It’s plastic-free only when thousands of people challenge themselves to reduce the use of single-use plastic bags every day.
It’s true, we don’t need any more reasons to ditch plastic bags. So, on International Plastic Bag Free Day let us commit to this single action that will hugely benefit the environment and our wallets—no kidding!
As a matter of fact, less plastic can be as good for our wallets as it is for the environment. When you ditch plastic all sorts of new, personal benefits creep into your house— actually your wallets per se. And reducing your single-use plastic bag waste is so much easier than you think.
Admit it, we all tend to just ignore that our purchases come conveniently in plastic bags at the grocery store or pharmacy.
We’ve overused plastic bags to a point where plastic bags are convenient enough for us to not mind the added cost.
Reality check! We are not only wasting cash but also adding plastic trash to the waste stream. Cutting ties with plastic bags will help you understand that little savings do add up.
You may also like : 8 Green Hacks to Save the Environment and Money
Why stop using plastic?
If you come to think of it, plastic bags are not appealing for groceries.
- They are small
- It’s difficult to put things into
- Constantly in danger of disgorging contents.
- Single-use plastic has a negative environmental footprint.
Instead, go with…
Reusable shopping bags
Ever heard of flat-bottom and roll-up reusable? Buy them and use them! One purchase will turn out to be a one-time investment. One bag will cost you $1.00. So buy a couple of these bags. They have two shoulder straps and handles and are perfectly reusable shopping bags with flat bottoms and sturdy handles.
You can wash the grocery bags in the kitchen sick or toss them in with other laundry and put them outside to dry.
You don’t need a large financial outlay to obtain reusable bags. Most stores offer low-cost or even free bags with their name and logo.
Containers from home
Scooping rice into a plastic bag from the bulk bin defeats the purpose of getting rid of plastic. Instead, why not bring your containers?
There’s one extra step involved, but it doesn’t do much harm. At the store, you’ll need to weigh the empty container and put a label on it, so at checkout, you know how much weight to subtract from your purchase.
Try this at the farmers market and they will thank you because honestly, the packaging is expensive and it saves farmers a lot of money when you go the extra mile and bring containers with you to the market. Try it! It’s worth it. Plus, you don’t have to go through another gruesome process of unloading and rearranging your purchase into other containers.
Can you see how you can easily reduce your own single-use plastic bag waste with a little effort—moreover it saves you money as well! Get creative and come up with ideas of your own as well. Because one small step leads to the next one.
