Does anyone else have an abundance of reusable bags? Somehow, they appear to multiply in my home. Canada introduced a federal ban on single-use plastic items, including plastic checkout bags, in December 2022. While I loved the idea of the ban to encourage more eco-friendly behaviours, reusable bags started to accumulate in my house over time. I could not take it anymore and to declutter, while doing good in the world, I recently organized a reusable bag drive at my workplace. We collected 210 reusable bags to donate to a local charity!
Where did the idea of a reusable bag drive come from?
I live in a place with a communal trash room. Over a year ago, I found that someone had tossed over 50 reusable bags. I felt uneasy seeing them discarded, so I took them home to wash them. Then came the dilemma: I didn’t need these extra bags, but I also didn’t want them to go to waste. So, I stowed them away for a few weeks. While scrolling on Instagram, a post piqued my interest! One of my favourite local charities, Good Neighbour, shared that they needed reusable bags!
What do organizations do with reusables?
Many charities use reusable bags to help distribute goods. Good Neighbour and Women in Need Society run thrift stores, and they use bags for items that people purchase. They also use the bags to help distribute clothing and food to people in need.
So, what’s the tragedy?
While it is incredible that we were able to put our reusable bags to good use, I can’t help but think… If they are so reusable, how come we have so many in excess?! After the single-use plastics ban was implemented, many companies switched to using a fabric-like bag. However, many of those companies also treat these reusable bags as disposable. At grocery or clothing stores, they are sold for $0.25 – $5 (or more!) and people buy them to take their items home. Restaurants also package takeout meals in these bags. However, the next time people go shopping, they sometimes forget their bags and end up buying another one. Or sometimes when they go to pick up takeout again, it is already pre-packaged in a reusable bag. The cycle repeats.
Fabric-Like Bags
You know the ones I am talking about. The cheap and flimsy ones from the grocery stores or from restaurants. They feel like fabric, and they somewhat look like fabric. Have you ever tried to wash and dry them? Some of them melt! They are made of a non-woven polypropylene, which is plastic. The ban on single-use plastics has led to “reusable” bags that are essentially just a different kind of single-use plastic.
The Solution
There is no perfect solution, but there are ways to make the world a greener and better place:
- Reduce where we can. Try and remember to bring your reusable bags the next time you go shopping.
- Encourage companies to take responsibility for their reusables. It would be incredible if reusable bags had a deposit on them, similar to a deposit on beverage containers in Alberta, so that people would bring them back to be reused or recycled.
- If you have an excess of reusable bags, please donate them to a local charity rather than trashing them
Christine Song 