Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and REMEMBER Your Reusable Bags!

With plastic bag bans now firmly in effect, reusable bags have become the norm. However, many residents are still getting used to remembering to take their bags with them to stores, leading to the purchase of new bags when they find themselves without. Add this to the proliferation of reusable bags now being used for take-out food and the build-up of reusable bags at home can be overwhelming – leading to reusable bags ending up in the trash can.

STEP 1 – REDUCE the Number of Bags You Need or Own

“The first ‘R’ is REDUCE,” says Leanne Koehn, Community Engagement Manager with Ridge Meadows Recycling Society, “Reusable bags are designed to reduce the number of bags we produce and use, so find a system that works for you to ONLY use the same bags over and over again until they wear out – then wash, repair, and keep using them!”

STEP 2 – REMEMBER Your Reusable Bags!

Ridge Meadows Recycling has compiled a series of tips to help residents REMEMBER to bring their reusable bags with them when heading to the store:

1. Store reusable bags in your vehicle – when you empty your groceries at home, place the bags by the front door as a reminder to return them to your car.
2. Add “BAGS!” to the start of any shopping lists as a reminder to bring them with you.
3. Keep foldable or collapsible bags in your bag or on your keychain so they’re always with you.
4. Leave “Don’t forget bags!” sticky notes near the front door or in your vehicle as reminders.
5. Set location or time-based reminders on your phone so when you are near the grocery store, a reminder to take your bags will pop up.

STEP 3 – DONATE Unwanted Reusable Bags

As with plastic bags in previous years, some residents are now finding themselves with an abundance of reusable bags that they don’t need and don’t know what to do with. Ridge Meadows Recycling is starting a pilot project at the Maple Ridge Recycling Depot where residents can bring any CLEAN and DRY reusable bags and donate them to local organizations that can REUSE them, including Community Services, the Ridge Meadows Hospice Society Thrift Store and the Friends in Need Food Bank.

“For us, this is a way to be able to ensure that we’re providing customer service by continuing to provide bags,” says Kelly Thomas, Manager of the Ridge Meadows Hospice Society Thrift Store.

To donate your bags, visit the Depot at 10092 – 236^th Street and look for the Reusable Bag Donation bin hanging next to the Flexible Plastics recycling bin. If the reusable bags have holes or tears and are NOT usable anymore, make sure they are RECYCLED in the Flexible Plastics bin, NOT added to the garbage!

STEP 4 – REPAIR & WASH Reusable Bags As Needed

Remember that reusable bags are DESIGNED to last a long time and replace single-use plastic bags. Don’t treat reusable bags like single-use bags! WASH your reusable bags when they are dirty and REPAIR any small holes to keep them usable for a long, long time.

If you need a hand with repairs, check out when the next Maple Ridge Repair Café is coming up at www.mrrepaircafe.ca

STEP 5 – RECYCLE Reusable Bags When Worn Out

Almost all reusable bags now sold at grocery stores and take-out food bags that look like cloth are actually made of woven plastic fibres. These reusable plastic bags can be recycled in Recycle BC’s Flexible Plastics category. In Maple Ridge, this means when your reuable plastic bags are no longer usable, they can be put into your red curbside recycling box or brought to the Maple Ridge Recycling Depot for recycling