If
you're looking for high quality reusable
shopping bags that are environmentally friendly, NotAMall has some great options!
Help reduce the volume of waste in our expanding landfills, conserve our forests and petroleum resources and prevent the death of hundreds of thousands
of sea turtles, whales and other marine mammals who eat
discarded plastic bags mistaking them for food. By changing your shopping habits in one simple way, you can make a significant impact. Start using reusable shopping bags!
Encourage everyone you know to start carrying these reusable
grocery bags ... a small step can make a HUGE difference.
Our bags are made of 100% natural, unbleached cotton. The
fabric weight is a strong 10 ounce canvas duck and can
hold up to 40 pounds.
Our NotAWaste canvas
bags are printed with a few of the many compelling facts
that emphasize the importance of reducing needless waste
and pollution; in particular, disposable paper and plastic grocery bags.
Americans consume 100 billion plastic shopping bags every
year. Over 500 billion are consumed worldwide and about
4 billion become general litter.
Plastic bags don't "biodegrade", they break down
into tiny toxic bits which contaminate soil and water. They
can take 1,000 years to break down.
Fourteen million trees were cut in 1999 to produce the
ten billion paper grocery bags used by Americans that year.
Each ton of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 380 gallons
of oil, three cubic yards of landfill space, 4,000 kilowatts
of energy and 7,000 gallons of water.
One paradox of life in the modern world is that
our garbage simply disappears. But of course it really doesn't,
it just goes someplace else. Someplace usually out of sight
and thus, out of mind. But it is piling up and
the piles are getting very very large! If there really was
a single pile of the world's garbage from just the past
year, it would be nothing less than horrifying. But there
isn't one pile, there are many thousands of piles. Somehow
that makes us less concerned. But do we really want these
piles of garbage to continue to grow in-perpetuity and become
our legacy to future generations?
But what can I do?
When they ask you "paper or plastic" at the supermarket,
say "neither" and hand them your own environmentally friendly reusable canvas bags!
Reusable Shopping Bags - Buyer's Guide |
| There are many more options for reusable bags now, especially since the big chain stores see the writing on the wall about their disposable bags. We believe that using your own bags can actually make the trip home with your groceries more pleasant as well as being a smart thing to do for the planet. But you need to have the right bags or it will simply be a nuisance and might even be worse for the environment. Be sure to evaluate cost in perspective with other important attributes. |
| Dimensions: |
The ubiquitous paper grocery bag remains the best overall model for any general purpose shopping bag. The size has stood the test of time and only the construction needs to be updated for reusability. Make sure the bags you buy are made from a pattern that has actual depth to the design. Don't buy bags that are simply two pieces of cloth sewn around the perimeter! A good guide for overall dimensions is: 5 1/2" x 13" x 16" tall |
| Bottom: |
A bag with a flat bottom is very important. Some designs have cardboard that folds down to make a flat bottom but that will quickly wear out. It is more important that the pattern of the bag itself has a flat bottom because it will load better and the contents will be more apt to keep it sitting upright in the car and on the counter while unpacking. |
| Handles: |
Handles should be a durable material that is wide and thick enough to keep them from biting into your hands if the bag is loaded up and heavy. Many handles we have seen are too long which make the bag harder to carry and lift. They should be only about 6" from the top of the bag and need to be very well stitched to the bag. |
| Material: |
Two different materials stand out from the crowd for both environmental and practical reasons, natural canvas (100% cotton) and recycled PET (typically made from beverage bottles). Canvas is durable, washable, biodegradable, renewable and more cost effective while recycled PET is very strong, washable and resistant to soiling but is typically about 30% more costly. |
| Quality: |
To get the longest satisfactory use from your purchase, beware of cheap bags at the candy aisle. They are likely to be a bit too small, poorly made, and/or made of a polymer-based material that is not recycled and will not biodegrade after failing from a limited number of uses. |
Any bag that is reused (including a disposable bag)
is a smart step in the right direction! |
Visit
the NotAMall Store and explore
our other unique assortment of products... most of which you cannot find at the local mall.
Filter your own water and save by filling with municipal tap water. The Better Water Filter Bottle removes chlorine as you drink: just squeeze the bottle! This bottle is especially great for traveling.
This revolutionary bottle is made from Corn (NatureWorks PLA) NOT from petroleum! It is a 100% renewable resource and biodegrades in just 80 days in a commercial compost system. But you can use it and the filter many times first. See this product's detail page for more information.
Check out the NotAMall Trivia Quizzes in the "
Think
You're Smart" section. Get this
month's high score and win a special NotAMall Store discount!
