Goin' Green in Poland

Compared to the US, Poles tend to be more environmentally friendly at the stores than we Americans. I don't know when this all began, but all I know is that when I arrived here, reusable grocery bags made of fabric were already being sold and used all over the place. When we traveled to Ireland, one of our first trips, I was taken back by having to pay for a plastic grocery bag at a Tesco in Dublin. The message was clear - plastic is out, fabric is in.

Since then, I have bought my share of these fabric bags. However, my biggest problem is that I never remember to bring them with me to the store. My other problem is that they sell the bags with the store logo. So, what if I bought the bag at Tesco, but I am shopping at REAL. It's like taking your McDonald's meal to Burger King and eating it there.

I don't know about you, but I find plenty of use for those plastic bags. The primary one is using the plastic bags as trash bags for my small wastebaskets. I also send them with Nicholas when he has swimming at school in the hopes that his swimsuit and towels will come back in that bag rather than his backpack. I also use them to make a little "carry me upstairs and put me away" bag for the kids when they leave little toys lying around. I recycle those thing like crazy.

Well, now, stores like Carrefour and Real are making me think twice about not bringing my bags. Actually, they are just making me think about driving the extra 5 miles to Auchan! Carrefour and Real have decided to charge a zloty for each plastic bag you use. Now, not only do I have to bag my own groceries at these establishments, but I have to pay the equivalent of 30-35 cents (USD) per bag for that "pleasure". It's just wrong!

Hello Auchan!