The tote bag revolution that has overtaken grocery and retail stores around the world is not without good reason. Tote bags are not only good for the environment; they are durable and have many uses outside of just transporting your purchases. They make for great beach or weekend bags and can be strategically placed around the house as storage for children’s toys, spare parts, arts and crafts supplies, etc. Ironically enough, I have one hanging in my coat closet STUFFED with plastic bags!
Check out the table before for tote vs. plastic bag pros and cons and consider using tote bags for your carrying needs:
| Plastic Bags | Tote Bags | |
|---|---|---|
| Environment and Sustainability | While plastic bag for transporting your purchases will be used at home for just a few minutes, they take over 400 years to decompose! And in that time they cause immense damage – from the pollution of the oceans to species endangerment. Tip: use plastic bags effectively several times. For packaging of shoes or dirty laundry while travelling, for example. | Once purchased, a tote bag serves on many shopping trips as a faithful companion. If there is leakage from yogurt, a rotting or squished banana, or simply the rigors of frequent use, your tote bag is like new again after an environmentally friendly 30 ° C wash. A lot of tote bags are made from 100% recycled materials, thus protecting the environment twice. |
| Price | Plastic bags you get free in many stores or for a few cents to the shop. We suppose that could be a pro-argument to use them, one whose merit doesn’t last very long, however. Many countries around the world have now increased prices or have banned plastic bags to protect the environment from pollution caused by careless discarding. | The minimum additional investment to purchase a cloth tote bag pays off after a short time. Consider, too, that you can now save the money spent on plastic bags. Continued use and carrying of cloth tote bags is not only friendly to the environment, is it also friendly to your wallet. |
| Load-Bearing Capacity | Anyone who has ever tried to haul the weekend shopping with fruits and veggies, drink bottles and detergent in size-advantage plastic bags will have noticed that the handle slowly gives way or even breaks entirely just before you reach the front door. A right pest… | With a cloth bag that doesn’t happen. The sturdy cotton fabric securely houses heavy objects. In addition, the extended carrying handle makes for convenient over-the-shoulder transport—something you CANNOT do with plastic bags. |
| Fashion Factor | Fashion retailers strive for an original and aesthetic appeal to their plastic bags. They double as cheap advertising. But let’s face it: The sex appeal of a supermarket bag is rather moderate, especially when a screaming yellow-red colour combination does not quite fit your style. | Cotton tote bags, however, are not only practical transport containers, but also make a bold fashion statement. Cloth tote bag fans have a whole collection of different styles at home and can easily and skilfully combine them with their outfits! |
Now that you are armed with all of this new and helpful information, please take the chance to do your part and give Mother Earth a helping hand in the fight against pollution by choosing to carry a cotton/canvas tote over a plastic bag.
Do you have some other pros and cons in the great debate between plastic shopping bags and canvas/cotton totes? Please share with us in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you!
