As a bridesmaid in a friend’s wedding, I was given a gift which I was unsure of what to do with. It’s not just any bag. This large, tan bag with hot pink stripes and straps has my name embroidered on the side.
It didn’t take long to find its purpose in my life. I utilized it for a carry-on for a few vacations. It makes an excellent beach bag, and it’s perfect for throwing all my “stuff” in and hauling it to work every day. However, its peak performance comes into play when I hit up the grocery store. This bag can easily cart around my weekly food intake. My bread might end up a little smashed, but I feel good about sparing 12 plastic sacks for the plastic addict next in line. It’s easier to carry too!
Unless your head is so polluted with other things going on in the world, you’ve probably heard about the latest “bag craze.” Emails are being forwarded showing the negative impact plastic bags are having on our planet. Stores are selling (or at times giving away) mesh, reusable bags for groceries. Some stores even toss you a few pennies for bringing in a reusable sack. Slowly but surely, plastic-users are catching on, and what a beautiful sight it is. It looks better than our landfills — that’s for certain!
Dork, you might be thinking. Who brings their own bag with their name embroidered on the side to a grocery store?
(Side note: If you’re just coming to the conclusion I’m a dork, you need to read my column more often.)
Seriously though, who cares if you look like a dork when you’re out shopping? What are you trying to do — date the cashier? (If so, try embroidering your phone number under your name).
You could skip the personalized bag idea and simply keep a bag of bags in your trunk for the next time you swing in to a store. Carry a handful in with you and use them again. And again. And again. When they’re stretched out and the handles are broken, recycle them!
Which brings me to my next dorky confession. I recycle. And I’m dumbfounded by how many people use “inconvenience” as an excuse to toss plastic bottle after plastic bottle in their garbage can.
Most people complain about not being supplied with bins to separate recyclables or not having curbside pickup in their area. The city won’t come up to their door, knock and ask if they can search your living quarters for any recyclables they can take off your hands. (Those unaccommodating jerks!) Therefore, recycling is an inconvenience, and not worth doing. If they don’t care to implement a decent recycling program, why should I put forth the effort to do it all by myself? Hmm… do I sense a bit of stubbornness?
Okay, so Fargo doesn’t have a five-star recycling program, but the recycling receptacles are in grocery store parking lots. How is that inconvenient? You don’t even need to make a special trip! Just load it up, drop it off, get your groceries and you’re on your way. This takes an extra five minutes a week and, if everybody got involved, it would make a huge difference.
Making a difference is important because — believe it or not — more people are going to inhabit the earth after you bite the dust and they probably don’t want to live in the pile of trash you’ve generated.
Nobody is going to ask you why you’re dropping off eight pounds of sardine and tuna cans. Nobody is going to search for juicy details in the pages of the journal you’re recycling. And there isn’t a soul in Fargo who will blame you for recycling all your beer cans and bottles from your big bash last weekend. Some people might dumpster dive to get their grimy hands on your Playboy, but rest assured — it’s at least being reused!
I encourage you to take an extra step to recycle or reuse something this week instead of adding it to the pile.
Shootin’ the Wit is a weekly column about everyday life that should never, ever be taken too seriously.
I’m a writer and photographer who loves old cars, big dogs and trying stuff for the first time. I believe everyone should have a bucket list because life isn’t about working, paying bills and having the latest and greatest. It’s about experiences. Achieving goals. People. Adventures. Travel.
I’ve never dyed my hair, broken a bone, or watched a Star Wars movie, and I don’t plan on doing any of these.
I have started recycling my newspapers. That’s a big step for me. I also have several of the nice shopping bags — a couple provided by the grocery store and a couple I’ve picked up over the years. I see more and more people using them!