Paper grocery bags (the kind without handles) used to be the norm. After carrying their groceries home, people used the paper bags for all kinds of things - to line their trash cans, carry books to the library, make Halloween costumes for their kids and book covers for text books, to name a few.
Then plastic grocery bags came on the scene and were lighter, supposedly stronger and didn't kill trees. Although grocery stores still carried both - remember being asked, "Paper or plastic?" by the bagger? - the clear implication was to save the trees and use plastic. Apparently saving trees was a higher priority to the environmentalists than the pollution from using petroleum and chemicals to make the plastic bags.
Eventually grocery stores had the brilliant idea of selling reusable cloth or coated plastic grocery bags with their logo and brand information imprinted on them. That's right, consumers paid for bags to carry the groceries they just purchased home and, at the same time, advertise for the grocery stores.
The reusable cloth bags remained popular with some folks but most didn't want to bother with washing the bags when they became soiled and went back to plastic. But plastic was okay because the bags were now recycled and made into new bags. And we're still saving trees.
Or at least we were until the ten-foot long receipts came along.
I think Brian Crane who draws the comic Pickles is spot on in his October 20, 2014 comic. And it made me chuckle! The receipts could be upcycled!
PICKLES by Brian Crane
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