Grocery Savings Ticker

Monday, November 24, 2008

Save money by saving the earth

Reusable grocery bags are all the rage these days. Almost everywhere you go, stores are selling these bags with their logo. Using just one reusable bag can save up to 6 plastic bags a week....or 24 bags a month....or 288 bags a year....or 22,176 bags in a lifetime!

So, what's so bad about plastic bags? First, there just so many of them. Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. That comes out to over one million per minute. Billions end up as litter each year. Second is what happens to this litter. Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles, whales and other marine mammals die every year from eating discarded plastic bags mistaken for food. Plus, plastic bags don't biodegrade, they photodegrade, which means they break down into smaller and smaller toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways and entering the food web when animals accidentally ingest.

There are financial benefits, too! Some grocery stores offer credits for shoppers who use reusable bags. Ever wonder who pays for all those "free" plastic bags? YOU DO! Grocery stores increase the price of groceries to cover the cost of all those bags. Whole Foods will credit your total $0.05-0.10 per reusable bag and Lowes Foods offers 50 greenpoints per reusable bag. Check your local stores to see if they offer any credits.

Want to make the switch? Right now Target is running a promotion to get a free reusable bag (retail price $5.99). You mail back 5 Target plastic bags and they'll send you a coupon for a free reusable bag. Hurry, your bags must be postmarked by November 30. Here'sthe link: http://sites.target.com/site/en/spot/page.jsp?title=retote_offer

Or, if you're crafty, you can make your own reusable bags. Check out this site for 35 different tutorials and patterns: http://tipnut.com/35-reusable-grocery-bags-totes-free-patterns/

So, go save some green, in more ways than one!

No comments: