grocery and trash bags

**suesue** · 05-30-2007, 04:27 PM

I was reading the post about using canvas bags for groceries and I like the idea, but we use the plastic grocery bags as trash bags. So if I don't get the grocery bags, what do I use for trash bags? I hate the idea of buying trash bags just to put my trash in

What do y'all use to put your trash in?

**Neeley** · 05-30-2007, 04:45 PM

We buy garbage bags for the large kitchen trash can. The new stretch bags are my favorite. For the small cans in each bathroom and bedrooms we use plastic grocery bags unless company is over. In that case we keep a box of small white garbage bags to line them with then.

We also use the plastic grocery bags for disposing of my doggies' doodles. I hate having doodle in the yard - the kids have to scoop it up and dispose of it in the outside trash.

One of grocery stores still uses paper sacks for groceries. They have handles and are very sturdy. I save and reuse these also.

I don't see us ever bringing our own bags to the stores. If they ever start charging us for them I will just have to suck it up and pay for the bags.

**PB&J** · 05-30-2007, 05:03 PM

I use the cloth bags only when I am making smaller grocery trips. My BIG grocery trip every other week would take about 50 cloth bags. lol

So when I run in for bread and fresh fruits/veggies, that is when I use my cloth bags. So I have plenty of plastic bags to use in small trashcans. I also use them wadded up as packing when I ship things (Ebay), too.

**peanut** · 05-30-2007, 05:08 PM

I occasionally buy the plastic bags to pack groceries from the stores to line the garbage bins. I discovered they're cheaper than buying a package of bags. Otherwise I use my denim bags for groceries.

The thing is, we throw out so little trash now (about one grocery bag every 2-3 days) that I can't justify buying bags all the time. We'd just have an overflow. One grocery store trip per week is easily 8-10 bags. Even with double bagging that gives us enough for the week. And that's not counting the plastic bags we pick up at other stores when we buy things.

We do have five small garbage containers in the house. But most of them are changed on a monthly basis, not weekly.

We don't use big bags. No need. We have huge bins out the back door. We just tie the top of the small bags shut and toss 'em in!

**Little Birdie** · 05-30-2007, 05:14 PM

Even if you change completely over to cloth bags, you could do one trip plastic every time you run out of "trash bags."

**itsahumanzoo** · 05-30-2007, 05:14 PM

The only things I recycle grocery bags for are bathroom trash can, and bringing my lunch to work. Most of the time we just throw them away. I thought about bringing them back to the grocery store to reuse, but I wasn't sure if they would.

**Grayce** · 05-30-2007, 05:32 PM

I buy a box of 150 generic kitchen catcher type bags for $5.99. We use these to line our kitchen gardbage can. Since we recycle, compost and have organic collection we don't have much garbage so the box of bags lasts a really long time. Before we started using reusuable bags we always had way more plastic grocery bags than we used up. They were too small for our kitchen pail but we did use some for our bathroom's pail.

**cherrie79** · 05-30-2007, 05:34 PM

garbage bags(300 for $10 at Sams). I use to use grocery bags for the bathroom, but started buying the scented kind at the dollar store(30 bags $1).

**YankeeMom** · 05-30-2007, 08:43 PM

I use the plastic grocery bags for picking up around the house, lining the smaller trash cans around the house, cleaning out the cat litter, etc.

I have thought about knitting some grocery bags...using recycled grocery bags. But like some, I don't like the idea of buying those little trash bags for my little trash cans.

**Marie78** · 05-30-2007, 09:11 PM

I use the plastic grocery bags for the bathroom trash can and scooping cat litter into. I usually have just enough for the week from our weekly grocery trip to the store. I reuse about 7 of those bags a week. I use generic kitchen grocery bags for our kitchen garbage (2-3 a week). I buy the largest box and it lasts us about a year or so.

**Luv2BeFrugal1** · 05-30-2007, 11:22 PM

Originally Posted by peanut

I occasionally buy the plastic bags to pack groceries from the stores to line the garbage bins. I discovered they're cheaper than buying a package of bags. Otherwise I use my denim bags for groceries.

The thing is, we throw out so little trash now (about one grocery bag every 2-3 days) that I can't justify buying bags all the time. We'd just have an overflow. One grocery store trip per week is easily 8-10 bags. Even with double bagging that gives us enough for the week. And that's not counting the plastic bags we pick up at other stores when we buy things.

We do have five small garbage containers in the house. But most of them are changed on a monthly basis, not weekly.

We don't use big bags. No need. We have huge bins out the back door. We just tie the top of the small bags shut and toss 'em in!

Ok, I'm curious... How on earth do you make so little garbage? I would love to be able to do that! Please share?

**flowergirl** · 05-30-2007, 11:47 PM

we compost recycle and try to by stuff that has little packaging as possible I use cloth bags almost all of the time now except for meat krogers even gives us 5cents for every cloth bag . I do use a few for the bathroom I use cloth to take lunch I do this because we live really close to a landfill it use to be a big whole years ago now it is the tallest spot in this county sad but true I do not blame the owners of the landfill it is our trash . my husband and I took aride around the landfill they have bought all the houses around it anyway down wind of it there are hundreds of trash bags in the trees it looks soooo bad I made a choice then to try to do what I can to stop using them where I work throw alot away and I do what I can to reuse or use less of them . I can not change the world but only the impact we have on it . it saves use money and helps the earth . I tried to take photos but we were moving to fast and there was traffic behind us . I will never forget this image also when the wind blows this way boy does it smell I want to move and we plan to but not for awhile so that landfill and the forest of grociery bags are there to remind me to use cloth as much as I can.

**acidcookie** · 05-30-2007, 11:48 PM

This is the only reason I haven't moved to cloth! Just because I don't want to buy garbage bags either.

**monkeywrangler71** · 05-31-2007, 02:23 AM

I still get the occasional plastic bag from the store if I buy more than I can fit in my reusable bins, plus I have a bunch that have just accumulated over the years. Also, sometimes things come packaged in bags that are big enough to fit the garbage can (big bag of rice, etc.). I don't know if I buy more groceries than others or something, because I can't even imagine being able to use all the bags I would get if I didn't bring reusable bins. On a bad week I can maybe use 5, once the kids are toilet trained I can't see using more than 2. If I let them bag all my groceries, I could easily come home with 10-15 bags a week.

I'd never even heard of buying bags for small bins until I read this thread.

If you are concerned about the impact of using any plastic, you could buy compostable plastic bags to line your garbage cans. We have to use them here for our green bins. If you don't have municipal compost they might not sell them in your area. Or you can use newspaper folded up to fit your bin.

**schellie69** · 05-31-2007, 11:42 AM

I have thought about going to cloth bags, but with my family i would have to have about 20-30, I thought i could get them a little at a time untill i had enough, I have seen small trash bags at the dollar store for 30 for $1.00 and at dollar general you can get the small scented ones I am not sure the price but I use the grocery bags for all my small trash bins which i have one in each bedroom (6) one in the bathroom one in the laundry area, 3 in living room and 2 in my den, I also use them to scoop cat litter and pick up the messes my dogs make, so i am not sure about how much i would save going to cloth, i have a bag i bought that keeps foods cold up to 3 hours, which is nice since when i do my shopping i hit all the stores at once and that way i don't have to worry about my cold stuff i also use a couple of coolers to keep things cold, I buy my kitchen bags from sam's I get 500 for 6 bucks i think, i am interested in finding out how to reuse and recycle more, can anyone give me some help in this area, also, how about where to get the big cloth bags for shopping I have not been able to find any, I am ready to start recycling but have not known where to start, anyone got any ideas, on how to set up a recycling area in my home, I have a small house and use every inch of space i have so it would need to be small thanks for any help in this area....