Did you plan for the ban (shopping bags)

Teomima

Mon, Feb 24 2020, 2:11 am

I voted yes. I don't live in New York but here in Israel they stopped giving out disposable bags years ago. I think it's great. It's really not that big of a deal, I keep a bunch of lightweight fabric bags that fold very small in my handbag and have them available whenever I go shopping, plus I keep larger, heavy duty reusable bags in my car for when I drive to the store. They're so much sturdier than flimsy supermarket bags.

And though they have lightweight plastic bags for produce, I have reusable cotton net produce bags with me as well.

Look I know none of this will fix global warming, but it's something small that everyone can do. It's really not hard at all. I don't know why New Yorkers are making such a big deal over it.

amother

Azure

Mon, Feb 24 2020, 3:44 am

amother [ Purple ] wrote:

I bought reusable bags for my shopping which will need water to be washed and a case of plastic bags for lining garbages, throwing out diapers, and packing lunches. So now instead of using one type of bag for both things I’m using each bag just once. I’m confused

Exactly. I used to use plastic bags from shopping trips over and over again. Now it's one time use and into the garbage.

fleetwood

Mon, Feb 24 2020, 3:47 am

Teomima wrote:

Bec it's all political , didn't you know?

amother

Lavender

Mon, Feb 24 2020, 4:32 am

amother [ Azure ] wrote:

Exactly. I used to use plastic bags from shopping trips over and over again. Now it's one time use and into the garbage.

What kind of plastic bags did they give over their in NY? I've never seen a plastic grocery bag that can be used over and over again.

Shopping bags from clothing boutiques are a different category, those are reusable. But from the grocery? Don't they tear? I used to use them one more time, for garbage in a small bathroom bin.

singleagain

Mon, Feb 24 2020, 4:35 am

For those worries about taking things from car to home. I got something this from Costco years ago and use it when I don't want to make more than one trip. It also folds up nicely to not take up space in my trunk. And I put things in there so it doesn't roll around.

Smart Design Pop Up Trunk Organizer w/ Easy Carry Handles, Side Pockets, & Zipper Top - 23 Inch - Durable Fabric Collapsible Design - Home Organization (Holds 50 lbs.) [Black] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010.....75VC6

icebreaker

Mon, Feb 24 2020, 4:36 am

I am a frequent Costco shopper, which doesn’t give plastic bags so I’ve been figuring out how to get my groceries home for a while. I’m in a neighboring state of NY but always shopping there for kosher food I can’t get where I live. I have one of those two-wheeled, cloth carts for smaller trips and lots of reusable for large grocery trips. Also invested in a shopping cart.

Raisin

Mon, Feb 24 2020, 4:49 am

They didn't ban bags where I live, they simply charge a very high tax on them. Its almost a euro for a strong plastic bag, and the flimsy ones are about 50c, but none of the shops carry the flimsy bags anymore. Paper bags are free in clothing shops but not in groceries. They do have bags for produce for free. They sell reusable bags for a reasonable price, €1 or €2.

I have tons of resusable bags...too many. But never one when I need one! They always seem to get used for other purposes...picnic bags, books, clothing storage...

I usually walk to the supermarket (I have one so close it would take longer to drive) so I should really invest in a bubby trolley.

I like those silky material bags which fold up really small, you can keep a bunch in your handbag.

pause

Mon, Feb 24 2020, 4:50 am

I didn't vote in your poll because we prepared for the ban by hoarding bags for the last half-year! I am not buying other bags yet because I'm assuming this will be the new area of competition for the stores. "For every $100 spent, get a reusable bag free." or something like that.

cbsp

Mon, Feb 24 2020, 4:52 am

amother [ Brunette ] wrote:

Did you read the final regulations?

351-2.2 Sale of reusable bags by stores.
(a) The operator of a store must:
(1) make reusable bags available to customers within the store for purchase or at no charge; and
(2) permit a reusable bag to be used by a customer in lieu of a paper carryout bag.
(b) Reusable bags available for purchase shall be sold at a price determined by the operator of
the store.

Correct. Paper bags are not considered reusable so therefore they're not allowed to be given for free.

I love how all of you are great at spending my money with all sorts of wonderful ideas for something that doesn't actually do anything to save the environment.

And those reusable bags have been found to harbor all sorts of germs...

amother

Brunette

Mon, Feb 24 2020, 4:52 am

pause wrote:

This is great for the environment! [/sarcasm]

right. after the house starts to fill up with resusable bags... you figure out how to start bringing them with you to the store (using the same hands that will carry them home).

amother

Lavender

Mon, Feb 24 2020, 4:57 am

cbsp wrote:

First I've heard of reusable bags harboring germs. Your food is anyway all packaged, so what does it matter? The supermarket trolley also harbors germs, as do the doors. It's not good to be too OCD about germs, it causes superbugs etc.

I am no scientist, but I've seen many, many pictures of Israel's beaches littered with tons of flimsy plastic bags, so I'm going to assume that this will help combat that somewhat.

amother

Brunette

Mon, Feb 24 2020, 5:01 am

cbsp wrote:

Your conclusion isn't correct. 5 cent fee for paper bags is a NYC item.

cbsp

Mon, Feb 24 2020, 5:05 am

amother [ Lavender ] wrote:

Anything else I need to be lectured about? Now some germs are good for me all in the name of saving the environment? (and besides, anyone who knows me IRL would laugh at the thought of me being a neat freak)

This is the first article that came up in my search :
https://www.kidspot.com.au/hea.....72bbb

Note that in order to avoid cross contamination the items need to be wrapped in plastic. And all bags should be washed regularly.

amother

Lavender

Mon, Feb 24 2020, 5:11 am

cbsp wrote:

The article says the biggest risk is from meat. I would think it's obvious that meat needs to be in a separate bag, whether it's a flimsy disposable one or a reusable one.

(Luckily most of my family became vegetarian or vegan over the last few years, so I don't need to worry about that so much).

tryinghard

Mon, Feb 24 2020, 5:22 am

The surcharge for paper bags is on a county/municipal level. Some are choosing to require it, and some aren’t.
So Wegmans, a big supermarket chain, decided in its benevolent wisdom, that in those places where it’s not required to charge, they will charge anyway and donate the money to FoodLink.
Good of them to be magnanimous on the backs of others.
This law, as with so many others, is hardest on the poor. All of you saying “just buy X or Y or Z” aren’t taking into account that not everyone HAS the extra money.
Then there are people like me, who have a hard enough time remembering where the car keys are. That extra follow-through of “After you unpack your groceries, put the reusable bags back in the car”? Ain’t gonna happen.
I happen to reuse grocery bags for EVERYTHING, so I am very frustrated. Not to mention that the environmental impact of the reusable bags is actually worse.
For now, I have my hoarded bags (I have been getting extra every time I’m in the store; one cashier literally gave me a full shopping bag full of new bags - it was so heavy, the bag handles nearly ripped!). I am turning down bags sometimes, buying paper other times.
Wegmans already started with this a month ago. DH is much more put together than I am, so he remembered to bring plastic bags from home. He said he got such nasty looks from the cashier 😂

southernbubby

Mon, Feb 24 2020, 5:30 am

amother [ Dodgerblue ] wrote:

Reusable bags are either expensive or worse quality than disposable. Before the bag ban passed, I was using the same disposable bag for a year. Now I'm hoarding them.

I remember when plastic bags started to replace paper. It was done to save trees. The idea was that the plastic bag would be used numerous times before it was discarded. Eventually, nearly everything produced had a very limited lifespan and now we discard far more than my grandparents did. Our grandchildren are inheriting mountains of trash.