Time for CA designs
https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/22/business/california-plastic-shopping-bag-ban/index.html
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A statewide ban has been here in New York State for 4.5 years, so we’ve been bringing our own germ-ridden bags to grocery stores instead. The washable alternatives are, unfortunately, relatively expensive. Looking it up just now, I found that California has been slowly implementing the ban area by area, so it isn’t quite new there, and the number of states banning plastic bags is ever-growing.
Even the inexpensive bags can cost too much for what they are, and Zazzle’s aren’t cheap. Because of that, I’ve never designed any. I wonder just how well they’re selling here.
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Here in NJ we’ve been plastic-bag free for a few years now.
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So what is the alternative to reusable bags in these states? A return to old-fashioned paper bags? What type of bag does Zazzle offer for grocery shopping other than tote bags?
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Massachusetts does this and yes, return to paper bags. Zazzle does sell a tote that is labeled as a grocery bag. I just sold one a month or so ago which led to my first ever 3 star rating. They liked the design. They liked the quality of the bag itself. But the design (which is round) was printed off center and too low. I went back to my product to check centering and it is centered in the design tool and preview. So this one is on Zazzle’s printers. I hope she got a reprint from Zazzle. Anyhoo, there is a market for that.
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In Spain, they weren’t exactly banned, but their use has been penalized for quite a few years; you have to pay for them, and they are reusable and made of recycled plastic. Because of this, most people use fabric bags like tote bags, which usually cost a couple of euros, and not just for groceries but also in clothing stores. In fact, many businesses have decided to use these kinds of bags as marketing because their logos are visible when people use them.
In NJ all single use bags (including paper) are banned by grocery stores, but non grocery stores can give out paper bags, which honestly are way better than those flimsy plastic ones. Zazzle does have a reusable grocery bag in addition to the totes.
I live in California and I use my Zazzle polyester “Reusable Tote Bags” for the stores (dimension (15"l x 11"w; 6" deep). I like that they fold up to “nearly” pocket size and the handles can be left outside the folded package to wrap around my wrist or hang on to several at once.
I just now checked and the polyester ones are not under TOTE but I found them by searching SHOPPING BAGS and they are labeled as “Reusable Grocery Bags”. I have one of the canvas/budget totes, but these don’t fold up and I do not think they would hold many groceries. The “Grocery tote” looks like it would hold more, but there is no side view to show the (dimensions 15.5"l x 13"w; 7" deep)
Here is a shot from my media section of the bags I am referring to
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Thanks for the info!
@BKMuir Those dimensions (15.5"l x 13"w; 7" deep) are hard to figure out. Does it mean that, if standing upright with handles at the top, they would be 15.5 inches high and 7" from front to back or 13" from front to back? Which leaves me wondering what the third dimension is. Or is it not a rectangle?
I saw microbial tests done on reusable bags, and I learned they’re a disgusting breeding ground for germs. You have to be consistent about washing them.
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Even paper bags are banned in NJ? That’s crazy! They must have stock in the reusable bag companies!
Here in NY the paper bags are super flimsy, much worse than plastic bags.
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Yeah, I’m stuck in this dictatorial state, too. I’ve gotten used to carrying out armfuls of groceries, because I never remember to bring the reusable bags, and I’m certainly not going to keep buying more!
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NY is way ahead of CA in restrictive laws, apparently! We’ve been under that ban for years now.
There’s no reason not to use biodegradable bags made from soy. They cost about 5 cents per bag, which we have to pay for paper bags anyway. And it would help the farmers. This state is just too stupid to allow them, though. (A local small store around here uses them, because small stores are exempt from the ban).
I’ve never understood locations or whole states implementing this “ban” on single use bags. Well I do, because they can but I’ll not go any farther with that. Only in politicians infinite “wisdom” would one wander all over a store putting items packaged in plastic and styrofoam in their cart only to get to the checkout and be forced to use a reusable bag instead of a single use plastic bag in the name of saving wildlife and the environment. 
I have a few bags designed but haven’t had any luck with sales. BTW, those plastic bags aren’t single use around here. I save and use those puppies for a number of things before they get thrown out! 
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In Virginia, plastic bags are still OK to use. Years ago, the grocery stores had places where you could return used plastic bags for recycling. But I guess that plan didn’t work out.
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My guess is they would also like to cut down on overpackaging in the grocery store too (I’ve seen individually wrapped potatoes) but those things cross state lines so it would have to be done at the federal level.
Once upon a time, people shopped for food with baskets and sacks, then paper bags showed up, eventually replaced by plastic, which is being replaced by polypropylene reusable bags. At the rate it’s going, maybe we’ll end up going back to baskets for small amounts and cloth sacks for larger ones. Or perhaps we’ll return to hunter/gatherer days.
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@Barbara -The measurements (15.5"l x 13"w; 7" deep) = 15.5 inches tall, 13" wide, 7" deep. The Depth is front to back, Tall is bottom to top, Wide is side to side.
Thank you. There’s something about Zazzle’s measurements that always confuses me.
@Jadendreamer13 : According to what I’ve read, only a small percentage of shoppers bothered returning the bags. Also, the recyclers started refusing plastic bags because they were a nightmare to deal with, the bags fluffing up and flying all over the place.
The single thing I miss about plastic bags is that they made great liners for small wastepaper baskets. Ironically, I now I have to buy small plastic bags to do the job.
There are acid-based sanitizers that need not be wiped off, the best known being Star San. I’ve thought about buying it but haven’t as yet.
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