We all remember the days of getting into the checkout line at the grocery store and being asked “Paper or Plastic?”. Thankfully, these days it is au currant to shop with our reusable bags and take neither paper or plastic. Hopefully this is a trend that will stick around for a while!
Paper and plastic shopping bags are convenient. But both are so destructive to the environment. Paper bags cost us millions of trees annually, require toxic chemicals to manufacture, and sadly do not degrade significantly faster than do plastic bags. And on top of all of that, they tend to be larger than plastic bags and therefore take up more space in landfills.
Plastic bags are hard to recycle, jam up machinery in recycling plants, and there is dwindling demand for resold plastic bags. And, as we all know, plastic bags don't degrade well and take up space in landfills forever (or almost). And the ones that don't end up in landfills seem to always end up stuck in trees. Have you ever noticed that?
Reusable bags it is! This summer, why not knit yourself a couple of reusable bags that you can take to the farmer's markets, grocery store, Target, or wherever you'll need a shopping bag for purchases? They are great summer projects because often market bags are made out of fibers like cotton. So you won't be too hot and working with wool. Knitted or crocheted market bags also let you really show off your individual personality and style. Go for it! Here's a handy link to market bag patterns in Ravelry!
For the last two or three years Fresh Purls has offered a 2% discount for anyone who doesn't take one of our shopping bags. We call it the “eco-friendly” discount. This discount is on top of any other discount you might receive, for instance if you are redeeming your 25% reward discount.
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