Every time I buy something at a store the sales person ask me if I would like a bag for my purchases. Canadians take home over 55 million plastic shopping bags every week. Almost all of these shopping bags end up in landfills. So to save the environment some stores are not giving out shopping bags unless you ask for them.

Save a Bag, Increase Profits

By asking me if I want a shopping bag there is a chance that I might say that I don't need it. Retailers claim that this is done to protect the environment. But the retailer charges the same regardless of whether a customer wants a bag or not. Every bag saved in an increase in the retailer's profit margin. None of these savings are passed on to the customer.

Discount grocery stores charge for shopping bags. This is done to help lower their cost and these cost savings are then passed on to the customer. They provide recycled cardboard boxes for customers that do not want to pay for a bag.

Reuse Plastic Shopping Bags

I want my shopping bag. I use them take these with me when I go grocery shopping. I use them as garbage bags in small garbage bins. I have two small garbage bins in the kitchen, one for organic waste, and one for regular garbage. Three other small bins are used through out the house. There is one in the bin office, and two in the washrooms.

These small garbage bags are emptied into a large plastic garbage bin that is then placed curbside. I have only one large plastic garbage bin but you could use two or three depending on the amount of garbage your household produces. The small plastic shopping bags save me money because they eliminate the need to buy large garbage bags. They are also reused before they end up in the landfill.