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When I worked as a cashier in a grocery store over twenty years ago, I distinctly remember a regular customer who brought her own reusable bags to carry out her goods. Back then, my fellow employees and I looked on her behavior as eccentric; after all, it seemed at that time only hippies and "save the whales" fanatics used reusable bags. Today, with the "green" movement sweeping the US and abroad, I can see that she was really quite innovative for her time. Reusable bags are not only becoming a more popular sight in the grocery store aisle, they're also quite a necessity if we want any chance at preserving our environment.

According to the website Reusablebags.com, over one billion single-use plastic bags are handed out daily in stores. The bags' production process involves petroleum and natural gas, two forms of non-renewable resources that must be tapped, increasing the United States' dependency on foreign suppliers, and putting delicate ecosystems in jeopardy as they are harvested. The bags are one of the most common forms of litter and can last up to a thousand years in a landfill. When they finally break down, the tiny particles that break off can contaminate our soil and water supplies. A Japanese study conducted in 2001 discovered that these fragments actually soak up toxic chemicals, contributing further to pollution.

The bags end up in the bellies of sea turtles and other marine life that mistake them for jellyfish and other sources of food, and livestock have been known to accidentally swallow them while grazing. Plastic bags can choke animals or block their intestines, leading to a painful and senseless death.

They also cost US retailers an estimated $4 billion annually to supply to customers. Some stores are beginning to charge for the use of traditional plastic bags, which means you'll save money over the long run by bringing your own. Last year IKEA launched their "Bag the Plastic Bag Program", and now charges five cents per each plastic bag for customers that continue to use them. Ireland charges even more twenty-five cents per bag and Seattle mayor Greg Nickels recently proposed that grocery, drug, and convenience stores in his city charge customers twenty cents per bag. And saving money and preserving animal life aren't the only advantages to using reusable bags.

You'll cut down the costs associated with collecting, hauling, and disposing plastic bags and save precious landfill space for waste that can more easily decompose.

You'll no longer have to worry about thin, flimsy handles that can stretch and break, or bags that can split open, spilling your delicate groceries, when you use a sturdy reusable bag. Many are constructed from nylon, polyester, and cotton, all environmentally friendly materials that can withstand a good amount of weight.

And you'll be stylin' on your regular errand run; reusable bags can be found in a variety of fun patterns and colors to suit everyone's taste. Silver in the City sells packs of five waterproof bags in eye-catching, retro patterns for $38 a pack. Each holds the equivalent of two supermarket plastic bags. (Visit http://www.silverinthecity.com for more information.)

The next time you go shopping, do what my old customer did and BYOB, or Bring Your Own Bags. It's one of the easiest - and most important - ways you can begin helping the environment immediately.

Learn more about this author, Pamela Sosnowski.
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