If you do the bulk of your shopping at major grocery chains, you’re probably not a stranger to the reusable canvas bags that have popped up in the past few years for purchase. A lot of chains have given special promotions to people who utilize their bags, such as giving a tiny discount for each bag you bring to the check out counter to use again. Plastic bags have fallen by the wayside as grocery chains have realized over the years that they’re very often tossed instead of used again. There are a lot of reasons to make the switch to reusable bags, whether for yourself or for mother nature.

Plastic bags are anything but decomposable, despite being tossed out regularly with the trash. They take years and years to finally decompose, and oftentimes that’s only if they’re disposed of properly. A very small percentage of plastic bags are recycled, but the rest end up destroying nature. They wind up in the oceans and forests or even local lakes and make huge impacts on the ecosystems that are found there. Animals and plant life suffer when plastic bags are introduced into their environment and many end up suffocating or dying from ingesting their toxic materials, check out a list of staggering numbers on how plastic bags are damaging the world we live in.

Not only do bags do vast amounts of damage to the environment when they’re not carefully disposed of, but the energy and resources that go into producing them do quite a bit of harm as well. Petroleum is most often used to create plastic bags, contributing to our drain on natural resources. It’s not surprising that many chains have eliminated plastic bags or are searching for alternatives to the problem. In other areas, extra taxes are imposed on buyers who insist on using plastic bags, adding to the cost of groceries and urging consumers to go green.

If you’re ready to make the switch from plastic bags to reusable ones, consider going out of the box and straying away from the bags that grocers offer you for high prices, companies like London based t-shirt printing company iconprinting.com offer customizable bags for relatively cheap. If you’re building a business or just looking to get creative, order yourself a few with any logo or slogan you want and wear them out proudly the next time you go to get your groceries. Or take advantage of discount offers that your local grocer uses when purchasing the bags (just don’t forget them at home). 
 
If you’re intent on continuing to use plastic bags, at least continue to do so responsibly. Recycle your bags at your grocery store if they offer a recycling service or use them at home in small garbage cans so that you’re at least not letting the go to waste. Plastic bags are only beneficial when they are used again and again. But if you have the few bucks to spare, why not spend it on bags that will not only make your grocery trips far much easier, but save the Earth while you’re at it?