On Monday night, the Palo Alto City Council voted to ban plastic bags from all shops and restaurants and to require that these establishments charge customers for paper bags.
Everybody’s talking bags today. For bags. Against bags. Bags, bags, bags. All the day long.
Now, I have been an avid bag re-user since 1987. Years and years before even the natural, sustainable markets began knocking off a nickel if you bring your own bag.
And when I re-use, I really re-use. Dozens and dozens of times. My brown paper bags are practically vintage. The graphics on the bags? Faded and antiquated. The texture of the bags? Soft and supple.
So I was checking out at the Trader Joe’s and the cashier was admiring my bags. We agreed that they seem to get stronger with age. Then he asks me, “So what do you use on them? Saddle soap?”
Saddle soap! On the brown paper bags! As if they were leather! We both had a good laugh. Let the bag wars begin!
© 2013 Jaclyn Schrier. All rights reserved.
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