In Australia, shopping bags are a great way to stay green and to help the earth. Gone are the days of using single use plastic bags. Now, leading retailers print on green shopping bags, so you can have a reusable option to use again and again. Depending on heavy the items are that you are carrying, you can get great use out of most green shopping bags.
Typically, there are three types of green shopping bags that retailers use – tote bags, shopping bags, and calico bags, and all have unique reasons to use them. These are the top options, and as a customer, you should be happy with any of them. Although, the tote bags or calico bags will be more useful than a shopping bag, since they can carry heavier items without risk of ripping.
Branded Tote Bags
Tote bags might be the favourite on the list for a few reasons. They have the best combination of size and durability. There are large tote bags that hold up very well. You can reuse these tote bags for many things like groceries, hauling kids’ toys, taking snacks with you when you are traveling and so on.
Many people like to keep a variety of tote bags in their cars and their homes. Then, they can be used spontaneously for picnics, groceries, or even notebooks and other travel necessities. Tote bags are best used for moderately heavy items. Do not place too much of a strain on them or you risk tearing them.
Shopping Bags
Shopping bags are the most temporary of the options. Typically made from a recycled cardboard, these light weight options can be re-used, but not very often. A couple of uses with this bag and they will likely end up ripping, but if you are careful you can use these bags a few times to haul lightweight items. You should not use these bags to tote anything too heavy.
The good news is, the bags themselves are usually recyclable, so they can be turned into new shopping bags in the future. This makes them a better option than single use plastic bags, but maybe not as good of an option as a tote or a calico bag.
Calico Bags
A Calico bag is similar to a tote bag, but usually a little bit smaller. Made of different material, the cotton Calico bag is actually machine washable, and you should be able to get use out of it for years. The durability of these bags make them a top choice. These bags can carry heavy items better than any other green shopping bag option.
There are some options in styles of Calico bags. There are bags with shoulder straps, bags with drawstrings, and you can even get bags with two handles. Retailers use a variety of these bags, and any of them are great options for reusing them to carry groceries or shuffle goods back and forth to kids’ football practices.