With recent efforts by some supermarkets to reduce unnecessary packing there are some things we can all do to reduce the amount of waste we create, including using reusable shopping bags.  I discovered them about a year ago having not been too keen on them before, thinking they were just too unfashionable.  Now I use them I think they are great, not only do they save on plastic bags, but they make it much easier to carry shopping home, being more durable and having more comfortable handles.

The only problems they cause, is when I can’t find a plastic bag when I really need one as we hardly ever use them now.  Some of the bags are obviously better than others due to how they are made or the rate at which they degrade after they have been used and as consumers we have a role to play encouraging shops to stock the bags with the least impact on the environment realistically possible.