Day ONE Reusable Shopping Bags

OK, yes, I will admit that I am starting with something that seems relatively easy.  Plastic bags are bad for the environment so simply stop using them and start using reusable shopping bags. Almost all the stores carry the reusable bags and they aren't that expensive.  I have two issues with how easy this one seems. ONE remembering to bring my bags with me. TWO I have found a few resources that lead me to believe that the reusable bags are not as healthy as once thought.  I will spend some time focusing on issue two and then I will share my solution.

So what has brought me to believe that the store bought reusable bags are not all that they seem to be?  Well, first this article. Tests Reveal Reusable Grocery Bags Have High Levels of Lead It has information stating that The Center for Consumer Freedom has done tests and found high levels of lead in some of the bags.  So much lead that Sears in Canada had recalled their reusable bags.  Here is the link for the actual report from The Center for Consumer Freedom. CCF Bag Report  This includes the full report as well as a list of the bags tested and what the lead and cadmium levels for each bag were.  The good news is that the reusable bags that I already own from stores are relatively lead free. Of course, one source is never enough for me so I dug a little deeper.  In this link a Senator is calling for a federal investigation about finding lead in reusable bags. Senator Calls for Federal Investigation  And there's more! This article features a study done by the University of Arizona that found not only lots of bacteria but also fecal matter on reusable bags and shopping carts...EWWW! Study Finds Fecal Matter  Finally, to "play the devil's  advocate" one more study done in the UK found that the reusable bags may not be as great as they are made out to be.  Study: Plastic Grocery Bags Better than Canvas  "The study found that a paper bag emits four times the carbon dioxide as a plastic bag. So to make up for choosing paper over plastic, you’d have to reuse your paper bags at least three times instead of just tossing them into the recycling." and it also mentions that you will have to use your reusable bags 171 times to offset the negative impact from their production.

So while I am convinced that using reusable bags are a good thing and that paper and plastic bags are not so good for the environment I am weary of just blindly grabbing a reusable bag off the shelf and using it.  I have found a really great answer to the issues presented above. I happen to be fairly handy with a sewing machine so I did some searching for some free patterns and came across this one. Cheap Easy Fabric Grocery Bags  This is a really easy tutorial that uses old sheets to make reusable bags.  They are washable (hopefully we wash our bed sheets) and by re-purposing fabric that used to have another function it keeps fabric out of landfills as well as keeping it from cluttering up our houses.  Also if you are like me and don't have any extra sheets around to use you can get some from the local resale shop for around $3 each.  I figured out that I can make them for less than 50 cents a bag.  These bags fold much flatter and at the end of her tutorial she shows a cute little bag to carry all your grocery bags in.  I have made a few of these bags from her pattern and have more to make. 

Here is one of the bags I have made from old sheets.

So what will I do today?  I will go through my house and gather up all the silly plastic bags that I refuse to throw away and take them to my local store that has a recycling drop off for them.  I will also TRY to finish sewing up the bags that I have started making and make a handy little bag to keep them in.  I will then place them in the car and make a little reminder to stick on my dash board!  I will also include an update on future blog posts as to if I actually did what I say I am going to do!