Many people are starting to think more consciously about how they shop and I am so thrilled about it! According to The Center for Biological Diversity, Americans use about 100 billion bags a year, which takes a lot of oil to manufacture. Even with recycling, only one percent of plastic bags are recycled and the rest is found polluting the environment. With that in mind, many people try to find ways to work around this by purchasing reusable cloth shopping bags, usually made out of cotton, hemp, or a jute-like material. In this post, I will be showing what I put in my shopping bag and maybe give you some ideas of what you can use while shopping.
Totes
I have a mountain of totes and I love them dearly. I have these really big Aldi jute bags that I usually always take with me whenever I go grocery shopping. I love them because they are really inexpensive and last forever. Inside that, I just have medium cotton shopping bags that I can either use for grocery shopping or clothing shopping! I wish more brands carried reusable bags with cute designs or maybe aesthetic vibes.
Produce bags
Next, is produce bags. I just use this primarily for grocery shopping but if you're in a hurry and it's the only bag that is available, they work just fine. These bags are used so that you don't have to use the plastic ones that they have in the produce section. I know that some bags say they are biodegradable but I don't want to take any chances. I want to try to shop with less packaging as much as possible.
Jars/other containers
Lastly, some jars and containers are just used for grocery shopping. You use these at bulk shops or at farmer's markets if you plan on buying stuff like nut butters, pastas, jellies/jams, or even stuff like liquid dish soaps. Just make sure you pre-measure your containers before you start putting anything in them to avoid additional costs.
I am sure there might be some other alternatives that I missed in this post, but I hope that I enlightened you on some other alternatives to plastic bags. Making low waste swaps takes time but just remember that every step you take is an accomplishment. I hope that I can one day learn some new tips and tricks to a more low impact lifestyle so that I can share them with you all!
I hope you really liked this post and I hope you found it helpful. Comment below if you have any other alternatives that weren't on my list. I would love to see what everyone else is doing!