Loblaws, where we do most of our food shopping, is selling these reusable bags for 99 cents each. They're made of 85% post-consumer recycled materials, they're big and they seem very strong.
I've only seen a few people at the store using these bags for their entire shopping. I'd like to do that, both for the plastic bag replacement itself, and for the visibility, to encourage other to do the same.
As I've mentioned before, we re-use all our plastic grocery bags. One use is for household trash, but there are always bags from the LCBO (which are sturdier) or Canadian Tire to use for that. With diligent recycling, we only have two or three small bags of trash each week.
The real issue is dog poop. We save all our grocery bags for dog poop cleanup, and with two dogs, we go through a lot of bags. Unlike Toronto, Mississauga doesn't want dog waste in the green bin - we have to throw it in the trash.
In New York, we used newspaper to clean up after our dogs. But in NYC, there's a trash can on every corner. We could scoop the poop, walk a few steps (half a block at most) and toss the paper.
In our little Mississauga subdivision, there are no public trash cans. We have to walk home with the poop, which makes newspaper pickup very impractical. Try walking two dogs, one of them young and energetic, holding two newspapers full of poop in your hand. Actually, don't try it. You'll end up cursing in frustration, and possibly worse. The grocery bag can easily be held along with the leash. Bags are really the only way.
We could buy small plastic bags for dog poop cleanup. But doesn't it seem silly to buy new bags for a single use, instead of re-using bags you get for free?
So if we buy reusable grocery bags, how will we clean up after our dogs?
22 comments:
PetSmart sells a variety of biodegradable pet pick-up bags. They're preferable to re-using shopping bags, thanks to their degradability. They often come in little cylindrical dispensers that you can hook to your leash or belt, as well.
I've tried to bring my own bags to the grocery store for years. Still, I have a cupboard stuffed full of plastic grocery bags that I use for garbage. Admittedly, we don't go through 'em like you go through 'em, but they seem to accumulate anyway, just from the times I think of one or two things I want when I'm out in the car but don't have the bags, or I forgot them, or we run to the hardware store and don't think to take a bag... I hate to think how many plastic bags I'd have stuffed in my kitchen if I didn't manage to take my shopping bags to the grocery most times.
I'll second Ferdzy's comment. And if you run out, you could always ask your neighbours if they have them.
As far as re-using them, by my logic if you want to use fabric bags (the Loblaws ones are great, we use them) and choose to get plastic bags instead so that you can use them later, they're not really being re-used as you would have brought your groceries home via fabric anyway. They're just being used once for the purposes of the doggie pickup.
On the other hand, my wallet tells me that free bags are better than pay bags.
In your situation (which Dawn and I are not), I would keep getting groceries in plastic bags.
but they seem to accumulate anyway, just from the times I think of one or two things I want when I'm out in the car but don't have the bags, or I forgot them, or we run to the hardware store and don't think to take a bag...
Absolutely. We're thinking we'll keep the cloth bags in the car for big Loblaws shoppings, but I'm sure we'll still have bags now and again for other things.
We use so many plastic bags for poop that we actually run out of bags in between shoppings and have to improvise.
Maybe James's idea of biodegradable bags are the way to go. We would keep the dispenser at home where we now keep our bag supply.
I'll put it on my list for PetSmart.
OK, this question went better than the Hawaiian shirt question. I am now heading back to that thread with an update.
In your situation (which Dawn and I are not), I would keep getting groceries in plastic bags.
Hmm. Interesting. Still thinking...
And if you run out, you could always ask your neighbours if they have them.
Nah. Not in my neighbourhood. There's no borrowing around here.
Just reuse them for the dogs :)
Just balance it out - bring the re-useable bags shopping on half your shopping trips.
So if we buy reusable grocery bags, how will we clean up after our dogs?
Duh, with a reusable dog poop container. An old Tupperware container--or similar product--works great. Just scoop it in and when you get home empty it into a garbage bag that can then go out with the trash every week.
This way you only send one plastic bag to the landfill site every week instead of dozens.
Duh, with a reusable dog poop container. An old Tupperware container--or similar product--works great.
Duh yourself. Ever try it while walking two dogs at the same time? Not possible. I don't have three hands.
Not to mention I can't even figure out how you could scoop poop with something like a Tupperware container. Maybe it works with a 5-lb dog. It wouldn't work with my two 60-lb girls.
Hi Alex! You might have the right idea there. Something less extreme. (Always my problem - all or nothing solutions.)
David, you seem to agree with Scott M. Go for the free bags, which is also easier.
Do you still shop at Whole Foods? They have re-usable bags for 99 cents as well. They are actually bigger than the ones Loblaws offer and Whole Foods will give you 10 cents back per bag when you use it at their store.
The biodegradable pet pick-up bags sound like a good idea. Of course it would depend on how many you get and for how much.
Hi Janelle!
I do love Whole Foods, but it's not convenient for us. My excursions to Whole Foods in Oakville were before we found the better Loblaws in Mississauga. Our old Loblaws in Port Credit wasn't so nice. We didn't know that there were much nicer ones not far off.
So since finding the nice Loblaws, we don't see Whole Foods much anymore.
I'm not surprised they have good reusable bags with good incentives to use them, too! I love that store. :)
Duh yourself. Ever try it while walking two dogs at the same time? Not possible. I don't have three hands.
Get a container with a handle. If you can carry a bag of poop you can carry a pail of poop too.
Get a container with a handle.
Get two big dogs, one of them young and energetic who reacts to cars and bicycles, walk them on a regular basis, and clean up all their poop from grass (not pavement). Then come back and tell me how to pick up poop.
Another solution: Move to Georgina (where I live)!
Just got a flyer about our new green bin program. The relevant details:
- They encourage you to put your compostables into small plastic bags "Plastic grocery bags are ideal", to tie them and place them in your green bin.
- Alternately you can line your green bin with a large plastic bag, kraft paper or a biodegradable bag and put the contents in there. Either way don't leave your plastic bin dirty.
- Included in the "Green Bin" list are: Animal bedding (hamster/bird cages), Animal Waste, Bird Seeds, kitty litter, etc.
Other odd things in that flyer (which we're going to laminate):
- Green bin accepts bones, diapers, sanitary napkins and tampons, sawdust, grease, fat, lard.
- Kraft paper goes into Blue Box, but can be used to line your Green Box as well.
- They list EMPTY paint cans (lids removed) and aerosol cans as Blue Box eligable, but I don't understand that -- how do you empty them? Wash the paint into the sewer system? Puncture the aerosol can and rince it? Aren't they HHW?
- Similarily they show EMPTY motor oil bottles as regular garbage. How did you empty it?
Anywho, the long and short of it is if you move up here you can use your plastic grocery bags to pick up your dog dung and toss them right into your green bin. Yippee!
Toronto's green bin program has the same thing.
But that would be a pretty sad reason to move! :)
Get a container with a handle.
It occurs to me that this commenter does not understand that we don't really scoop the dog waste. That's not really possible without making an even bigger mess.
We use the plastic bag like a kind of glove, pick up the poop, then flip the bag inside out. In NYC, we did the same thing with newspaper - picked up the poop while holding the newspaper.
This might be the confusion. It's not really a scoop. It's a pick.
Then come back and tell me how to pick up poop.
Clip a small plastic shovel to the pail and use it to scoop up the poop. I do it all the time in my backyard and it doesn't make a mess.
Yes, exactly: you do it in your backyard. Are you walking two dogs on a leash in your backyard? My guess is no.
Your suggestions, while perhaps well-meaning, are not helpful.
Your suggestions, while perhaps well-meaning, are not helpful.
Have you tried it? Then how do you know if it will work or not?
I cannot try carrying a container on dog-walks, because I know I couldn't manage it. I've been walking two dogs, together, on-leash, for almost 20 years. I know what I can safely get away with and what will not work.
Carrying a reusable container that at some point will have dog poop in it - and will have to be used twice on one walk - and will have to make it back to the house with the poop in it - with both my dogs safely in hand - will not work.
If you're successful at it, then good for you, although since you said "your backyard," I think you probably haven't tried it either.
In any case, I thank you for your initial suggestion, and respectfully request you drop the subject. Enough already!
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