For those of us environmentally minded folks on the west coast of the United States, reusable bags are like the law. But actually, they are the law.
With the ban on plastic bags in full effect in some cities, stores now operate as BYOB—that’s: bring your own bag—establishments. It’s not just here, either. People the world over are beginning to wake up to the fact that using reusable bags is a small way they can be kinder to the planet.
The only hitch in all of this is that reusable bags are a bit of a nuisance, organizationally speaking. They aren’t rigid, so they won’t sit or stand where you tell them to, and while they can be hung on hooks, it seems a shame to waste a whole hook (and a whole lot of wall space besides) on some silly flat bags.
Here, then, are some helpful hints on how to tame your reusable bags.
Gather all your bags and evaluate them against each other. Edit out any that have seen better days, that you never intend to use, or that generally bum you out more than the others.
Once you’ve got your keepers solidified, sort them by size or type. In this case you can see I sorted my client’s bags into three categories:
1) Small bags – used for children’s lunches
2) Large bags – used for grocery shopping
3) Canvas bags
Smaller bags can just be folded in half, and placed in a drawer, bin, or basket for easy access. When it comes to larger bags, I recommend folding them into little bundles. By condensing their size, you can more easily keep track of, store, and transport your bags.
Here’s my method for creating tightly furled bundles out of those bags:
Once your bags are bundled, store them together in a place that’s convenient for you. As with the smaller bags, you can store your large bags in a basket or bin. You can also leave one bag un-unbundled, and use that to house the rest.
When you need to go shopping, pack a lunchbag, a beachbag, a whateverbag, you’ll know exactly where to look to find the bag you need.
Whip those bad boys out at check-out like the winning environmentalist that you are and say, in as smug a tone as you can muster, “Oh, no, that’s okay. I brought my own.”
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Annie