bag when you're actually going into the store, anywhere else you can keep it in your vehicle.
      - 3y ago
- mattlondon 3y ago
  Edit: stores outside of the US are accessible without a car. It is very common for people to go to local stores during lunch breaks or on their way home from work on public transport etc. I personally don't have space in my jeans pockets after a wallet and the ridiculous size of modern phones to then also pack in 2 or 3 reusable bags too. Sure if you drive to a store, keep some bags there. I do this a lot but I am not going to carry bags around with me on the off-chance I might go to a shop that day.
  - prmoustache 3y ago
    The answer is foldable shopping bags. Any intelligent person that regularly go to stores during lunch breaks or when commuting is either always carrying a backpack or a small foldable shopping bag. There are many folding bag designs that fit into your pants backpocket. I have no car and I very rarely leave home with either a foldable bag, a backpack, a drawstring bag and when I don't have one of those that is usually because I am using my bicycle which is equipped with a basket and panniers on the rear rack, or my motorbike with its top case.
    - prepend 3y ago
      > Any intelligent person that regularly go to stores during lunch breaks or when commuting is either always carrying a backpack or a small foldable shopping bag The problem is all the non-intelligent people, like me, who don’t carry this. I don’t carry a backpack around on my lunch break (or really anywhere other than when I’m hiking).
      - prmoustache 3y ago
        It doesn't have to be a backpack. A foldable shopping bag fit in the pockets of your pants. If this is something you do regularly, you would learn at the second occurence to have any kind of bag ready at your place of work.
      - rmccue 3y ago
        I have a foldable shopping bag which is smaller than my wallet, you don’t need a full backpack. If I think I might want to pop into the shops while out, I’ll chuck it in my pocket. Sure, if you want to do a big family shop then it’s a bit different, but that’s more of an event anyway.
- adrr 3y ago
  Most americans drive cars. You can easily keep them in your cars. How do europeans do it with higher public transportation utilization?
  - bmoxb 3y ago
    Most people I know tend to go about their business with some sort of bag on them.
  - prmoustache 3y ago
    Euro here. I rarely get out of the house without some kind of bag and when I do that's because I take a bicycle which is equipped with a basket and panniers.

razemio 3y ago

Reusable bags aren't an option for you? We have several of them and just put them in the trunk. If I forget to bring one (which happens 1-4 times a year) I buy a new one for 2€, replacing an almost broken one.

kibwen 3y ago
The amount of learned helplessness in this thread is astounding. I bought a pair of collapsible reusable bags years ago for $5. I use them every week and they're as good as new. The stronger construction means that each one is replacing at least three disposable plastic bags with every trip. You don't need disposable bags. And yes, I have a cat, and disposable bags are shite for litter, because they always, always have holes.
- prawn 3y ago
  I imagine all the "I can't fit bags in my pockets for my impromptu shopping trips" people posting when mobile phones first became popular: "Are they expecting us to put these in our pockets?! All the time!? Just in case someone calls???" Seems like a broader resistance to change?
- PlunderBunny 3y ago
  There’s a certain point where “I keep forgetting” is really just “I don’t want to”.

mattlondon 3y ago

They started as £0.05 here in the UK. Now a few years later it is £1 for a plastic bag from Waitrose. Outrageous. Even worse are the places that offer only paper bags, but charge you for them because they can now. 30p for a paper bag from Boots makes no sense when the whole point of the bag levy was to stop people using plastic ones.

snet0 3y ago
I think the thought is that you should buy less bags. I'm seeing you in other comments, lamenting the fact that you routinely go shopping without any bags. I'll admit that there could be perfectly reasonable situations that are negatively impacted by the bag levy, however I think the entire purpose of this levy is to discourage you from buying bags. You should have a few, and re-use them when you go shopping. Eventually you'll replace them, but it'll be after a while and it'll be at negligible cost. If you're buying so many bags that a £1 cost is "outrageous" to you, you are the problem.
- mattlondon 3y ago
  I do reuse them, and I have a load of "proper" bags in the boot of the car. But I can't carry bags around with me on the random off chance that I will go to the shops that morning or afternoon or whatever. Just let me buy paper ones for the actual cost, and not some price gauging plastic bag.
willsmith72 3y ago
why shouldn't there be a cost? it's the best way to shape behaviour.

morepork 3y ago

Maybe they should have a deposit that gets refunded if you return it. Say it cost $1 per bag, but you could get it refunded if returned on your next trip you get most of the convenience with little hassle.