[quote=meadandale]Seems to me that buying reusable PLASTIC bags is kind of defeating the purpose of being green. Plastic -> petroleum. Cotton/Hemp -> renewable agricultural product.[/quote]
There are two thoughts on this. If you are reusing (and reusing and reusing…) then you are not depleting resources outside of the initial purchase. Plastic can be incredibly durable – so it can stand up to reuse if manufactured properly. It can also be made from recycled content.
The mantra reduce/reuse/recycle is valid – anything you’re reusing, vs throwing away is limiting the need for future production of that thing.
I have my share of the cotton bags – but don’t tend to use them for shopping because of the flop-over factor. Using coated nylon bags works for me. I’m using bags I purchased years ago. Yes, nylon is made from petroleum, but it is also highly durable and I’m not filling the landfill with the flimsy bags they distribute in grocery stores.
