Comments on: Paper or Plastic?

By: Paul M

Paul M — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 07:09:46 +0000

It has to be paper. Plastic bags dump out your groceries in the back of the car. The only thing I liked about living in Minneapolis was that I could get paper bags if I wanted them (I always did). Where I live now all the grocery stores (save Aldi) offer nothing but plastic. I work for a large retailer that has been selling “reusable” bags for two years now (we’ve sold something like 5M of them). The company has not seen a measurable shift in the use of the disposable plastic bags. It appears that a lot of people buy them but few actual use them.

By: Clark

Clark — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:49:29 +0000

I actually love finding garbage from long ago. We were hiking some years back and found the remnants of a logging camp from the 1940′s. Really interesting.

By: Thomas Parkin

Thomas Parkin — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:15:11 +0000

Papaer. Not that we actually use it (can it still be used?), but just cause I’m old school.

Anyone old enough to remember the pull tabs that were used to open soda cans? You pulled them off, then threw them on the ground, and the whole world was scattered with pull tabs.

We took the barely passable dirt rod from Avon, UT to Liberty UT a couple Saturdays back. At one point, we pulled over and hiked a few hundred yards up a hillside. When we reached the top, we had a lovely view of a little valley. I looked down at my feet, and there was this old soda can pull tab. Had to be at least 30 years old. ~

By: Ben Pratt

Ben Pratt — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 06:20:48 +0000

We have at least a dozen paper bags in the back of our motor vehicle, to be used when we buy groceries ($0.20 off per bag at some stores).

We forget to bring in the bags almost every single time. It’s hilarious.

By: meems

meems — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 05:07:28 +0000

Well, usually if I remember to actually bring them, it’s canvas bags, but otherwise, paper. All the grocery stores around here have nifty handles on the paper bags that are a lot more comfortable to hold than the plastic ones.

By: Clark

Clark — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 02:13:23 +0000

Sam, yeah I could do that. It’s just that when I’m going shopping it’s usually because we need something right then and I’m ill prepared and in a rush. So color me the lazy American.

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 01:23:46 +0000

. . . because I usually walk or take public transportation to do grocery shopping . . .

Shudder. I think I’ve got it bad having to tote the groceries all the way from my car to my third floor apartment. I would never survive in NYC.

By: Sam B.

Sam B. — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:46:56 +0000

Clark,
There’s a grocery store near us with self-checkout; with those, I scan the groceries and set them down on the sensor. Then I pay and stick them in my bags that I brought (first choice, but it wasn’t offered).

I tried to stick my bags on the sensors first one time, and the machine yelled at me that I already had weight on it, even though I hit the “Brought My Own Bags” button.

By: Clark

Clark — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:08:41 +0000

I always do the self-checkout unless I have my kids with me. They only offer plastic there. My wife opted out of the false dichotomy and got some of those burlap bags that you reuse. Guess how many times in practice we’ve used them?

By: gabby

gabby — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:01:05 +0000

Hmmmm….I’m thinking it’s just you!