Paper or Plastic: What Do You Choose at the Supermarket?

on August 25, 2009 at 4:00 PM

paper or plastic bag I was in the grocery store this weekend and the guy ringing me up asked me if I wanted my items bagged in paper in plastic.

I told him paper.

He asked, Are you sure?

I was sure I wanted paper (Cafe Sheri also says no to plastic bags) -- besides, I use the paper bags to recycle my paper products in my apartment.

But it made me wish I had my re-usable tote bags with me. Because the truth is, even paper isn't entirely eco-friendly.

I have good intentions with my eco-tote, but they always seem to stay under the sink and never come with me to the supermarket. I know I should leave one in my handbag, but it's crowded enough in my purse as it is.

When at the supermarket what do you choose: paper, plastic, or do you BYOB (bring your own bag)?

About the author Michele Zipp

loves vintage and will defend skinny jeans to the death though she is highly superstitious and "death" is probably a bad word choice. She has a touch of the hoarding disease and enjoys sleuthing, the worst reality shows, and wearing high heels, even at the playground. She's an AP mom of twins, slightly crunchy but with a pedicure.

Filed Under: green guide

Comments (13)

aurorabunny

on Aug 25, 2009 at 4:09 PM

We try to bring totes but we only grocery shop once a month so honestly we usually don't have enough. We usually only shop at Whole Foods though so you can only get paper, they don't have plastic bags.

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navyma23

on Aug 25, 2009 at 4:51 PM

plastic, i have multiple uses for them. i use them for cat poop, bathroom trash liners, they also make great padding for moving breakables in boxes! when I get an overflow we recycle them. paper has broken on me many times and frankly its annoying. i mean to get the resusable ones, but never have the means too.

girl_in_the_D

on Aug 25, 2009 at 5:12 PM

I bring my own:)

toriandgrace

on Aug 25, 2009 at 6:01 PM

I use plastic if I need them and paper if I have enough plastic stocked up. We use plastic bags as trash can liners and also for pooper scooping and I send my hubby's lunch in them.

LuminousMom

on Aug 25, 2009 at 6:56 PM

I have my own... I bought 15 of them at Walmart about a year ago, they have all held up really well, and then I keep 7 or so in the car, and whatever ones we have hanging out in the house I bring back in.

the only annoying thing is they try to charge me for them all the time when I put them on the belt!!

curlymonkey

on Aug 25, 2009 at 8:20 PM

I bring my own, made with my old t-shirts or denim jeans.

Lynette

on Aug 25, 2009 at 10:22 PM

I tell them whatever works. I do reuse both the paper and plastic for different things. Like bathroom trash for plastic and to put my cans and glass in paper. Crafts w/ the kids. Some stores u can bring in bags for recycling(plastic). I need to buy those reusable bag again. Last time DH took them(over and over again) and used them for his nasty gym clothes and shoes, grr. I don't want to put food in them after that

sodapple

on Aug 25, 2009 at 10:29 PM

when i remember i bring my own, if i forget which is often, under the sink as well, the only bags they have around is plastic but when i see i have many of then i recycle them =-)

trelimon

on Aug 26, 2009 at 3:53 AM

bring a few of my own and then if we are low on plastic i get plastic, paper i get paper. use plastic for trash bags and stuff and the paper bags are great for the kids to color on or make paper bag monsters.

justanotherjen

on Aug 26, 2009 at 10:25 AM

I don't think any of the stores around here have paper bags. We mostly shop at Costco so we don't get bags of any kind. The only other place I really shop for food is our local grocery store and I walk there so I bring my canvas bags that I bought for $1 (mostly from Walgreens which is right next door to the market). We get all our plastic bags from Target now because I never think to bring the canvas bags with us when we go there.

We used to have hundreds of plastic bags around the house to the point that I would just throw them away after shopping. But now that I have the canvas bags we only have maybe a dozen plastic bags in the whole house and have actually run out of them, lol.