What to do with extra reusable grocery bags

NEW YORK (AP) – When professional home organizer Britnee Tanner visits her clients, she often spots extra reusable bags buried under the kitchen sink or stuffed in a corner of the pantry.

Key points

• "You don't want an entire closet of reusable bags, " remarked sustainability scientist Shelie Miller with the University of Michigan.
• "They just are sneaky, " remarked Tanner, who lives in Salt Lake City.
• Food pantries, shelters and reuse shops may be able to offer your extras another life.
• The environmental impact of a reusable bag is relatively small, so ending up with a sizable stash isn't a significant difficulty.
• Reusable totes are intended as durable alternatives to single-use plastic bags.

"They just are sneaky, " remarked Tanner, who lives in Salt Lake City. "I purchased a handful of these and then somehow I've collected ones I've never purchased, and I don't really know where they've come from."

Reusable totes are intended as durable alternatives to single-use plastic bags. But it's straightforward to accumulate too numerous, from freebies at events to giveaways at the grocery store.

In practice, the environmental impact of a reusable bag is relatively small, so ending up with a sizable stash isn't a significant difficulty. Still, paring down can declutter cupboards and lead to a smaller collection that'll actually obtain employed. As for the excess, donate to food banks and thrift stores.

"You don't want an entire closet of reusable bags, " remarked sustainability scientist Shelie Miller with the University of Michigan. "You want well-loved reusable items, and that's really what gives the environmental benefit."

Have too plenty of reusable shopping bags? Don't toss them. Food pantries, shelters and reuse shops may be able to offer your extras another life. And when it comes to the ones you keep, the key is simple: put them somewhere visible and actually reuse them.

Taken together, the developments around what to do with extra reusable grocery bags point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.