In an attempt to do my part to help save the planet**, I’ve started using canvas bags to carry my groceries, rather than the plastic bags provided by the supermarket. I still pick up the plastic bags now and then to use as trash liners and lunch bags, but by and large my two canvas bags now serve all my grocery carrying needs.

I’ve noticed a few advantages to the canvas bags (other than their re-usability) since I’ve started using them that I did not anticipate, so I thought I’d share:

1.  The bags I use have long fabric handles on them.  When heavy items are placed near the bottom of the bag, the bag’s center of gravity is lower relative to my hand (and consequently my waist), than it would be using a conventional plastic bag.  This makes a heavy bag of groceries easier to carry with the canvas relative to the plastics –  like the difference between walking a small dog and carrying an oddly shaped dumbbell, in my opinion.
2. Fabric handles on the canvas bag are just that – handles.  They are not large  holes printed into an otherwise handle-less bag, as is the case with plastics.
3. Having a few bags in the car at all times is pretty useful in and of itself – I’ve used the bags for more than just groceries.

The main disadvantage to using canvas as opposed to plastic, as far as I can tell, depends on the number of items that are bought at the store. Since the closest grocery to my house is on my way home from work, I stop there before going home at least 3 days a week. Consequently, the number of items I need to purchase at any given time is pretty small – almost never over ten. Of course, I’m only feeding myself as well.

If I shopped for a large family and made only one trip a week to, let’s say, a remote Wal-Mart location, I’d have to bring a lot of canvas bags along for the trip – maybe too many to be practical.

I also think the self-checkout lends itself to canvas bagging, as you don’t have to convince the store help to “not use” the plastic bags that they would normally use to help you bag your items.

**The phrase “save the planet” is problematic both conceptually (how? why?) and as a directive (now?). I use it here for the sake of convenience, while cringing inwardly at all the loaded connotations it implies.

This entry was posted by jon on Tuesday, May 6th, 2008 at 6:28 pm and is filed under journal, pointless. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.