If you were to use reusable cloth bags when shopping approximately how many plastic bags would NOT be used over a lifetime?

Answer 1

Shopping is an undertaking that starts quite early in the life of a person who lives in a Western style economy. It is an activity that has a tendency to happen, rather than being planned, simply because we tend to shop as we go. Most of us do not carry a reusable shopping bag with them as we go through our lives. But lets assume we did, and lets assume we use it even when we just pop into the shop on the corner. I would think that the average Western consumer engages in a shopping event at least once a day every day of his or her life. Assuming also that from as early as 5 and until the ripe age of 75 the Westerner shops. With there being 365 days in a year (not counting the leap years) you would use some 25500 plastic or paper bags of any size over a span of 70 years. A reasonably good fold-able cloth or other fabric shopping bag lasts for at least a year. You can do the math on that one yourself.