Why I’m Breaking up with Green Bags.
Green bags came into being around 2002 and were immediately hailed as the solution to all those plastic bags we had been using.
According to Clean Up Australia, Aussies use over 4 billion plastic bags every year!! Not just available in supermarkets, many businesses now offer some form of green bag to their customers.
I jumped onto the bandwagon when they first came out and thought they were great until I started wondering what they were actually made of!
While I like the idea of having a reusable alternative to using plastic bags, I am no longer a fan of the ‘green bag’ as an alternative. They are made from polypropylene, a byproduct of oil refining, usually imported from China. And… they are ugly!
Unfortunately these bags are not compostable or biodegradable and we end up with millions of them, most ending up in landfill. They can be recycled (apparently Coles has a recycling program) but many people are not aware or do not bother.
I also found that the stitching comes loose after a while, they tear easily, the plastic insert cracks and they become useless as as shopping bag.
“A CSIRO research scientist, Dr Mike O’Shea, says the green bag’s only environmental credential is that it is not the single-use high-density polyethylene plastic bag still given out in most shops and supermarkets.” source
So what do I use instead?
For food shopping, I like to use fabric bags. They are so much more durable, easy to wash and last forever. I like to source them from op shops as they are much cheaper and I like to reuse something already in circulation. I realise non-organic cotton production is not very environmentally friendly but I think the years of use of a cotton bag, combined with it’s ability to decompose make it a winner over green bags.
I wash them regularly in hot water with a dash of eucyalyptus oil to keep them clean and fresh.
For one off purchases, I carry a lightweight fold up bag in my handbag.
You can also get some really cute cotton, jute and hemp bags online if you can’t find any at the op shops.
It’s a bit of a challenge now to see if I can avoid plastic bags and I like to say to shop assistants, no thanks, I have my own bag, I like to be a greenie! I think it gets people thinking in a subtle, non-judgy way.
Obviously if you already have ‘green’ bags, use them until they can be used no more and then recycle them properly.
What do you think? Do you love your green bags or do you use something else??
Yes yes yes!! I still have sooooo many green bags in my house but I always take my calico or jute bags with me shopping. I totally agree they crap crap crap, we can totally do better as a country!!
It’s a form of green washing isn’t it… everyone gets on the band wagon to be seen as environmentally responsible but unfortunately it’s not that easy! I always think going back to how our grandmas did things is still the best way… big baskets and calico bags!
I was disillusioned with green bags too, until I tried some of the Norwex Grocery Bags, they can hold what I think would be the equivalent of 4 plastic bags weight wise. I was also surprised to find out, they are made of recycled plastic and have a lining made of BacLock (naturally antibacterial because it’s silver). Cleaning them is easy, a simple wipe out with a damp enviro cloth and air dry. There’s also a fun little message on the outside – Be The Green You Want To See
Ahh they are a different thing altogether… good to see them using recycled plastic!
Ha ha! I could’ve written that post! That’s my thoughts exactly and I love using cotton over jute as you can wash them. I’ve dug out all my old library bags etc. I also use the calico bags from kialla as vegie bags at the markets. They don’t weigh much and it doesn’t bother me if I pay the farmer a little more!
I knew you would be on board Lucy!! I also have some upcycled pillowcases my friend made me to use as shopping bags… they are awesome but I do get some very strange looks.
Would love a photo or how to. I’ve got so many old pillow cases I threw some out the urge day. A good seeing project for my mum.
Hey Lucy, here is a tutorial. http://www.sewinlove.com.au/2012/01/26/eco-shopping-bag-pillowcase/
Yeah I realised the truth of the green bag years ago. When they have been in and out of the shops and washing machine countless times they start to go powdery/dusty, I think the term for it is photo-degrade. http://www.seathos.org/what-is-photo-degradation/
So it’s just breaking up into tiny little toxics particles. I’ve noticed the same thing happening to the lining of bed protectors and pillow protectors. I only buy natural fibres now, and always 2nd hand where possible! Be proud of your choices, it’s ok to be green! (Just not a green bag 😉
Yes, we had a few in the garage do that… powdery stuff everywhere!! Ugh!
Yep green bags are hard to clean and wear out easy. I have 3 cotton ones in my handbag for top up shops and they clean up great in the wash. Only thing is that i liked the green bags flat bottom for groceries. I need to look for alternatives!
Yes, the flat bottom is great, what about a cardboard insert? I have some large calico bags with a large base so I find them okay… as long as they get stacked properly.
How funny. I was just thinking about this topic the other day.
Having just relocated I don’t have much of my reusable stuff so bought a green bag at the supermarket.
I’ve got a number of green bags and I haven’t found them to break easily but at least if they do start coming apart I’ve got something else to go on with!
I think there is a big disparity in quality – some are better than others but once you start washing them (which really you have to do for hygiene) they don’t hold up as well
LOVE this Son! I haven’t used green bags in years and love my jute ones. 🙂
Thanks Laura, I knew you would be all over this! I don’t mind jute but the cotton is easier to wash!
How does everyone dispose of their everyday rubbish, or their dogs poo if not using a plastic bag?
HI Anna, you can use newspaper to wrap rubbish and line bins with.
It’s so good that you have raised awareness about this Sonia. It’s so hard to be a purist in making sound environmental choices. The green bags you refer to are possibly better than plastic, but canvas or cotton are better choices again. I also have a couple of bilums that family brought me back from PNG, and you can stuff the most amazing amount of groceries into them, and they are extremely strong. Yes, you have to be watchful of sales assistants who will have the smallest item dropped into a plastic bag before you can say Jack Robinson!
Hey Jo. Yes, it’s all a matter of where you are on your journey too – I still have a long way to go! Green bags used regularly are better than one use plastic bags. I will have to google bilums as I have never heard of them. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Love the idea of getting cotton bags from op shops! As tempting as it is to rush to Vinnies straight away – it doesn’t seem right to ditch the huge pile of green bags in my cupboard in favour of cotton, best to phase the cotton in I guess!
For sure! Most of my green bags ended up breaking or disintegrating