I think this is going to become my calling. - Banning plastic bags. I talk about it a lot here on method lust, and have yet to take one plastic bag this year when making a store purchase. Ok, well, I'm going to admit something. For some reason, when it comes to groceries or retail stores (Target, etc.) I'm spot on. - Not one bag taken this year. But fast food restaurants (yes yes, I know...) are another thing all together. It's funny, you are so focused on one area of something, you completely lapse on another. And so last night I came home with some KFC sitting right in a plastic bag, and didn't even have a clue until I pulled the food out, and went D'OH! (It could have had something to do with the fact that all I wanted was a piece of chicken one side and a biscuit. Oh they have that, but it's a meal and you have to take the drink with it. What if I didn't want the drink? Well they could substitute it for another side. But I didn't want another side. Oh ok, I'll take the corn on the cob. Oh that's a dollar extra. What? Why in the world, I can get the corn cut OFF the cob (more work) for the substitution, but if I want it ON the cob, it costs more? Uh, ok. Oh I give up just give me the drink. Do you still have sweet tea, I don't see any out here. Oh no we poured it out for the night. Ugh. Ok, hmm, what nasty soda am I going to get? Oh sir I have to get that in the back for you I just remembered, because I took all the nozzles off the soda machine. UH huh, ok can I just get another biscuit INSTEAD of the drink and call it a night? Sure. Thanks... And then I didn't eat the second biscuit. Sigh. Ok, so I could have been slightly high maintenance there; but really, why can't you just remove the drink from the cost of the meal. But I digress, and I'm not about to use the KFC employee as my excuse for cluelessly taking a plastic bag.)Ok, so that was a long story. Sorry about that one, I think they make medication for that type of thing. I'll look into it... So today was rather interesting. I went to my local Big Lots, and purchased two boxes of tissues, and some razor refills (the heads, not those big bags of disposable razors! I hate those things! So bad... I realize the razor head refills aren't much better, but at least they aren't AS bad.) Ok, so I was at the register, and the woman rings up the razors, and drops them in the plastic bag. I'm usually right on the moment I get to the register with my reusable bag (which was in my back pocket.) But if it's only a couple things, I'll just carry them out bagless. So I immediately say:
"Oh, I don't need a bag, but thank you." I always say that. I go up to the counter, and say "Hi, how are you. I don't need a bag but thank you very much." That way you aren't attacking them, you're thanking them for the offer, and all is well.
And she sort of looks into the bag (with one tiny pack of razors in it) and turns, rings up the first tissue box, throws it in the plastic bag with the razors and says:
"Oh well, I've already started one now."
What the Heck?! You did NOT just say that? Ha ha. So I actually say bluntly (which is not usually my style):
"NO, I will not take it." and then proceed to "but thanks" her one more time to smooth it over as she gruffly huffs. Fortunately for me (which is the case a lot of times if I have this issue.) her co-worker standing next to her turns to me and says:
"That's a great idea! I wish more people would do that." to which I respond loudly to the woman ringing me up (as she's pretty much ignoring me now) and so the people behind me in line can hear:
"Yeah, I have a reusable bag right in my bag pocket (and pull it out to show her) but I didn't need it for this purchase. Everyone will have to do this sooner or later, plastic bags will be banned. But people are just too stubborn to change."
And with that, I walked out with two boxes of tissues and a pack of razor head refills, in my arms. Plastic bag-less.
Take that, lady.
5 comments:
I hope they don't ban plastic bags, because I need them to dispose of cat litter, and otherwise my only option would be to buy bigger, thicker plastic bags. Apparently the best place for cat litter is deep in a landfill because of a specific disease their poop can contain that sewage treatment doesn't prevent. It's dangerous for pregant women and wildlife. For the same reason, even the Feline Pine litter we buy can be composted but preferably not used -- it still needs to go to the landfill.
You know, I agree with you to a point. I used to use my plastic bags for cat litter. I've come up with a better solution now (which still involves using a kitchen garbage bag, but I just scoop, then place the bag in an old plastic litter container with a lid (to reduce the smell) out on my back porch; and then rescoop into the kitchen bag (environmentally friendly ones of course, they make them) a few times before filling it full of trash as well. By that time the trash is ready to go out, and what used to take four or five plastic retail bags now takes one kitchen bag, which also gets the trash! So it's a much better deal, I think.
But my other thought on this is: there were cats LONG before there were plastic bags. And there was cat poop long before there were plastic bags. Therefore I think there are much better solutions to this issue, than plastic bags?
Now I know many people re-use the bags as garbage bags or doggie doo bags, which is great if it avoids you buying other plastic bags. However even those who re-use them can often reduce the amount they get in the first place (Reduce, Re-use Recycle). I recently bought some super fab, stylish and compact reusable bags, called envirosax, that I adore. I put one in my purse and the rest in my car. You can buy them on this Canadian site: http://www.comondi.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=2_22
I've been giving this some more thought, and it seems to me that indoor cats like mine must have a much smaller risk of toxoplasmosis because they don't eat rodents and birds. So maybe flushing makes the most sense for me. (And I think cats before plastic bags were 99+% outdoor cats!) I just found an automatic flushing kitty commode type thing, but it has a chemical solution involved that I want to find out more about. It's not refillable, so if the contents are toxic, I'm not interested.
I like the idea of using one bag for multiple scoopings too. We just moved from a highrise to a house, so we're trying to figure out some new routines. Thanks for the input!
Oooh I like the idea of reusing it more than just one bag per scoop, tie it up, and throw it. Good idea. I'll have to look into something with a lid so we can do that.
Also to the cat litter discussion...I recently purchased Feline Pine ( http://www.naturesearth.com/ ) which is a MUCH better choice than your typical litters. It smells a LOT less and (clumping variety) is EASY to scoop. I'm definitely sticking with this change. But remember DON'T FLUSH CAT LITTER!
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