Response to 'Paper or Plastic'

[lago]

"Doesn’t matter to me. I am bi-sacksual."

[BearPipes-1]

<groan>

[TB Roye]

I get both. I use the plastic bags to pick up after my dogs at the dog park That way the poop will last a 1000 years sealed in the plastic bag in the land fill. Personally I think plastic bags are a crock, they are hard pack with any weight unless you use 2 or 3 and they alllow the cans to roll around in the back of the car and they are not biodegradable. The only good us I have found for them is stated above. At least the paper ones will decay. I guess the question is save a tree or a barrel of oil.

Tom

[LCHIEN]

In Northern europe, when the checker or cashier asks "paper or plastic?", they are referring to whether you wish to pay in cash (paper) or pay with a plastic card - credit/debit payment.

You have to bring your own bags in many places. They charge extra you for furnishing plastic bags to bring your stuff home.
To me the iconic view of a European is going home with a bottle of wine held by the neck and a loaf of bread under his/her arm. Maybe a canvas satchel in the other hand with other groceries. No paper or plastic bags in sight.

[JR]

To me the iconic view of a European is going home with a bottle of wine held by the neck and a loaf of bread under his/her arm. Maybe a canvas satchel in the other hand with other groceries. No paper or plastic bags in sight.

That is exactly what my brother does. His neigborhood has a green grocer, wine store, baker, butcher, and video store all within a two block radius. He also now has a woodworking shop within the same radius, making apartment living quite tolerable. Do I sound envious?

I asked him when the wine store closes. He said, "Well, I suppose it's at 6 or so. But the proprietor is always at his small table out front, and I've never been turned away."
JR

[cgallery]

To me the iconic view of a European is going home with a bottle of wine held by the neck and a loaf of bread under his/her arm. Maybe a canvas satchel in the other hand with other groceries. No paper or plastic bags in sight.

They have Wal*Marts there now, does Wal*Mart use plastic bags there?

[OpaDC]

That is exactly what my brother does. His neigborhood has a green grocer, wine store, baker, butcher, and video store all within a two block radius. He also now has a woodworking shop within the same radius, making apartment living quite tolerable. Do I sound envious?

I asked him when the wine store closes. He said, "Well, I suppose it's at 6 or so. But the proprietor is always at his small table out front, and I've never been turned away."
JR

Now I want to know if they have houses available there! Sounds like the little town I lived in in Germany from 200 -2003. Miss it!

p.s. ...on the joke .... ditto on the GROAN!

[Richard in Smithville]

One of our grocery stores has a points system that can be redeemed as store credit. If you bring your own re-usable bag, you get 500 points per bag.

[jackellis]

hat is exactly what my brother does. His neigborhood has a green grocer, wine store, baker, butcher, and video store all within a two block radius. He also now has a woodworking shop within the same radius, making apartment living quite tolerable. Do I sound envious?

I spent 18 months living in central London and these are the things I really miss. I often have a bagel for breakfast. Nearest decent bagel bakery is a mile away. In London, the nearest bakery (fresh bread but NO bagels) was a five minute walk. On weekends I'd buy a paper, then read it with coffee and fresh bread.

Sigh!

Of course, having a workshop in central London would require spending a few million quid in order to buy a big enough house and properly equip it.

[Kristofor]

My response, is "no worries, I've got this"...

I know I don't pack groceries the way most folks do, and I would rather do it myself rather than stand around being annoyed by how the packer does it...

My objective is to make as few trips from the car to the kitchen as possible (one is ideal...). To do this I will generally use plastic bags (with careful packing I can carry 6-7 bags per hand for a 60-100lb trip in if there are lots of cans, fluids, etc.

For smaller trips I like paper bags. Both paper and plastic are "recycled" (dog clean-up for plastic), and the empty can/bottle receptacle next to my desk for paper.

[bruce hylton]

Paper requires logging, logging requires manpower and machinery. From tree planters to foresters to truck drivers to equipment factories and their employees. Paper and plastic both have requirements not being met. I prefer paper because of logging. Besides the lumber for your projects, paper brings us the necessities of life and if you don't agree, try wiping with plastic sometime.

[Mr__Bill]

I would try that next time I am asked, but I doubt the checker would get the joke.

We have a kitchen garbage can that is sized for the plastic grocery bags, it means we take the trash out at least once a day and I do the cat litter at the same time, three uses for each bag. I also use them for walking the dog. Like TB Roye I am doing a favor for some future archeologist. Now ACE uses a bag that is slightly larger and stronger, it fits the 30# cat litter pails and makes a good shop trash can liner. I now only purchase garbage bags for storing things in and I get the clear ones so I can see what is in it. That way when I decide that I am never going to fit into size 30 jeans I can donate them to the thrift store without having to open the bag up.

Bill, on the Sunny Oregon Coast, where even the aluminum will rust it you're not careful

[Shep]

Most stores around us don't even offer paper bags any more. I can remember back in the mid 90's when using paper was bad and everyone said using the plastic bags would be more enviromentally friendly.

We re-use the plastic bags for everything. I re-use them by:

1.Packing my lunch with them
2.Changing the litter box
3.taking changes of clothes to work
4.small bathroom trash can liners.

If I didn't use them for these reasons I would have to buy other bags for reasons #2 and #4. I figure it's a push. Plus I'm not investing in the eco-friendly bags that they sell at the store, which does take other materials to produce.

I don't think of myself as green, just cheap. Same goes for my heating and cooling bills. I keep my thermostat down in the winter, and try to use my windows over my A/C in the summer. Once again, I hate spending money on things I don't need to spend money on.

[mschrank]

Plus I'm not investing in the eco-friendly bags that they sell at the store, which does take other materials to produce.

I "invested" $1.98 for two canvas bags at the grocery store I shop at most frequently. They hold a lot more than either plastic or paper, and are easier to carrry.

Sure, they take other materials to produce, but I've been using them for almost 2 years now and they're holding up.

Occasionally I forget to put them back in the truck or to take them into the store, but I find uses for the few paper sacks I get.

[TB Roye]

Back in the last century, I would go with my dad to get groceries and they would use a cardboard box for the canned goods, bottles and paper bags for the the other stuff. But that was also the time we could burn trash in a incinerator(55gal drum) in the back yard.
Now everything is recycleable.


Tom