Clare Henney: Green Bags

I’ve always been the type of person who has concern for the environment. I’m the person who fusses if someone in the car wants to throw trash outside the window and who’d throw those toll receipts while in a running vehicle. I fuss over people who burn their trash (to the point of tweeting the DENR when I spot one, hahaha) and really look for ways to be more environment-friendly. When the concept of using “green bags” for shopping started in the country I breathed a sigh of relief because I’ve wanted to use the bags I got from my mom for so long but the people at the stores wouldn’t let me. When the government started encouraging it I started bringing my bags with me when I had to shop. Funny thing is, even with the green bags for sale at the malls and such, it was still rare for shoppers to actually use them because it still puzzled salespeople when I ask to put my purchases in my bags. I find it weird that they have to stop and ask their supervisor first before they let me do that.

As much as I appreciate that malls like SM have their green bags and their biodegradable plastic bags, I still have a few issues with them. I find the green bags too small.  Those wide ones may look spacious but they can’t really fit much in.  For a commuter like me that’s an issue.  I don’t like the shoulder bag type too, it’s much more difficult to carry around if it’s full because you keep on hitting people with it.  The ones pictured here are much better, they’re more similar to the typical plastic shopping bags that malls usually have.  I just worry about how sturdy these bags are because they seem so flimsy.

The biodegradable bags, while I am happy that they are indeed biodegradable (I’ve seen one that I’ve kept in a closet degrade on its own), I got pissed using them when I had a heavy purchase and the bag tore as I was walking out the mall.  I commute, so that was a big deal to me.

I read on Twitter that some shopping centers will stop using plastic completely.  I think that is a big step in the right direction.  I just hope that they could inform shoppers well in advance so that they wouldn’t be caught without bags to put their purchases in and that they’d let the shoppers choose the types of bags they want to use (I find the canvass bag from Healthy Options big and strong enough for basic shopping, I recommend that).

What do you all think of green bags?  Do you use them?

Photo Source: Trends and Spots