Overflowing plastic bags 
Cut and roll into a ball 
Crochet into a bag
So, I am seriously concerned about our water creatures and how they are managing the massive amounts of plastic in our waterways. I think often about the dolphins and sea turtles and fish and birds who encounter plastic bags that end up in the ocean. I know they suffer from ingesting the plastic and from getting tangled up in them as they try to escape handles that won’t let go.
This is why I started using reusable cloth shopping bags more than 11 years ago. My friends and family know that I keep a stash of bags in my trunk, in my basement, in my closets and at work so I can easily, always, bring my own reusable bag. I hate plastic bags; I don’t want them. I will carry my groceries out in my arms before I will take a plastic bag.
But now, in the face of the Coronavirus, I am faced with a new, old dilemma. The problem of the plastic bag has invaded my consciousness again. To avoid spreading germs, stores will not allow personal cloth bags inside anymore. Shoot. I am only shopping once every two weeks, on payday. I have to wear a mask and practice social distancing when I go. And, to avoid extra time at the register, I am passively accepting the plastic bags the store gives out.
Oh how it bothers me to come home with so much waste, and dangerous waste at that. I just can’t bear the thought of the dolphins eating my bags and the turtles wrapped up in my bags just for my convenience.
I can’t throw these bags away and that’s it. I can’t. I won’t. So, I do what any good trouble shooter will do when faced with an undesireable situation. I find a way to keep the bags, and implement the KonMari method. Keeping the bags will bring me joy, but not if they are in a messy stash. So I think, think, think, until I know what to do. I can combine this mess with the newfound boredom of the quarantine and make something new and useful.
I have spent considerable time cutting the bags into strips, rolling them into balls and now I am crocheting them into reusable shopping bags! I may not be able to bring them into the stores until the CDC deems it safe, but until then I can fill them with all the things I need to carry around the house.
From throwaway shopping bag to reusable shopping bag, I’m just making the best of a covid situation.
Great quarantine activity too!!
Really enjoyed this blog post. Great.
I’m not sure exactly why but this blog isloading incredibly slow for me. Is anyone else having this issueor iis it a issue on my end? I’ll check baqck later and see if the problem stillexists.