Me putting 6 (3 more than I’m sure I’ll need) in my backpack (which is storage overkill now) and then since I’m like a primitive creature or something where if I don’t see it it doesn’t exist, I forget that I have the bags after checking out.

**The occasional plastic carrier bag is fine **

A single-use plastic bag: the sin of any environmentalist. Many of us know the agonising pain of turning up at the supermarket, then realising you’ve left your reusable shopping bags at home. The next 10 minutes is a comedy show, seeing how many items you can stuff into your pockets, clutch in your arms, and even grip between your teeth. You will not let the team down by asking for a plastic bag. I do the same. Even though I know better: the data shows us that the occasional plastic carrier bag is not that big a deal. In fact, in many ways, a single-use plastic bag is better than some alternatives. At least when it comes to the carbon footprint, it’s much lower than the rest. You’d need to use a paper bag several times, and a cotton one tens to hundreds of times to ‘break even’ with the plastic carrier.35, 36 This is also true for other environmental impacts such as water use, acidification, and the pollution of water with nutrients such as nitrogen. This doesn’t mean you should switch back to using single-use carrier bags: it just means you should make sure you’re reusing the other types of bags a lot. If you’re buying a new organic tote bag every second visit, you’re really making things worse. And as seen in previous chapters, you should be focusing much more on what you put in the bag than the bag itself. It will have a much bigger environmental impact. The problem with plastic bags, then, is that they can pollute our waterways. But, like any other form of waste, only if we don’t manage it properly. In rich countries, unless you’re littering near a river or coastline, they’re probably not going to end up in the ocean. Even sending it to landfill is not a big deal. This is a problem in low- to middle-income countries where the use of plastic bags is on the rise but the infrastructure to deal with the waste is not. That’s where tight rules on single-use plastic bags, and the availability of alternatives, really make a difference. So, be conscious of how much you’re using. Take a rucksack or a sturdy bag and reuse it again and again. But you don’t need to stress out if you reach the supermarket till and realise you’ve left it at home.

“Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet” by Hannah Ritchie

Get a foldable bag that you can stuff in your main carryon (purse, backpack, etc) in the event you forget

It’s a good backup. Just gotta put it back once you unload everything or else you forget about it

The spice must flow…

On reusable bags

you never want to forget those reusable bags

I’ve never really had that problem, because I almost always carry a large-ish backpack with a cotton bag folded inside, but it would be neat if stores had a box near the checkout where you could leave your extra bags for other clients to use for free.

One of the libraries I go to does something like that, they keep some bags near the front desk and give them to users who need something to carry their books. I’ve given them two bags I had no use for. And I know a bulk food store where you can leave empty containers for other clients to use.

Curse of ADHD.

Only way I’ve found around it is to throw a few bags right back in the car after unloading.

I’m in this picture and I don’t like it

Always fold mine and put them next to my shoes. Then next time I leave the house, I put the bags in my car 🙂

I leave mine in the trunk and have only walked into the store without them twice. Not forgetting them before walking into the store and putting them back into the trunk after unloading them is the hardest part.

What have you done, Mark

When I’m done unloading at home, I hang them on the doorknob so I remember them next time I leave.

I just use an old cardboard box.

The collection must grow

Some reusable bags are just clunky. The ideal ones are those you can fold to the point you fit it on your purse or pocket.