The Best Reusable Grocery Bags, According to Grocers and Shoppers
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To the average grocery shopper, any bag that isn’t plastic and can carry produce to and from the car is adequate. Anything made of upcycled Finnish plastic water bottles that’ll help them avoid the searing side eye from fellow shoppers when they decline the cashier’s request for something reusable. But Mack, one of those cashiers at a high-end grocery store in Portland that banned plastic bags, noticed that customers did not know where to start, and many of them opted to pay the store’s paper bag fee and just reuse that.
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“Many of our customers reuse disposable paper bags. We frequently see bags from Trader Joe’s, New Seasons, or Whole Foods, as well as our own bags,” Mack told Spy. Every time one passes through his line he’s surprised, because after years of packing the eggs on top of the canned goods he has a clear sense of the reusable bag hierarchy. A paper bag, even doubled, can’t hoist a gallon of milk from the trunk to the car without breaking like a Trader Joe’s bag can.
From what Mack has observed in his store, shoppers want to adopt more eco-conscious shopping habits, but this change is not intuitive yet. The shopping bag market, valued at $12.59 billion in 2022 and expected to grow steadily to $19.77 billion by 2030, indicates that more and more people share the sentiment of wanting to avoid disposable grocery bags. But other surveys show that a majority of people forget them when they go shopping and appreciate having the collection of baggies when they have a dog to walk or a tiny trash can to empty.
Others, most notably ex-Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, have argued that grocery shopping on an individual level is not eco-friendly, regardless of bag choice, and that grocery delivery services are more sustainable. The truth of that statement largely depends on the circumstances, including a person’s mode of transportation and how many people they’re shopping for compared to how many deliveries a driver is making in their neighborhood on a given day. Consumers also have no control over the bag choices of an Amazon grocery shopper, even if they ask politely before swapping wheat for sourdough.
It’s a bag, so to speak, and figuring out the best options as a consumer is not as simple as “paper or plastic.” Below we’ve rounded up the best reuasble grocery bags, and be sure to check out our in depth review of the Fortnum & Mason Plastic-Free Bag For Life here.
What the Experts Say
Along with Mack, busy parents like Heather Kaley of TK LOCATION are often considering what reusable bags are the best for the earth while being convenient and cost-effective. “The purpose of using recyclable bags is not only eco-friendliness but also durability and price point,” Kaley, a mother of three, explained.
For this reason, Kaley likes PET bags that are made from recycled plastic and sold at stores like Publix and Aldi. They’re cheap and a good stand-in if she forgets her other bags at home, and can also be used for organizing projects around the house between grocery trips. The “reuse” doesn’t have to be exclusively for purchasing more food, and plastic doesn’t necessarily mean single-use.
As anyone who has had a jar of pickles break open on the way home has learned, figuring out the right bag can be messy on many levels, so finding one that is easy to clean is essential as well. With cleanliness, convenience, strength, and price point taken into account on top of sustainability, Mack and Kaley shared their favorite reusable bags.
BEST OVERALL
Creative Green Life's Heavy Duty Reusable Shopping Bags with Box Shape, 3-Piece Set
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Rather than taking the shape of whatever you put in them, like a fabric tote, these reusable bags open up like a box and have a structured frame to them. The 12-inch handles are strong enough to carry the weight of up to 36 soup cans, so the chances of them crumbling under excess weight are low. “I always love it when customers use this style of bag,” Mack said. “Its sturdy sides and fold-down base make it so easy to pack.”
Kaley agreed that “the square, box-like structure facilitates easy placement in a trunk.” This lowers the risk of groceries going rogue, rolling around, and making a mess. These box bags are easy to clean with a damp cloth and can be folded up and stacked flat in the car or kitchen so they don’t take up unnecessary space between uses.
All three bags cost under $30 total and can carry the equivalent of 10 smaller bags of groceries so larger households like Kaley’s can get all of their shopping done and carried into the house with minimal trips and a lower upfront cost.
BEST BASIC
IKEA Large Size Shopping Bag, 2-Piece Set
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IKEA bags are not solely intended for taking home minimalist sconces from the infamous home goods retailer. Reddit and Amazon users love them for their versatility, and massive, 19-gallon size that’s great for groceries, clothing donations, or moving. It is made from polypropylene, which is considered one of the safest plastics by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and can be cleaned by rinsing out and drying.
Kaley owns two of these IKEA bags and can attest to their durability. Her biggest challenge is not overpacking them, as their massive size and wide shape make them appear bottomless.
“The weight of the bag can then become a challenge,” Kaley warned. If there is a bit of a walk between the car and the kitchen, she finds that the bag holds up better than she can.
A two-bag set costs only $8, or $4 per bag, a bargain for a no-frills bag that may be a little too strong. For anyone looking for a reusable bag that can do their laundry and help them move, this blue bag can be their best friend.
BEST INSULATED
BALEINE Thermal Insulated Portable Grocery Bag, 10.5 Gallon
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Cooler bags can be great for going straight from the grocery store to a sporting event or the beach, and Kaley loves this option from BALEINE for that purpose. “They keep our snacks and drinks cold, while also avoiding the clunkiness and size of larger coolers like a Yeti,” Kaley noted.
The problem with many insulated cooler bags on the market is that they’re not very durable and don’t stand the test of time. BALEINE offers four layers of leak-proof insulation for a slightly higher price point and can hold the weight of 45 cans of soda (or about 10.5 gallons) with a reinforced second set of handles that make it easier to carry when packed to capacity. It can also be filled with ice like a regular cooler without leaking or bottoming out.
It also looks more like a sleek airline carry-on than a grocery bag. The $24 price only includes one bag rather than a set, this cooler bag is best for smaller, novelty trips to the market or day trips rather than regular use. Unlike the other bags, this French wale gives customers a 30-day money-back guarantee as well.
BEST PACKABLE
BeeGreen Reusable Grocery Tote Bags, 6-Pack
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Bee Green bags are a good entry-level reusable bag, because they’re very cheap to buy and don’t take up any room in a purse or backseat. Given that they’re machine washable and easy to keep on hand, Kaley sees why they are highly rated — especially if remembering reusable bags is a recurring issue. She would mostly recommend using them for produce instead of mesh bags, which “offer little protection.”
Nylon bags are not Mack’s personal favorite because they’re difficult to pack, but he echoed similar sentiments about their convenience. “These bags are nice since you can easily carry them in your pocket or purse until you reach the register,” he acknowledged. “But bring extras so it’s easy to separate heavy or bulky items.”
Costing just over $3 per bag for a six-bag set, they are the most affordable reusable bags — only slightly more expensive than recycled PET ones from a store. But with a set of nylon bags, no one has to resemble a brand ambassador.
Frequently Asked Questions About Reusable Grocery Bags
Wait, Are Plastic Bags Recyclable?
Even states that have superior recycling programs like Maine don’t have municipal recycling programs that will pick up plastic bags from the bin outside people’s homes. Individuals can recycle plastic bags at stores that offer drop-off services, but some reports allege that these bags end up in landfills, and turn into microplastics in the food and water supply. That is why switching to reusable bags is better, whether or not plastic bags reincarnate into something else.
Are Cotton Tote Bags Bad for the Environment?
Reusable bags can say a lot about a person. Like a cotton NPR tote might say that someone cares about the planet, but is not aware of the strain cotton puts on the environment — so much so that it supposedly would take 20,000 uses of a single cotton bag to make up for the footprint of making it.
That said, this statistic comes from a 2018 study out of Denmark that was not peer-reviewed, and experts have since pointed out that cotton and plastic are not fair comparisons in terms of ecological impact. (Scientists are not finding “microcottons” in human blood, for instance.)
Sure cotton is not the most eco-friendly option, but people who go that route don’t have to use their totes for over half a century to feel better about using them. Unless a person is putting plastic bags inside of a cotton tote like some sort of earth-hating turducken, they’re probably not that bad.
What About the Mesh Bags I Keep Seeing at the Farmer’s Market?
“Mesh bags are better than carrying your items out by hand and that is about it,” Mack said. As Kaley said before, mesh bags leave produce too exposed to the elements, and other than not being plastic, are pretty much pointless and leave shoppers with little privacy. No one wants to be that exposed when purchasing Metamucil.
What About Novelty Reusable Shopping Bags?
Novelty tote bags have transcended their environmentally friendly reputations and become full-on status symbols in most large U.S. cities. “In a weird way, those novelty bags become more of a fashion statement than a focus on eco-friendliness,” Kaley explained. Even if the user cares more about its look, and branding, than avoiding a single-use item, it’s still one less plastic bag used on a whim. It counts.
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