Green Bags

As our awareness of the human impact on the global environment increases, so too does our awareness of our own day-to-day impact on our planet. As consumers become more interested in lessening their impact on the environment, small and big businesses are responding to this interest by developing products and packaging that leave a smaller footprint on our increasingly taxed world.

For our purposes, green bags are bags or packaging that utilize reusable, recyclable or compostable materials. There are green bags specially made for particular purposes, but almost any bag can be a green bag if it used as a permanent replacement for bags that would otherwise be thrown away and disposed of in a landfill where it will not biodegrade. For example, canvas tote bags that you already have around your house make great shopping bags and can permanently replace the need for paper or plastic bags at the grocery store.

So what are some ways that you can cut down on the number of bags you throw away or that get thrown away and then end up in a landfill? Here are some suggestions:

Coffee Bags: Unlined or glassine-lined paper bags are the best. You can compost these and that is the best choice for recycling at this point. While you can recycle them, too much paper goes into recycling and the impact of the weight of paper alone has a huge impact on the environment, both in terms of the energy it takes to produce one, not to mention the waterborne waste and atmospheric pollution it creates. Nonetheless, most Americans do not even recycle their paper grocery bags properly, so I suppose recycling these is better than what most people do, which is chucking them in the landfill.

Shopping Bags: Shopping bags (for products and groceries) are a must if you are trying to lighten your share of the landfill burden. There are many varieties, from the canvas totes lying around your house to the polypropylene bags you can purchase for $1.00 at your grocery store to the mesh bags that are now available to hold your fruits and vegetables instead of the plastic produce bags.

Product Packaging: Choosing products with recyclable, reusable or compostable packaging is also a great way to reduce waste. Like the coffee bags mentioned above, products using paper bags (without plastic lining) make it easier to have what you need without having to throw the packaging in the landfill. Many products come wrapped in paper, such as glassine bags (a compostable paper that resists water, air and grease), that can be recycled or composted. It’s a matter of choose these products when you are shopping and then remembering to dispose of them properly.

Lunch Bags/Waste Free Lunches: While there are many options these days to prepare waste free lunches, if you do need to use a bag of some sort, you can find waxed bags, much like the type our moms used before there were plastic baggies. You can find these in small, eco-friendly markets and Whole Foods markets. Instead of using paper bags to hold lunches, there are plenty of reusable options, including lunch boxes and bags of every color, shape, style, material and size.