Plastic bags @ grocery stores - people who double bag a 2L bottle and other small items!

Just the other day I had an entire cart load of stuff, about 2/3 were bottles of 2L or 1 gallon in size, the rest were boxes of cereal and then some smaller items. I told them no bags except for the stuff at the end of the conveyor, after the soda bottles. I ended up using 2 bags for the small items. The rest I put back in the cart and then took everything to the car, opened the trunk and put everything in boxes in the trunk, so 5 larger boxes filled with all the bottles, cereal etc. IDK if this makes a difference but I know how they bag there and it would have been about 36 bags had they bagged them as they normally do, let alone if someone asks for double bagging (there's only a few scenario's when double bagging is a MUST!! ).

One day I was really sick and needed some juices and sports drinks. When the person dropped them off I got 4 2L bottles and, in 4 nice plastic bags. I just looked at them and thought about my trunk full of groceries and the two bags that I used for all of them. The thing that made it even more disturbing is that I'm middle age and the person bringing them to me is a generation older and it seems counter-intuitive in their actions as I know them.

I then heard a news piece on NPR about all the plastic waste and how some company in the UK is recycling it by thermal cracking, basically heating without oxygen into a thick gooey liquid that distills off the vapors into different (useful) chemicals - basically identical to how crude oil is processed. This process isn't so bad especially because they use the ultra lite distillates that can't really be re-used, as the fuel to power the reaction (it is burnt to heat the plastic) - this is basically the same stuff that you see burning at the top of the tall "chimney's" at oil refineries like a really tall torch. The problem with this process is that it takes A LOT of energy to separate the plastic from normal trash into plastics that can be recycled in any manner, not just burning it as described. The amount of time people spend, individually at home, separating the plastics is far greater than the amount of energy saved by recycling. It may sound like a good thing to do, and for some, who have nothing else to do, it may work for them, but for someone making $500 an hour (heck even $30), it is a loosing venture by far - but some places punish people for not putting a candy wrapper in the recycle bin - totally ridiculous.

Then there are the companies that boast about their "compostable" plastics which are usually made of some plant based oil or cellulose (IDK of any that aren't plant based). They say how environmentally friendly they are because it doesn't end up in the oceans and wherever.... Well the thing is that I can guarantee it takes more resources to grow these plants to make these plastics than it does to make regular plastic (fertilizers are oil based - well derived from petroleum or natural gas). Yes they don't decompose as well but they can be landfilled and over time, they do break down producing methane and even eventually oil once again as the process produces a lot of heat and pressure, just like the process described above, but it is done in a semi-natural method, by covering the landfill with a thick layer of clay then soil and tapping it with methane wells - which can be used for power stations or for homes.

What I don't understand is why we don't hear a lot about incinerators. If it is done correctly, with an abundance of air blown into the combustion chamber (it's even better if it is pre-heated with the hot exhaust flue gases from the combustion chamber) then the plastics and other nasties thrown away are almost completely oxidized into their base oxides which are what is found in the earth as natural ores. There are some substances that sholdn't be burn't but the thing is they are heavily restricted for disposal and don't get put into the normal waste streams of household trash. Incinerators can be MUCH cleaner than coal plants from what I've seen and they can produce a great deal of energy while reducing the amount of trash sent to a landfill. A good combination of using incinerators and landfilling would, from what I have learned/read, be the best combination of methods to dispose of our trash streams, especially the plastics. For those who say "you can't burn plastic", I'm not talking about a smouldering fire of 600-1200 degrees, I'm talking about a fire that is 2000 degrees or more. This can be obtained with the trash alone and blown air (like a forge) or it can be supplemented with natural gas or with electric arc (which can give 3500+ degrees in the fire). The heat is then used to boil water like every power plant that uses steam, and spins turbines and then generators. The ash can then be process to remove metal oxides (valuable) and then the rest can be used in either road pavement or even landfilled - as it is very similar to coal ash/clinker which is used in roads, cinder blocks, and even on unpaved mountain roads.

It seems that the "old ways" from the 1870's to 1960's were pretty darn good in many ways, they made use of what they had in the best manner they could, but for some reason, new ways were adopted which were deemed "better" (I'm guessing lobbyists said they were and paid off people to get their products in use) and the old ways, which worked for so long, were pushed aside. Well, we have been paying for that for decades, and I say, NO LONGER! It's time to take an honest look at why we do things and a harder look at WHY we do what we do and hold those responsible for the changes (for the worse) accountable and throw their behinds out of office & the country if possible.

a reply to: DigginFoTroof
In the UK, supermarkets are no longer allowed to supply free plastic bags. They must charge for them. I think a number of countries, and even American states, are going down this route.

I miss the days a paper bags.

Always had a lot of uses for them (school book covers, art projects, easy to store and use trash bag, all biodegradable....).

You didn’t bring your own reusable bag?? Sounds like your part of the environmental problem. Think of the children!!

I use them 2 at a time for picking up doggie doo doo
a lot of these bags get reused

originally posted by: eriktheawful
I miss the days a paper bags.

Always had a lot of uses for them (school book covers, art projects, easy to store and use trash bag, all biodegradable....).

Except for the roaches that lay eggs in them. They go after the glue in the bags. Plus paper sacks tear easy when trying to carry two liter soda bottles.

Not sure whats worse; drinking soda pop, cutting down a million trees to make paper bags or bringing cockroaches home from the store.

You drink 2/3 of a cart of 2ltr bottles?

That's a sickness. Seriously. How are your teeth?

I just got back from the store, second time today. It's now the thing to not give out those shopping bags. First time they don't have the plastic bags, so I got everything in a box. This time, a big arse box of corn flakes (yeah yeah) and I'm not putting a box in a box along with the other things. so I bought.... a plastic bag. A big MYRES style plastic bag. I'm sure the fish and the ducks will feel a lot better in those.

only 15 cents, but I thought about buying 100 of them and throwing 99 in the river. Teach them to stiff me. PLASTIC?

Oh it's reusable... they're all bloody reusable.

2/3 of a cart man... that's what 12 2ltr bottles? jesus..

originally posted by: intrptr

originally posted by: eriktheawful
I miss the days a paper bags.

Always had a lot of uses for them (school book covers, art projects, easy to store and use trash bag, all biodegradable....).

Except for the roaches that lay eggs in them. They go after the glue in the bags. Plus paper sacks tear easy when trying to carry two liter soda bottles.

Not sure whats worse; drinking soda pop, cutting down a million trees to make paper bags or bringing cockroaches home from the store.

Remind me never to live where you do with cockroaches in the store paper bags. and where everyone seems to drink 9000 liters of soda.

originally posted by: eriktheawful
I miss the days a paper bags.

Always had a lot of uses for them (school book covers, art projects, easy to store and use trash bag, all biodegradable....).

Shaking your home made chips in, and watching them become translucent.

no cockroaches were ever involved.

originally posted by: badw0lf

originally posted by: intrptr

originally posted by: eriktheawful
I miss the days a paper bags.

Always had a lot of uses for them (school book covers, art projects, easy to store and use trash bag, all biodegradable....).

Except for the roaches that lay eggs in them. They go after the glue in the bags. Plus paper sacks tear easy when trying to carry two liter soda bottles.

Not sure whats worse; drinking soda pop, cutting down a million trees to make paper bags or bringing cockroaches home from the store.

Remind me never to live where you do with cockroaches in the store paper bags. and where everyone seems to drink 9000 liters of soda.

You never been in the back of grocery stores... rats, mice, roaches and a hundred other bugs imported with pallets of fresh produce. Besides being in the scrapping business, I've had friends who worked as exterminators for major food producers, transport, stores and restaurants.

They store the pallets of grocery bags right next to the bananas from south america. They'll both get sprayed from time to time.

Paper and plastic bags are environ-mentally handicapped, anyway. Paper comes from trees, plastic comes from oil.

Bring your own reusable grocery bags, remember to bring them in the store with you.

originally posted by: badw0lf
You drink 2/3 of a cart of 2ltr bottles?

That's a sickness. Seriously. How are your teeth?

I just got back from the store, second time today. It's now the thing to not give out those shopping bags. First time they don't have the plastic bags, so I got everything in a box. This time, a big arse box of corn flakes (yeah yeah) and I'm not putting a box in a box along with the other things. so I bought.... a plastic bag. A big MYRES style plastic bag. I'm sure the fish and the ducks will feel a lot better in those.

only 15 cents, but I thought about buying 100 of them and throwing 99 in the river. Teach them to stiff me. PLASTIC?

Oh it's reusable... they're all bloody reusable.

2/3 of a cart man... that's what 12 2ltr bottles? jesus..

yeah, 12 2L bottles... That's just my daily pop run but I'm also 7'8" and about 400lbs so it looks like a 20oz bottle in my hand.,...

originally posted by: DISRAELI
a reply to: DigginFoTroof
In the UK, supermarkets are no longer allowed to supply free plastic bags. They must charge for them. I think a number of countries, and even American states, are going down this route.

Disposable plastic bags are banned in LA County, in So Cali. Its funny, just like the smoking ban, California does it first,
the alt right bashes us for doing these things, the latest being the plastic straws, as usual, we do it and later the rest of the Nation catches on and follows suit. So much for us being "libtards". No we think about the future and try and protect it...Then other states are like, hey we should do that 5 years later.

Our bags are reuseable, and much better than the old thin ones we used to get. They dont break so OP you can put 4 2 litters in one bag, if you dont mind the weight.

originally posted by: badw0lf

originally posted by: eriktheawful
I miss the days a paper bags.

Always had a lot of uses for them (school book covers, art projects, easy to store and use trash bag, all biodegradable....).

Shaking your home made chips in, and watching them become translucent.

no cockroaches were ever involved.

It’s not the cockroaches that you have to worry about, it’s their eggs. They get caught on your teeth, and then hatch while you’re sleeping.

I used to live in an apartment block next to a supermarket in California. Those roaches were everywhere in the communal garden. Would end up always hearing a crunching noise when I walked along in the dark.

Here in the UK, we have heavyweight reusable bags - either cloth or thick plastic which can be used for a year or more.
And no roaches.

Recycling is the biggest problem for people. It's getting so confusing have to have separate bins for every type of item; plastic bottles; cardboard and paper but not the waxed kind or anything with little plastic windows. No pringles cans because of the metal ends. Glass bottles, but not colored glass. Food scraps in another bit. We were given these teeny-tiny bins which all our food scraps are supposed to be put in. But the only scraps I would have left over were grated carrot, red pepper cores and orange peel. Newspapers, but not glossy magazines.

a reply to: DigginFoTroof

I'd double-bag a slice of bread if it tickled my fancy.

But with that said, we keep all of our plastic bags and then return them to the receptacle for plastic-bag recycling at the supermarket, so at least we do our part in that and don't just throw them in the trash. We're also big recyclers of our household waste, too--one of not many in our large neighborhood, where recycle services are included in trash pickup at no extra cost.

Then again, I'm one of those guys that breaks up plastic six-pack rings and whatnot to save a dolphin's beak or a sea-turtles neck, so at least I'm trying, I suppose.

We shot a decent amount at Costco, though, where bags are not a thing, and often times, my wife takes cloth bags to the supermarket with her to help mitigate the use of plastic.

Like others have said, though, I do use some of the bags to pick up the poopy from the puppies, so I guess that those get wasted, but at least I'm land-locked, so those bags aren't chocking sea turtles who think that they're jellyfish if they blow out of the dump.

originally posted by: intrptr

originally posted by: badw0lf

originally posted by: intrptr

originally posted by: eriktheawful
I miss the days a paper bags.

Always had a lot of uses for them (school book covers, art projects, easy to store and use trash bag, all biodegradable....).

Except for the roaches that lay eggs in them. They go after the glue in the bags. Plus paper sacks tear easy when trying to carry two liter soda bottles.

Not sure whats worse; drinking soda pop, cutting down a million trees to make paper bags or bringing cockroaches home from the store.

Remind me never to live where you do with cockroaches in the store paper bags. and where everyone seems to drink 9000 liters of soda.

You never been in the back of grocery stores... rats, mice, roaches and a hundred other bugs imported with pallets of fresh produce. Besides being in the scrapping business, I've had friends who worked as exterminators for major food producers, transport, stores and restaurants.

They store the pallets of grocery bags right next to the bananas from south america. They'll both get sprayed from time to time.

Paper and plastic bags are environ-mentally handicapped, anyway. Paper comes from trees, plastic comes from oil.

Bring your own reusable grocery bags, remember to bring them in the store with you.

Never had a roach problem from the old paper bags we used to have. Not saying bring them back, but just never seen this problem, nor anyone here that I know.

I always bring my own bag, one of those $1 deals they sell you for reuse. Sometimes though, if I'm passing by on the way home, I need a bag to carry things in, can't juggle avocados and milk at the same time. But now they're a thing of the past. The new options are, a cardboard box (sorry trees) or a .. PLASTIC bag.. that I can buy for 15 cents. Just as plastic, if not more, than the ones I did use. In fact, a lot more plastic, as it's the same sort of bag you'd get from a clothing store. and for 15 cents, I'm not that attached to it.

It's a bit silly, when most people I know reuse the old plastic bags over and over till they're shredded. Most people who use them and throw them away, will do the same with these alternatives.

But I use my hessian bag as much as I can, and will keep the super plastic one for when I'm buying large items. I just don't see this as a good way to alleviate the plastic problem. Considering everything I buy is either coated in plastic wrap, comes in a plastic bag already, or is made of a plastic container.

the plastic rubbish islands in the gyres of the ocean, are not really made up of plastic bags...

My lady makes me use the hippie reusable bags we bought. ...

I remember being single. ..

I use to only buy what I could carry in mah hands.

Shopping carts fa sissies...

Now?

I push a cart with a purse in it.


Kill me quick.

a reply to: Lysergic

Next I'll be getting Starbucks.


-sigh-

a reply to: DigginFoTroof

Jesus H Christ.

Are you the UK beast?

Like LA Beast. Only British and a lil mo beastly?

a reply to: DigginFoTroof

Do you buy / use garbage bags?


I realized many moons ago...

Garbage full; Out of garbage bags: Drive to store. Get a box of bags. Checkout: box of bags bagged inside grocery bag. Drive home. Open box of (garbage) bags, empty trash can of full bag, reline trash can with fresh empty bag. Throw old empty (garbage bag) box into trash can (er bag). Stuff grocery bag used to bring home new box of garbage box into bag that came from the box it had carted home.



OR just use grocery bags that pile up anyway. No need for interior garbage can. No stank it turns into by time its full. No wrastling the full bag out (thus precipitating procrastination).

Years later the big wheeled recycling cans arrived, which they'll empty every week even if you dont pay for normal trash service. So, living alone, and being very methodical about things / composting / etc, I only end up with about 1.5 grocery bags per week that cant be composted / etc, which I just throw out at the gas station or grocery store once a week (hey, I spend money first).