I've got burgeoning bags, sacks, pokes. Plastic or paper I keep 'em both. Never know when you might need one. Used to store the plastic ones inside the paper, 'til I bought one of those pretty cloth bag dispensers at the crafts fair last year. What a great idea, organized storage and easy access too! But the bags multiply faster than I can use them. So now it's buried under piles of bags; can't even see a corner of it. Wonder to myself "Why'd I buy that thing? What was I thinking?"
The other day, I brought a load of groceries home. Put 'em away. Gathered up all the bags, opened the closet door and bags started jumping out. Picked 'em up, wad 'em into a tight ball, opened the door, shoved, then closed it fast. I swear, these befuddling bags are like bunnies doing some strange mating ritual night and day... ever burgeoning. Seems like they're having a party in there. Creating bedlam. Pushin' on the door, trying to get out and find another place to multiply. I'm Befuddled by Burgeoning Bag Bedlam.
My roommate watching this drama unfold, pulls out her collection of canvas totes, mesh and string shopping bags . And says to me, "Ever considered totes?" I reply, "Totes?" Looking over the collection of bags in her hands I say, "Canvas totes? I'm not planning a trip, just buying groceries. I use paper or plastic." She opens the closet door and lots of plastic shopping bags tumble down on her head and she says, "Let's recycle these." I reply, "I might need 'em for garbage or storage or something." She says, 'Let's keep some and recycle the rest." I think to myself, "I've got a closet full. A few is all I need. But, but, but... I might need 'em for something. You just never know. They come in handy." I've got a duolouge going on in my head. Those befuddling bags are using mind control. Beaming me, 'Keep them all. You'll need them'. Why else would I think I have to keep a closet full of bags? Uncomfortably I sigh and give an affirmative nod.
We gather them up and head to the recycling center. On the way, we notice thousands of plastic bags strewn everywhere... along the road side, in the median, even in the forest on both sides of the road. Divide and conquer. I can hear them whispering, 'Resistance is futile', like the Borg, and we are a lesser life-form. I say, "The bags are multiplying under our noses, overtaking the world." My roommate says, "If we recycle or stop using them altogether, there won't be any to take over." I reply, "You mean, prove our superior intelligence." Laughing she says, "Exactly."
On our way home we stopped at the grocery store for a few things. When we pulled out our canvas totes the cashier deducted $.05 for each plastic bag we didn't use. Wow! How cool is that! Save the environment and a bit of cash too.
EPIPHANY: Stop the plastic invasion, use canvas totes and save a few cents.
Another problem solved. Now all I have to do is figure out what to do with that pretty cloth bag dispenser.
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7 comments:
Fuuny post. We use canvas and mesh totes all the time now. Our local grocery also gives 5 cents off per bagful as an incentive to use them. But, I use my totes at other stores too. We have a plastic bag caught in a higher branch of our maple tree in the front yard, ugly, but don't know how to possibly get it down.
Bonnee, your sense of humor is an asset & boy do we need it in the current state of our world. You absolutely did the right thing & your roomie sounds like an ambassador for the Earth. More power to the two o'ya!
Thanks phylameana and pamir. I appreciate your kind words and support.
Bonnee,
I like your posts regarding going green. Anything we can do to educate the public truly does help. This is my story: When my daughter was two years young she looked at me in disgust with hands on her hips and said," Mommy are you throwing that plastic milk jug in the trash?" I replied, "yes sweetie why?" Her response was, "Do you want me to live on landfill when I am a grown up!" I felt horrible after thinking about what she had just said to me at an early age. Bonnie since that day forward I recycle EVERYTHING! If I bring a water bottle with me during the day I will make certain to place it in a recycle bin or take it back home to my recycle center! My daughter is now twenty years young and is double majoring in colllege. One of her majors is environmental studies! She also believes we are going through global warming with our severe weather changes. Our weather has been up to 106 degrees and dropped down to the 60's this month? Unfortunately, I think she may be right. I say, "give back to the earth and the earth will be a better place for us all to live!" Now when I see someone throw a recyclable in the trash it really irritates me. I do not want to see our children living on or around landfills! I love my canvas totes.....now if I could just remember to use them! LOL
Interesting topic about plastic bags - I certainly know how you feel. I had a similar experience with being inundated with those bags about two years ago, and I ended up creating a whole project surrounding this issue in my statistics class.
My students and I hosted a festival called BagFest last year and as part of the project, we netted 72,571 plastic bags in four hours! We also blogged about our bag experience: www.conserveplasticbags.blogspot.com.
:0)
M
You could use the pretty bag dispenser to hold socks, or in the car to hold canvas bags.
Unfortunately the other day I was walking in the harbor of San Diego and saw a canvas bag from Albertsons floating in the water!!! wtf! That really cracked me up seeing a fabric bag instead of the usual plastics!
I have been trying to figure out a way to reuse all these plastic bags on the streets for something else, like a braided rug. idk!
Thanks Julie, Michelle and Anonymous.
I love your stories and ideas and I appreciate your comments.
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