Reusable Bags
Dear Editor: Change is hard; we can all accept that. New habits are difficult to keep going, just look at a lot of New Year’s resolutions in a few weeks to see how many fall by the wayside. So how do you start and keep up the habit of remembering your reusable bags when you go shopping?
Some people choose to bring their bags back out to the car as soon as they unload them. If that works for you, great. Not always the best plan if you have a lot of dog hair in your car, or dogs who might like to chew those tasty empty bags! (Going to remind you now it’s a good idea to wash your bags occasionally, especially if you bring meat home in them.)
Others leave the bags hanging by the front door and try to remember to grab them on the way out for a grocery run. Sounds like a plan to me, but not one that works for me.
I keep my bags (including mesh produce bags that also need occasional washing) in a closet and my right hand knows to grab them when I have a grocery list in my left hand. That works for me around 95 percent of the time. I also keep a few nylon bags in my purse and work satchel for unexpected stops at the store.
Plastic bags are forever – from their production using lots of petroleum products to their degradation, leaving tiny bits of plastic on the earth and in the ocean to pollute our waters and food. Time to switch over to reusable bags for your health and the health of the planet. Get a new, healthy habit for the New Year that doesn’t involve going to the gym!
Kathy Ingallinera, Sitka
