Eco Friendly Shopping Bags

Most plastic bags once used end up either in landfills or become litter in streets and parks that often clog our gutters, drainage system, sewers and waterways. These cause frequent floods and even diseases and, when buried in landfills, will lie useless because it needs a thousand years or so for it to break down. Worst of all, because plastics are non-biodegradable, they break into smaller particles, producing harmful toxics and chemicals which can contaminate the soil and water, destroying both of our flora and fauna and at the same time killing all animals and wildlife that accidentally ingest them. Burning plastic bags won’t help, either because, when burned, these produce Dioxin which is one of the most deadly toxic chemicals ever released into our environment.

Each year, trillions of plastic bags are being consumed worldwide, while only a small percentage of them are being recycled. The rest build up in landfills or travel airborne, getting caught in our surroundings. Whenever we go to shopping malls and grocery stores to buy stuffs we use plastic bags which mean more waste and pollution.

The problem of using plastic bags seem unavoidable, but the good news is we can make a big difference by switching to eco friendly shopping bags, a great alternative to plastic bags which are made from environmentally friendly and renewable materials. As smart consumers, we too have the responsibility to keep our world a cleaner and healthier place to live and always remember that every choice and action we take will determine the fate of our planet.

In lieu of the growing concern about climate change and global warming, many consumers and shoppers worldwide are now switching to reusable grocery shopping bags. These eco friendly shopping bags in particular are made from organic, recyclable, reusable and durable materials that help conserve our natural resources and at the same time don’t produce air pollution that are harmful to our environment.

Reusable shopping and grocery bags can be canvas tote bags, shoulder bags, beach bags, small backpacks or any other durable bag which can be reused at many occasions and when worn-out can be recycled back to form other useful things. In case you don’t have any extra bag in your home, you can simply pick them at shopping malls, department stores, thrift shops and yard sales or buy it online.

Among the many eco friendly shopping bags available, cotton canvas tote bags are the most affordable of which some can even be purchased in packs or sets. Cotton tote bags, as the name suggests, are made from cotton that is organic material which has soft qualities and yet durable enough to withstand significant weight. This bag is great for shoppers and travelers who want a comfortable bag to carry while shopping at malls and grocery stores.

Another advantage of cotton canvas bags is that they can be customized and printed with colors, slogans and logos to make them stylish and encouraging to use, as opposed to plain colored and boring reusable bags that only gather dust in shelves.

In an effort to encourage consumers to recycle and help save our environment, designers, artists, craftsmen and fashion enthusiasts all over the world are now creating beautiful and stylish shopping bags using recycled materials, such as recycled cotton fibers, straws, pieces of cloths, candy wrappers, tarpaulins, aluminums, used papers and plastics, etc. This helps reduce waste and pollution in our environment by turning land fill bound items into a new life. These prove that even recycled materials can be transformed into a unique piece of accessory.

Apart from offering us a fashionable line of eco friendly reusable shopping bags, some of these companies also donate a portion of their income to several Non Government groups and Environmentalist groups to help them carry on their missions.

The problem with some eco friendly shopping bags is that sometimes they are not readily available at hand – there can be times when we forget to carry them because of their weight and sizes, especially when the shopping trip is unplanned, but today, this is no longer a problem as Compact Reusable Shopping bags are now available.

Light and easy to carry, these practical bags fold up small and can be stashed in our purse or hand bag, but the moment we need them, these transform into a full size bag which is highly ideal for travelers.

Wherever we go, we will need to have a bag, so it makes sense to carry a bag that is reusable as well as light and can be stored easily, always ready for an unexpected errand.