That Lady With All the Bags…

I care about our earth.  I make efforts to lessen my impact on the planet and support sustainable practices. I pick up trash on walks with my dog, I donate clothing, toys and books that we have outgrown, and I am a faithful recycler.

But when I really started looking into the process of recycling, I realized that while I thought I was doing the right things, I was sort of missing the mark on some stuff. And that in some cases, I may have been causing more harm than good.

For instance, did you know that you should NOT put those plastic grocery bags or the produce bags you get at the grocery store into your recycling bin? Many of you are saying ‘Yeah, we knew that…where have you been?’… I don’t know! I saw those plastic bag recycling bins at the front of stores, and I knew you could recycle them there, but I didn’t know you shouldn’t put them in the bin!  Somehow it just got past me.

You can visit A Bag’s Life and put in your zip code to find out where the nearest bag recycling station is near you.  Honestly…. its a rare occasion that I don’t have a reusable bag with me. I swear I’m ‘That Lady That Brings All the Bags’ at grocery stores. And I most likely have a reusable bag in my purse at any time. But…occasions occur where I don’t have one of my trusty bags and I’ve found myself in possession of a plastic bag. And I have twisted it up into a knot…and tossed it into the recycling bin.

I reuse many of my produce bags for collecting the pulp from juicing. But after that- they are considered trash. Not only have I contaminated them with food residue, but chances are they wouldn’t be accepted at the recycling facility anyway, because the thin plastic bags get caught in the machinery and cause jams.

It also doesn’t really help to recycle them.

The chemical bonds are weakened during the recycling process and you end up having to add more raw material to actually make a structurally sound grocery bag. The Huffington Post reported that about 70% of ‘virgin’ petroleum products are required to turn the bag into a new bag. But adding the new material yields 3 new bags. More than you started with. The whole point of recycling is to lessen the amount of natural resources we are using and the amount of plastic on our planet, right?

Basically, I have come to accept that using a produce or plastic bag means its most likely destined to end up in a landfill or the ocean. It took me really looking into the process, to fully appreciate how I was contributing to the problem.

I think I can do better. And I think that is what it is going to take. For all of us to do better. For people  to start using those reusable bags they have. Its easy to forget and just let it go. But letting it go has big implications.

So set yourself up for success by keeping your reusable grocery bags in the back of the car.  Find a pretty container to put them in, hide them under a flap, whatever you need to do to keep them there. All the time. Another thing  is to keep one or more small ones in your purse or car. I love the Sachi insulated bags and the Envirosax ones. They both fold or roll up and get small enough to fit easily into your purse. But really any ones that you like are fine.

Bonus: It will basically become your ‘Emergency Extra Bag’. I can’t tell you  how many times having an extra bag with me has come in handy! Think wet bathing suit, clothes to take to the dry cleaner, extra toys for the beach…the list is endless.

Maybe you are already doing these things, but you could work on another step, like lessening the plastic sandwich bags, juice bottles, water bottles, or plastic wrap that you are using.

One idea is to try to use paper snack bags when you can, or 100% recycled aluminum foil for wrapping up those sandwiches. But make sure to have your kids recycle them at school or bring them back in their lunch boxes so that you can recycle them at home.

If that’s just too much right now, do something else. Wherever you are just try to take a step up.  Don’t get hung up on the idea that you can’t remove all plastic from your life instantly. Just do one thing at a time. These are new habits, and take time to stick. Just keep in mind why you are trying again…and again! And remember that its more than worth the effort.

Read about how my family and I make recycling fun in My Family of Superheroes