The Conundrum of Plastic Grocery Bags

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

Whenever possible, it is important to tote your own reusable plastic bags to the grocery store. A less green option is to opt for paper bags over plastic. Some regions are even considering adding a plastic bag fee for consumers, so that they will be charged 20 cents on average for each plastic bag that they cart out of the store. But phasing out plastic bags may have a negative effect on the environment. Believe it or not.

Plastic bags have a lot of negative press. Beside using up valuable resources and landing in landfills, they can even pose health hazards. But one thing that plastic grocery bags do have going for them is that they are thin.

Why is this good?

Well, consumers, especially in a down economy, are likely to reuse those common plastic grocery bags in many ways. They may use them to line wastebaskets, to dispose of diapers, to pick up doggie refuse, etc. With the plastic grocery bags no longer being "free" at the checkout. Consumers may pass them by only to purchase other plastic bags that are made with thicker, heavier plastic. The thicker bags made for some of the are even worse for the environment than are plastic grocery bags. Furthermore, the purchased bags are seldom used more than once.

Of course, reduction of all plastic bags, whether grocery or non, is the best choice. Alternatives to plastic grocery bags are already in place in the form of totes. Perhaps getting more totes in the hands of consumers by offering them free might work. This would especially be needed for low income folks who might not be able to afford neither tote nor a 20 cent fee for plastic bags.

Plus a tote has some many other uses, such as carrying library books (reducing consumerism right there).

What do you think?

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, online content manager, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania in the middle of the woods but close enough to Target and Home Depot.

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