We all know plastic bags are generally bad for the environment. They don’t tend to get re-used, they don’t degrade well and their production produces carbon emissions. Ideally we’d all get a ‘bag for life’ and bring it with us to the shops. In reality though, most of us don’t remember to carry their bag for life with them when they go shopping.
Graphic by JadeGordan
So, we need an alternative to the bag! I’ve thought about this for a while and I realized it’s actually pretty difficult to replace the bag. If someone does one day find a practical alternative to the bag they will most likely become very rich.
I thought about key rings that shoot out spider webs that can surround your shopping holding it all together. I thought about some kind of proton-electron field that somehow holds items together invisibly. But I couldn’t think of a good idea.
It’s not likely that you’re going to be able to come up with a realistic solution to the bag problem. If you do though, you should take it to the patent office, don’t post it here. Or you can email it to me if you like and I’ll do all that hard patent work for you, just ‘cos I’m a nice guy.
So, although it’s unlikely that we’re going to find the replacement for the bag; one of the most fundamental and most frequently used inventions of our era, we can have some fun and come up with some ideas. This would be a good one to give to school students to see what kinds of wacky ideas they come up with.
To get you started here’s an idea: Replace bags with cannons at the end of checkouts. Then you have to aim at your car and fire directly into your boot. There will of course be another cannon in your boot so you can fire the items directly into your fridge when you get home. The main problem with this idea is that the food packaging will have to be reinforced to such an extreme extent that it’s actually going to be a lot less eco-friendly than plastic bags. Still it’s an idea.
How about tubes that link from shops to houses? Similar problems I think. Can you come up with any ideas?
Please do not print this page
115 billion sheets of paper are used annually for PC printers.
Source: id2.ca/downloads/eco-design-paper-facts.pdf
Berna
Can we use bags that are free to use but will be returned to the shop, like we do with bottles. Like Ikea has them for indoors? We could use similar bags for carrying to the shops.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:22 pmPaul Pollard
Order EVERYTHING you need online. Delivery firms use plastic crates to transport goods, instead of packaging them all up. Less cars on the roads going to shops. Less packaging. Less wasted time when you can search for things online instead of trawling the highstreet. Problme solved!
June 16th, 2008 at 11:27 amGreen Rewards
It’s my first time on your blog and I will be returning and subscribing!
June 25th, 2008 at 3:52 pmIssy
Just use paper bags with double layers to make them stronger. .It’s light, it doesn’t use up too much paper and it’s recyclable. Simple.
May 18th, 2009 at 8:05 pm