I left Canada on the 19th of Nov. It is now the 11th of Dec. and I am proud to say that I have not acquired a single new bolsa (plastic bag) Only on Cortes it seems is one asked “Do you need a bag” Generally my experience has been where ever I have shopped I have had to work hard to stay focused on not getting any more of those bags. I have trained myself to carry a nice light woven bag and in it I carry other bags. These are usually the plastic ones that are left over from previous times. For instance, I found quite a stash in a corner of my car. I make a point of using these up as they need to be moved along. There were places one could take these extras to be recycled, but I have not come across anywhere since I left Vancouver Island.

In Mexico, in particular, there seems to be total lack of awareness to over packaging. I bought just one loaf of bread which was nicely wrapped in two layers and the sales person wanted to stuff it in yet another bag. Also, as I shop for veggies, I take my small plastic bags and put the items in them instead of pulling more of the roll that’s there. Then I put my big shopping bag, and sometimes it is my african basket, on the counter and still more bags are offered before giving it to me. We now explain that we are trying to refrain from gathering more bolsas. We have even mentioned the banning of plastic bolsas in some countries. It is definitely a discipline of sorts, to sally out to pick up the daily foodstuff and stay on top of it.

Anyway, it is a small thing but one can definitely do it if determined. But this little article raises some issues. Unless there are biodegradable plastic bags easily available, we will still be using the small ones of the produce rolls or paper bags. So there is a long way to go. It is amazing how those bolsas have taken over.