Seattle will have a fee for disposable bags after the beginning of the year.

[elizabeth]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...ebbags02m.html

My city (which only has one tiny grocery store within the city limits, every thing else is located in the county) proposed a ban last year that failed miserably.

This is different though, you could still get your bag, you would just have to pay for it.

[Gargoyle]

We won't be here anymore, but we haven't used bags from the grocery store in a couple of years now. So many of the stores sell reusable bags right there by the check out stands. The most wonderful ones that dh totally loves are the ones we got from Costco. They are HUGE, we got three in the pack and it fits, two of the regular shopping bags inside it. LOL because dh is "the man" and loves to see how many he can carry in at once, the Costco bags make it that much easier.

[aleutsi]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...ebbags02m.html

My city (which only has one tiny grocery store within the city limits, every thing else is located in the county) proposed a ban last year that failed miserably.

This is different though, you could still get your bag, you would just have to pay for it.

Interesting! Even before I read the article, I wondered about low income people. One bag isn't going to be enough - I think they should either offer them more bags or exempt those who are on food stamps... I was going to say "Like they exempt them from taxes" but I had a second thought that Seattle may not charge taxes on food like they do here in this wonderful state of OK. :eyes:

Also, the lady who loved the idea but was now stumped on what to do about cleaning the cat box. She could use bread bags or the produce bags OR she could do like me... I buy those big buckets of litter and dump the whole thing into a rubbermaid tub (which serves as the litter box) and set the bucket right next to the tub. Each day I scoop the clumps and dump them into the empty litter bucket and close the lid. By the time the bucket is full, it's time to buy new litter anyway, so I get a new bucket, pour it all into the rubbermaid tub and toss the old clump filled bucket. Each bucket lasts my cat a month and a half to two months. There is no oder at all. If you don't like the litter sold in buckets, I'm sure a lidded 5 gallon paint bucket would work just as well - you could even reuse that. You can buy them empty at hardware stores.

[elizabeth]

Interesting! Even before I read the article, I wondered about low income people. One bag isn't going to be enough - I think they should either offer them more bags or exempt those who are on food stamps... I was going to say "Like they exempt them from taxes" but I had a second thought that Seattle may not charge taxes on food like they do here in this wonderful state of OK.



When my city was debating the proposals, all of the local stores (even the ones in the county who would not be subject to the ban) were giving away reusuable bags. Hopefully, this is something they can promote prior to the fee kicking in. Although the stores sell the reusable bags for 99 cents and up, they really only cost the store pennies, so a give away could would be good advertising and promote good will.

Also, even if you don't get a swanky reusable bag, you can reuse your plastic and paper bags for a good long time.

[Anne]

Interesting! Even before I read the article, I wondered about low income people. One bag isn't going to be enough - I think they should either offer them more bags or exempt those who are on food stamps... I was going to say "Like they exempt them from taxes" but I had a second thought that Seattle may not charge taxes on food like they do here in this wonderful state of OK. :eyes:

You're right--there's no sales tax on food in Washington state.

Many stores around here sell fantastic reusable bags for a buck, so it really wouldn't be that big of a hardship on anyone.

[aleutsi]

You're right--there's no sales tax on food in Washington state.

Many stores around here sell fantastic reusable bags for a buck, so it really wouldn't be that big of a hardship on anyone.

Hmm.. I can remember a time when paying a buck a bag would have been a hardship - especially x 5+ bags needed to tote home food for my family of 5. Back when I'd buy my mother milk & bread on my foodstamps and she'd pay me what they cost so I could go buy a pack of TP for my family.

I'm not against charging for disposable sacks. Just saying I hope more thought is being given to the poor... and I was glad to see the article touch on that subject.

[aleutsi]

When my city was debating the proposals, all of the local stores (even the ones in the county who would not be subject to the ban) were giving away reusuable bags. Hopefully, this is something they can promote prior to the fee kicking in. Although the stores sell the reusable bags for 99 cents and up, they really only cost the store pennies, so a give away could would be good advertising and promote good will.

Also, even if you don't get a swanky reusable bag, you can reuse your plastic and paper bags for a good long time.

A give away sounds great! The resusing disposables sounds good.. IF they hold up to the job of being reused over and over. The ones from my grocery are very thin and are not reused over and over that well.

[Ali]

I understand the problem with disposable, but (did you see that coming?) . . . .

In order for me to save on gas and my sanity, I only shop every two weeks. Except for in between milk or bread or something quick for school, etc, then I do already use cloth bags. I fill my cart *full*, and the bagger fills two carts once everything is said and done. I honestly cannot imagine using providing enough cloth bags for all that stuff. :dunno: I'm sure it's just me not wanting to spend $$$ on them, though, and once I started I would be a fanatic ;) It's just getting there, kwim?

FWIW, we are across the river for WV, and dh told me they are starting the same thing after the first of the year. Not sure how true that is though, I never looked it up.

[sari]

I use reusable cloth bags for my major grocery shopping trips, but when I just stop on the way home from work and grab milk, I usually get a plastic bag.

If you leave your reusable bags in your car (if you normally drive to the store), then they're always available for you when you need them - no extra planning.

I do find it annoying to occasionally have to *buy* bags to line my garbage can with though, but all in all, I find the cloth bags to be really handy. They are far more comfortable to carry large amounts in as well (no welts on the hands!) And you only have to buy them once, for those concerned about people with low income - I am pretty broke a lot of the time, and I didn't find it a hardship to buy a $1 bag once in a while, and now I have 5 I can reuse, whenever.

aleutsi: What do you do with the litter-filled container? Empty it into a bag, then garbage? I recycle all plastic containers, so I'm loathe to send a huge (and generally quite thick) plastic container to the landfill, but pouring out a month's worth of poop and pee-soaked litter would be TOO MUCH for my nose, for sure.

[~PQ]

The thing is we ALREADY pay that fee, every store in the world adds costs of packing/bagging to their overhead and then passes that cost onto the consumer. You know stores are not going to change their prices to reflect that change. From that angle it annoys me. In some places we have lived we went to no frills discount stores where prices DID reflect the lack of bags (you brought your own or used their old packing boxes they kept stacked in the front, like they do in COSTCO). I just don't se someplace like Fred Meyer suddenly lowering prices because they don't "have" to buy bags anymore.

I think far better would be for cities to put bans on plastic bags so stores would start using recycled brown paper bags to a level more similar to the way it was when I was a child.

We can buy non-disposable green bags here too... at $2.99 a pop for a SMALL one. Ouch!!

[elizabeth]

The thing is we ALREADY pay that fee, every store in the world adds costs of packing/bagging to their overhead and then passes that cost onto the consumer. You know stores are not going to change their prices to reflect that change. From that angle it annoys me. In some places we have lived we went to no frills discount stores where prices DID reflect the lack of bags (you brought your own or used their old packing boxes they kept stacked in the front, like they do in COSTCO). I just don't se someplace like Fred Meyer suddenly lowering prices because they don't "have" to buy bags anymore.

I think far better would be for cities to put bans on plastic bags so stores would start using recycled brown paper bags to a level more similar to the way it was when I was a child.

We can buy non-disposable green bags here too... at $2.99 a pop for a SMALL one. Ouch!!

It's a fee based tax to discourage the use of the bag.

The city is getting most of the money (75% of the 20 cents).

[aleutsi]

I use reusable cloth bags for my major grocery shopping trips, but when I just stop on the way home from work and grab milk, I usually get a plastic bag.

If you leave your reusable bags in your car (if you normally drive to the store), then they're always available for you when you need them - no extra planning.

I do find it annoying to occasionally have to *buy* bags to line my garbage can with though, but all in all, I find the cloth bags to be really handy. They are far more comfortable to carry large amounts in as well (no welts on the hands!) And you only have to buy them once, for those concerned about people with low income - I am pretty broke a lot of the time, and I didn't find it a hardship to buy a $1 bag once in a while, and now I have 5 I can reuse, whenever.

aleutsi: What do you do with the litter-filled container? Empty it into a bag, then garbage? I recycle all plastic containers, so I'm loathe to send a huge (and generally quite thick) plastic container to the landfill, but pouring out a month's worth of poop and pee-soaked litter would be TOO MUCH for my nose, for sure.


Yeah, we don't have good recycling options here. I just toss the whole thing into our dumpster. If I were at my SIL's where they have a dumpster for recycling, I would just dump the waste into the trash dumpster and the plastic container into the recycling dumpster. I reused a container once (because I was gifted with litter from a sack) It really doesn't smell all that horrible to me and I have a sensitive nose. It's a quick dump... long enough to hold your breath while dumping and vacating the area quickly. I buy clumping litter labled for multiple cats and it does a really great job of reducing oder.

Again, I'm not against charging an extra fee for bags - it just makes me want to go buy some or make some to donate to the really poor and disadvantaged.

[aleutsi]

The thing is we ALREADY pay that fee, every store in the world adds costs of packing/bagging to their overhead and then passes that cost onto the consumer. You know stores are not going to change their prices to reflect that change. From that angle it annoys me. In some places we have lived we went to no frills discount stores where prices DID reflect the lack of bags (you brought your own or used their old packing boxes they kept stacked in the front, like they do in COSTCO). I just don't se someplace like Fred Meyer suddenly lowering prices because they don't "have" to buy bags anymore.

I think far better would be for cities to put bans on plastic bags so stores would start using recycled brown paper bags to a level more similar to the way it was when I was a child.

We can buy non-disposable green bags here too... at $2.99 a pop for a SMALL one. Ouch!!


Nooo! Please stop with the brown paper bags that ALWAYS come with roaches! One store I shop with only offers brown paper sacks and I have to throw the sacks away in the outside dumpster immediately - otherwise I'll start seeing roaches. :eek: And they are a very clean store! But EVERY store and EVERY house I've been in, I've noticed roaches come in on brown paper sacks. You know how Mommy Dearest was about wire hangers? That's me about brown paper grocery sacks. (except if I beat you with a brown paper grocery sack, it won't hurt near as bad)

[elizabeth]

The brown paper bags will be subjected to the 20 cent fee too, so you won't be tempted by them and bring the bugs into your house.

(and I agree that they are infested!)

[~PQ]

Right, but then are stores going to reflect THIER savings in not having to buy/provide bags?

[indigo]

Nooo! Please stop with the brown paper bags that ALWAYS come with roaches! One store I shop with only offers brown paper sacks and I have to throw the sacks away in the outside dumpster immediately - otherwise I'll start seeing roaches. :eek: And they are a very clean store! But EVERY store and EVERY house I've been in, I've noticed roaches come in on brown paper sacks. You know how Mommy Dearest was about wire hangers? That's me about brown paper grocery sacks. (except if I beat you with a brown paper grocery sack, it won't hurt near as bad)

WTF? I've almost always gotten the brown paper bags and I've never seen a roach in them!!

[aleutsi]

WTF? I've almost always gotten the brown paper bags and I've never seen a roach in them!!

Do you keep them in your house longer than a day? I don't ever see the roaches ON the bags as I'm carrying them in... it's like there are eggs on them or they are hidden in the folds. If I keep them stashed, I start seeing bugs. The only times I've ever had roaches in my house are when I have had brown sacks stored. When I got rid of the sacks, the roaches followed.

My mom used to have roaches in her house, she tried bombing, spraying, motels.. natural stuff, everything. She isn't a grimey person, her house was clean. When I made the roach/paper sack connection, I told her and she stopped keeping brown sacks in the house. Her roach problem went away.

One quick google turned up a site that says this:
http://www.pestar.com/index.php?ID=4
Roaches are generally imported from the grocery store, or within cardboard boxes. Avoid the storage of brown paper sacks and cardboard.

Another site says:
http://www.dirtdoctor.com/view_question.php?id=710
the glue on cardboard boxes and on paper sacks is attractive food for these critters.

[lunita]

I understand the problem with disposable, but (did you see that coming?) . . . .

In order for me to save on gas and my sanity, I only shop every two weeks. Except for in between milk or bread or something quick for school, etc, then I do already use cloth bags. I fill my cart *full*, and the bagger fills two carts once everything is said and done. I honestly cannot imagine using providing enough cloth bags for all that stuff. :dunno: I'm sure it's just me not wanting to spend $$$ on them, though, and once I started I would be a fanatic ;) It's just getting there, kwim?

FWIW, we are across the river for WV, and dh told me they are starting the same thing after the first of the year. Not sure how true that is though, I never looked it up.

But what's stopping you from saving and reusing the disposable bags you come home with this time, and then gradually replacing those with sturdier reusables?

[~PQ]

Do you keep them in your house longer than a day? I don't ever see the roaches ON the bags as I'm carrying them in... it's like there are eggs on them or they are hidden in the folds. If I keep them stashed, I start seeing bugs. The only times I've ever had roaches in my house are when I have had brown sacks stored. When I got rid of the sacks, the roaches followed.

My mom used to have roaches in her house, she tried bombing, spraying, motels.. natural stuff, everything. She isn't a grimey person, her house was clean. When I made the roach/paper sack connection, I told her and she stopped keeping brown sacks in the house. Her roach problem went away.

One quick google turned up a site that says this:
http://www.pestar.com/index.php?ID=4
Roaches are generally imported from the grocery store, or within cardboard boxes. Avoid the storage of brown paper sacks and cardboard.

Another site says:
http://www.dirtdoctor.com/view_question.php?id=710
the glue on cardboard boxes and on paper sacks is attractive food for these critters.

Can't you just not store them?

[lunita]

I've never ever had that experience. I prefer brown paper bags because I put my recycling in them and throw the whole thing in the recycling bin, or use them to ripen my stone fruits in the summer.

[~PQ]

WTF? I've almost always gotten the brown paper bags and I've never seen a roach in them!!

Yep we used to get brown bags all the time in SC from BILO and roaches are rampant in the deep south but we never ever had a problem. I know about the glue issue so I would just unload groceries then fold the paperbags in the garage into another paper bag- then I could either reuse them if I needed to or just toss them in the garbage.

[Ali]

But what's stopping you from saving and reusing the disposable bags you come home with this time, and then gradually replacing those with sturdier reusables?

I never put them in the trash. We use them for trash bags in the bathrooms, dh uses them to take his dirty uniforms back to work in. We do re-use them, just not for groceries. Some of them, though cannot be re-used due to holes and not being heavy enough for all the canned goods the bagger shoves into them :rolleyes:

[Rosemary]

Do you keep them in your house longer than a day? I don't ever see the roaches ON the bags as I'm carrying them in... it's like there are eggs on them or they are hidden in the folds. If I keep them stashed, I start seeing bugs. The only times I've ever had roaches in my house are when I have had brown sacks stored. When I got rid of the sacks, the roaches followed.

My mom used to have roaches in her house, she tried bombing, spraying, motels.. natural stuff, everything. She isn't a grimey person, her house was clean. When I made the roach/paper sack connection, I told her and she stopped keeping brown sacks in the house. Her roach problem went away.

One quick google turned up a site that says this:
http://www.pestar.com/index.php?ID=4
Roaches are generally imported from the grocery store, or within cardboard boxes. Avoid the storage of brown paper sacks and cardboard.

Another site says:
http://www.dirtdoctor.com/view_question.php?id=710
the glue on cardboard boxes and on paper sacks is attractive food for these critters.

afdfad

[ADDled]

I understand the problem with disposable, but (did you see that coming?) . . . .

In order for me to save on gas and my sanity, I only shop every two weeks. Except for in between milk or bread or something quick for school, etc, then I do already use cloth bags. I fill my cart *full*, and the bagger fills two carts once everything is said and done. I honestly cannot imagine using providing enough cloth bags for all that stuff. :dunno: I'm sure it's just me not wanting to spend $$$ on them, though, and once I started I would be a fanatic ;) It's just getting there, kwim?

FWIW, we are across the river for WV, and dh told me they are starting the same thing after the first of the year. Not sure how true that is though, I never looked it up.That's how I fill my cart for my two weeks' worth of stuff. And yes, it can be two carts when it's bagged. And it doesn't take but, I don't know, 8? canvas bags to bag it. I think those canvas bags hold three times what the disposable bags hold.

My problem is remembering to take them! I hang them on my doorknob and try to remember to take them back out to my car, but I have a terrible time remembering!

[ADDled]

And this is where I am glad I live somewhere where roaches are rare. I'll take the freezing cold temps, and the snow ANYDAY thankyouverymuch. :eek:
:iagree: :gross:

[lunita]

I'm in California, though, and I had never heard of paper bags or boxes being a roach risk, and I've never had a roach problem. We always save our paper bags and so does my mom.

You don't have to live under a blanket of snow to avoid roaches. :P

[aleutsi]

Can't you just not store them?

Right, that's why I don't store them anymore. And it's why I won't reuse them for future trips to the grocery.

[aleutsi]

And this is where I am glad I live somewhere where roaches are rare. I'll take the freezing cold temps, and the snow ANYDAY thankyouverymuch. :eek:

Oh, not me! I'd rather just not store brown paper bags and have my occasional 70s in the winter. :loveit:

[Kimd]

Instead of buying them all at once, when I decided to make the switch, I bought one each shopping trip until I had enough.

[aleutsi]

Right, that's why I don't store them anymore. And it's why I won't reuse them for future trips to the grocery.

Stupid head cold.. I got confused there for a second.. And how that relates to me not wanting (here) a mandate that all stores HAVE to use paper is because I want to reuse bags.. and if I were a very poor person, like I used to be, that would mean reusing the bags given to me and if those were brown paper bags, I'd have to chose between risking roaches or not reusing bags. Fortunately, I'm in a position where I can buy reusables... now I just have to decide which ones.

Ok, sorry if I'm soudning scatter brained.. I am at the moment very scatter brained with a head cold making me dizzy and my ride to shopping just arrived...

[Kerry]

WTF? I've almost always gotten the brown paper bags and I've never seen a roach in them!!

Me too. Growing up, that's all they had. My mom would keep them folded next to the refrigerator for months. We never had any roaches, even in the summer.

[elizabeth]

Me too. Growing up, that's all they had. My mom would keep them folded next to the refrigerator for months. We never had any roaches, even in the summer.

kept them folded next to the refrigerator as well. But when I moved down here, I started noticing the little creatures and my sister convinced me it was the paper bags. When I stopped storing paper bags, I stopped having bugs. Now we keep the paper bags that we get (not that many) for recycling newspaper and I store them in the garage.