I was at the store and my daughter told the bagger that we wanted paper bags. The first bag was a paper bag, then the subsequent bags were plastic until the last one which the plastic bags were stuffed in a paper bag.

I am a former bagger. I also recycle.

When someone asks for paper bags to be used – do not do whatever you want. Serious. That is why I prefer to bag myself. Thank you very much.

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• Earth Day: End Plastic Pollution
• Fauna & Flora International: Ocean Plastic Pollution
• Forbes: Five Ways That Plastics Harm The Environment (And One Way They May Help)

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We use paper bags to recycle materials in our house. The oddest part is that I’m a tree hugger and I use paper bags. At least the bags are recycled paper and can be recycled as well.

We only use paper bags when we need to because we also use collapsible crate boxes and reusable bags. If there is one thing my husband really is annoyed with me is my collection of reusable bags. Yikes, I have gotten better, tho.

Another pet peeve or annoyance is a bag for one item. Really? I appreciate it but I only have one item I do not need a bag for. It is like an automatic progress to stuff an item or more in a bag. I will ask for a bag if I need to.

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• Huff Post: Are Plastic, Paper Or Reusable Bags Better For The Environment?
• Plastic Education: Reusable vs. Disposable Bags: What’s Better for The Environment?
• Phys.Org: Here’s how many times you actually need to reuse your shopping bags

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One of the articles in the above links discusses reusing the reusable bags. That is what we do pretty much on a daily basis, until they wear out. To the beach, to a family member’s house with food, craft stuff, stuff for school, oh and yeah, grocery shopping.

When someone asks for paper bags, respect their choice after all they are environmentally conscious. Also be a smart packer. Pack to consume less space (and depending on the person, the lightness-heaviness of the bag). When I say, pack more – trust me, I’ll handle it. If the bag breaks, it is on me. I will own up to it. I cannot say for the others, they could be gently reminded that they dictated how their bags were to be packed.

Be conscious. Be smart. Respect others. Do not make the decision based on how you bag groceries.

Oh and yeah, a good reason to have paper bags? If you don’t have a “cooler” bag, paper bags are pretty good in retaining the cold so you will not need to worry about the ice cream melting (make sure your next stop is home, tho).