Use Reusable Shopping Bags

This one has been around for a while and getting more and more normal. Some cities have banned plastic bags altogether, which is a great idea. Some charge you 10 cents to get a plastic bag to try to incentivize you to bring your own. So, you should buy reusable shopping bags and remember to take them to the store. This saves on the resources and energy required to produce all those plastic and paper bags. Just because you can recycle paper bags and even sometimes plastic bags does not make it okay. It still takes energy and resources to recycle. A reusable bag is produced once, then used over and over again for a long time and consumes fewer resources. This one is a no brainer. But it’s important that you remember to take them with you when shopping. Try to create a process so you don’t forget them. If you shop with your car, for example, unload your groceries and then put the bags back in your car right away or by your front door so you remember to take them. It’s a bigger issue if you continue to buy more reusable shopping bags to a point that you have more than you need, since it takes more resources to produce a reusable shopping bag than a disposable one.