Plastic or polyethylene shopping bags have been commonly used by consumers in the US and in many countries for more than 20 years. Compared with paper bags, plastic bags need less energy to produce and they generate less solid waste. However, plastic shopping bags will take up thousands of years to decompose, as they are petroleum based products. While plastic bags can also be reused by some consumers for some purposes such as picking up animal waste and carrying lunch, the main problem is they often litter the road, in parking lots, on car antennas and caught in trees.
So what is the solution to this dilemma? The use of reusable tote bags is the answer. This will minimize if not totally eliminate the use of disposable shopping bags. This will also help the environment. But because the use of plastic reusable tote bags has become a habit for many consumers, it will likely take some time to encourage them totally to shift to reusable shopping bags. Many stores offer discounts to customers who bring a reusable bag to the store. The discount is deducted from the total purchase made by the customer. This is a savings on the part of the consumer, not a lot, but a bit of money.
To use a reusable tote bag in your grocery shopping is one big step in preserving the environment. All of us can see the effects of plastic bags everywhere - from the litters along the road, to the overflowing of landfills, to the pollution on rivers, and the toll on wildlife. Plastic bags kill wildlife. Fowls and birds are easily suffocated by plastic. When the bag goes on to their heads, they do not have the ability to pull it off, and they get killed. We cannot entirely phase out plastics anytime soon, but we should start to make changes now. Our efforts will pay out some day.
If you are a retail store or a grocery store owner, using reusable bags can be a good advertising tool for your business. Just add your trademark (such as store name, logo) and your business message to the reusable tote bag, and you are sure to get the extra benefit of free and positive advertising. Reusable shopping bags can also foster customer loyalty. Loyal customers are those consumers who think of your store first whenever they need to buy something. They are those who never mind making special trips to your store, speak good about the products you are selling, and encourage their friends to patronize your business. If you got loyal customers, your business will stay in business for as long as you have them.
You can fit more stuff in your reusable tote bag than a plastic grocery bag. If you are used to bringing home 6 plastic bags of groceries, with a reusable shopping bag, this can be reduced to only 2. And this further means that you will make fewer trips from the car to the house. You do not have to worry about the bag ripping on your way to the house. Reusable bags do not rip like plastic, so you do not have to deal with the mess of broken bottles of milk and other drinks.
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