Single-use plastic bags are not yet banned in England, though they are in many countries (including Bangladesh to prevent floods). They often get snagged in trees or dumped in rivers, where they choke wildlife or end up in the sea.
This durable organic cotton tote bag is made with long-lasting materials, and features a fun slogan from eco-cleaning company Seep. Organic cotton is better for the planet, wildlife and farmers, and safely launders in the washing machine, without releasing microplastics. And at end of life, safely biodegrades back to the earth.
Store all bags away from children and pets. If you launder bags made with synthetic materials (polyester or recycled plastic bottles), do so in a microfiber filter.
Imagine walking through your community, without seeing plastic bags cluttering the streets or polluting your parks. Creating a plastic bag free community isn’t just a dream; it’s a goal we can achieve together. The environmental impact of plastic bags is staggering, harming wildlife and polluting our planet. But change starts with us.
The Devon town of Modbury was Europe’s first plastic-bag free town. Rebecca was a BBC wildlife camera-woman who filmed albatross chicks dying in front of her as their parents fed them plastic.
So she returned home, plied the locals with wine at an art gallery to show her film. Within a month the town had no plastic. Even delis use compostable pots and the local supermarket has no plastic bags.
Residents were given free cloth bags through the post, and there were amnesty bins, to place plastic bags. These were sent off to be made into recycled plastic park benches. She says although they were supportive, doing this privately meant quicker results than a council-led ban.
Other plastic-bag free towns up and running are Penzance in Cornwall and even the whole island of Anglesey in North Wales. Sidmouth in North Devon also is almost plastic-free with local volunteers scooping up any plastic waste they can find!
Developing a Community Action Plan
- Organize Community Meetings: Host gatherings to raise awareness. Invite residents to share ideas and express their concerns about plastic waste.
- Brainstorm Together: Use these meetings as a chance to generate a wide range of ideas. Bring up suggestions like community clean-up days or workshops on making reusable bags.
- Ask local stores to stop providing plastic bags. Instead, promote reusable grocery bags or supermarket bags for life. These options will appeal to eco-conscious customers.
- Host Workshops and Seminars: Offer sessions where residents can learn about the effects of plastic pollution on wildlife and waterways. Bring in experts to share facts and personal stories to create a deeper connection.
- Distribute materials in local restaurants or community centres. Highlight the importance of switching to reusable bags and provide information on where to find them.
- Many grocery stores now provide discounts for customers who bring their own reusable bags. Or set up a system for sharing reusable bags. It could be as simple as a bin at the supermarket, where people can take or donate cloth bags.
Plastic Bag Free Taxes & Incentives
- San Francisco, California: This city was one of the first to enact a ban on plastic bags, introducing a small tax on paper and plastic bags. Businesses reported a 70% reduction in plastic bag distribution within just a year.
- Seattle, Washington: In Seattle, a similar tax approach led to a significant behavioural change. Residents embraced reusable grocery bags, leading to a 50% decrease in single-use plastic bags after two years.
- Dublin, Ireland: Ireland implemented a plastic bag levy in 2002. This tax saw plastic bag use plummet by over 90%. The tax motivated shoppers to bring their own bags, showcasing a powerful shift in consumer habits.
Invest in Organic Cotton Produce Bags
Zero waste shops use a tare system, where you weigh your packaging first, then weigh the products, and it automatically deducts the packaging so you don’t pay for it. But even if you shop in supermarkets, it won’t cost you much to take your own produce bags. These replace plastic and paper bags at the fresh produce aisle.
It also sends a message to supermarkets that you don’t want the packaging. Some people rebelliously leave it at the checkout! Or at least just recycle it at supermarket bag bins, so you don’t take it home with you.
These organic cotton mesh produce bags are so useful. As well as being made from an eco-friendly material (so you can launder them without releasing microplastics into the sea).
And once you get home, the air holes means they keep produce fresher for longer, rather than being stuffed in plastic bags. You can even use them as mini-colanders to wash the dirt off organic produce.
Made from certified organic cotton, they also are good to keep your fresh produce separate, and they are lightweight and machine washable. Line dry.
These organic cotton produce bags weigh hardly anything. Organic cotton also helps fresh produce breathe, so it’s likely to last longer in the kitchen, once you get home. You can even use them as ‘mini-colanders’ to wash fresh produce, before serving or cooking.
What Bananas to Choose?
We’ve all been there, buying bananas at the grocery. The Fair Trade ones are loose, but not organic. And the organic bananas are good for the earth, but in plastic. This is because by law, organic produce has to be wrapped, if sat next to non-organic produce.
The simple solution is (if you have one) to seek out a local organic farm shop, that will likely also sea-freight the bananas too. Because everything else is organic, these bananas can be both Fair Trade and organic!
- A new report is asking supermarkets to not use so much plastic packaging, after a recent report found that the UK is among the worst offenders. With over half of all goods sold, in unnecessary packaging.
- It wants a ban on plastic packaging for everyday foods like apples, tomatoes, carrots and bananas. This follows France that has implemented such a ban on over-packaged items like fresh salads and ready-meals.
The Best Brands of Reusable Grocery Bags
Lyndsey Green’s organic cotton grocery totes are not just made from organic Fair Trade cotton to last for years, but are also beautifully illustrated with endangered species. Ideal for the market or grocery shop, they are printed in the UK and made from quality cotton with long handles for ease of use. Choose from Sumatran tiger, Scottish wildcat or Giraffe.
This organic cotton grocery tote is beautifully illustrated by a vegan Swiss artist, who uses her talents to raise awareness of barnyard animal welfare. Organic cotton is better for the planet, and so this bag can be safely laundered, without releasing microplastics in the washing machine.
This bag is digitally printed on one side, made from combed ring-spun organic cotton, and features top edges folded for a robust finish and long handles with reinforced cross stitch. The attractive Caribbean blue background features the image (do not iron the print directly, turn inside out – if you iron your grocery bags?) Do not tumble dry.
These organic shopping totes from Vegan Outfitters are not only good replacements to disposable plastic bags, but carry positive vegan messages, to proudly display your beliefs when shopping in store. Just choose a couple of your favourites, and you’re all set for the farmers’ market, indie health store, farm shop or supermarket.
This packable recycled shopping tote is made from recycled plastic collected in Indonesia, then stitched by a family business into a quality item that carries a whopping 15-year guarantee.
Made by Groundtruth, these bags (and everything else made by them) were created by explorers and have survived everything, even penguin poo! The bags have ripstop fabric to make them resilient and easy to clean, and each tote removes 8 plastic bottles from our planet.