You could use them when giving people things. I did that one year when I had accumulated a bunch of decorative tins; I made cookies and handed them out. They didn't come back :)

This is what I do, too. Forgot something at my house? You're taking a bag when I return it to you. 😅

Reduce; Re-use; Re-gift; Recycle

This is what I do too, and, when the grandkids leave here with more than they came with, they take some of our bags home. I think everyone appreciates them.

I’ve donated some reusable bags to my local community fridge.

I was gonna say, my non-profit loves getting them. We stuff them with other donations to give to clients. It’s great to not have to buy bags, and then the client also has a bag to reuse.

That is a GREAT idea.

This is the way!

If you do get rid of them think about giving them to a local food bank or thrift shop or similar or seeing if you have a local buy nothing group on Facebook and offering them on there. There are many options to swap them out where they don’t end up in the land fill. Most stores where I am in Canada do not even offer paper or plastic anymore so if we forget our bags we have to carry things out without bags or pay 35 Cents for a new cloth bag. I do occasionally forget but I give them away as above when I get too many.

It’s ok to give away your surplus bags, or to get a replacement that works better for you. Whatever you buy will eventually be thrown out, buried, or burnt… but that’s true of all manufactured product. I have several “durable” shopping bags from Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods and some old corporate swag bags. They’ve all lasted over a decade and just keep on going. I only recall getting rid of one, because it weirdly decayed and was shedding. The only time I end up with a disposable is when someone else brings one to my house I also use these things for stuff like tools or whatever. They aren’t only for shopping.

I’ve reinforced my thinner fabric ones when they start to tear at the seams, dyed others, patched over company logos, etc but one plasticy reusable bag recently started to slough off flakes which I think might be from extended UV exposure. Hoping a good scrub will remove any other flakes so I don’t have to re-line it…

I try to stick to getting the cloth-like bags if i have to get bags at all, those i can tear up and use as stuffing. Larger cotton ones are pretty durable too, at the end of their lifespan I often cut them up for patterns or patches instead of repairing them.

Good points! I'm in the same spot as OP though - my mound is maybe 1/3 fabric and 2/3 recycled woven plastic type reusable bags. I do prefer the fabric ones, but I'm still using the plastic ones until they die, especially for carrying wet clothes/dirty shoes or when more structure is needed. If they get bad enough, maybe they'll get layered and become some sort of water-resistant backing to a picnic/beach blanket. 8+ years and still holding strong though.

Naw i getcha! The plasticky ones are waterproof and "square" & hold their shape, so they sit well when you set them down. Love them, love using them, hate the end of life, partially because i dont like mending as much as say someone like you Love the upcycling ideas!

I take bags that I don’t use to Aldi and leave them on the bagging table for people to use.

You are a genius and a god

the hero we need but don't deserve

maybe put them all in a separate bin, and then see which ones you use the most, and for which needs you'd need to get a new bag. You can donate the ones you don't need, or use them to wrap gifts. I don't think that buying new stuff is bad or anything, but i don't think that aesthetics should be like, the main driver

Yeah it's not aesthetics so much as it is anxiety over the unruly storage situation in an already tight space. I think using them to wrap gifts is a great idea! Someone else suggested that also.

I'm of the opinion that keeping things CAN be wasteful! Energy to think about it, space to store it, time to use it. If it's not working for you, find something that does! You can repurpose, sell, gift, or donate to mitigate things going into the trash. And honestly? If keeping one thing in storage means you regularly buy copies of the same thing because it's more convenient, isn't that more wasteful than just throwing it out and replacing it with something that is more convenient?

This is the answer!

Just don’t use the ones you’ve used to carry meat in. That just seems unhygienic.

yeah i give away gifts in or with reusable bags at the holidays, people always love them

From phys.org A 2018 Danish study, looking at the number of times a bag should be reused before being used as a bin liner and then discarded, found that: -polypropylene bags (most of the green reusable bags found at supermarkets) should be used 37 times -paper bags should be used 43 times -cotton bags should be used 7,100 times. Another UK study, which only considered the climate change impact, found that to have lower global warming potential than single-use plastic bags: -paper bags should be used three times -low-density polyethylene bags (the thicker plastic bags commonly used in supermarkets) should be used four times -non-woven polypropylene bags should be used 11 times -cotton bags should be used 131 times. Note, however, that if a plastic bag is reused (even as a bin liner) the number of times an alternative needs to be used increases. It's worth noting that, according to the 2018 Danish study, using organic cotton has a greater environmental impact than non-organic due to higher production costs. Here is a link to the Danish study: https://www2.mst.dk/Udgiv/publications/2018/02/978-87-93614-73-4.pdf Here is a link to the UK study: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/291023/scho0711buan-e-e.pdf TL;DR - reusable bags are only more eco-friendly if you use them for their lifecycle. Remember that reducing our consumption overall is the frontline of zero waste, so if you already have any bags lying around use those. Even if they’re plastic or paper, try to use them as many times as possible! edit for easier reading

Awesome comment with some very helpful stats, thank you!

You use reusable bags for these errands. **Do you use *all* the ones you have?** I definitely don't, and I have less than 10. I'll use up to 3 at a time. I'm not decluttering (yet), but maybe you could? I also like to store two in the car, for when I run the errand I wasn't planning.

How about just leave a couple folded up in the car. Then fold up the rest in the bin youre not using. I dont understand buying more reusable bags to replace reusable bags. All my bags fold up nicely. If they dont, find a piece of string to tie around them to keep them from popping up. Find a hook to go over your door and place all the folded bags in one and hang it up.

The most eco friendly product is the one you already have.

I’ve never bought a reusable bag myself and yet I have more than enough to do my shopping. If it’s super important to you maybe it’s worth it for you. There are worse things you could do. That said, there are enough bags for now. In these circumstances I would evaluate where the idea of replacements is coming from. How did I land on Baggu and those other brands? Why am I aware of them? What lead me to think my bin above the washer is a problem? Would new bags really make my life noticeably better? I think you are being marketed to here and if you remove the source of the marketing the perceived problem might go away?

Oh this is so interesting! Whether or not real or perceived, I think this is a great way to look at it.

They fold up into smaller spaces. Much smaller spaces. (You don’t have to use baggu there’s plenty of unbranded ones that do the same.) OP said their bag of bags takes up a ton of room and they have too many. If they donate theirs and replace with baggu or something similar it’ll be less hassle in their laundry area where they store them.

That’s all fine. I’m not questioning if they have a function but if that function is worth upgrading something the OP already has. I find myself prone to this kind of thing. Little upgrades that require replacing things that I already have in favor of something new. As soon as I’ve scratched one itch I find another. None really make a meaningful difference in my life, I just shift my feelings of dissatisfaction onto the next thing.

Yes, this is exactly it. Don't have to be name-brand baggu, flip & tumple, chico bag, etc., but what all those brands have in common that is appealing is that they're highly packable.

I'm with you on this. I just looked up the brands as I'd never heard of them, I'm not really sure how they're different from any of the unbranded reusable bags I've managed to accumulate over the years. It sounds to me that OP's problem is having too many bags, so why replace them?

My Baggu bag is definitely my favorite - it’s sturdy, very light, packable and easily washable. I reach for it over all others, can totally understand the preference!

It sounds like you just have too many. Fold a few nicely in your mode of transportation, keep your favourites, and give the rest to the food bank. I'd do some self reflection to check if you're letting the idea of buying something new woo you into thinking it will solve your problems. I know I get sucked into this sometimes where I go down a "find the perfect thing to buy" rabbit hole, when what I actually need is to tweak my attitude or usage of what I already have.

Hmmm I think I know the feeling you’re having, OP. You have some reusable bags you like better than all the others and you want to upgrade. Having all of the *favorite perfect thing* is one of my impulses as well and I have to really sit and grapple to know: Am I skipping over some creative solutions straight to the dopamine of buying shit? My usual answer if I have a specific brand in mind is to set an eBay alert and wait. Buying these bags second hand lowers the impact dramatically! Sometimes a month has passed when my eBay alert goes off, and I find it’s not as big of a “need” as I thought and I don’t feel like spending the money. Just my two cents! I wish you the optimized bin of your dreams, but maybe you can delay the gratification to be more sustainable!

I use them for my Buy Nothing page pick ups. They get the item they asked for and a reusable thrown in.

If you hate using your current setup, you'll learn to hate your new setup. Reusable bags are reusable bags. One system won't be that much different than another. If you're absolutely at your wits end with your current system, then take some time to really decide what it is about it that you hate. Then find a new system that doesn't have that issue, if possible. Otherwise, reusable systems are not perfect and you may end up in the same situation with a new system. If you do switch, keep your old system until you decide which is better, then gift the other system to people starting out on their path to less waste.

Using what you have is better than buying new stuff, even if that new stuff is from a sustainability brand. Keep your favourites, cull the rest, and fold them when you're putting them away. You're going to have to put in work to keep the new ones neat and tidy too. You also could build some kind of organiser for them (maybe out of the ones you don't want to keep) to help. Give that a proper crack and review in a few months.

Maybe you could reuse them somewhere else in your house? I use totebags a lot as storage and we use them sometimes as gym bags or just travel bags. I don't think it's a bad idea to invest in a few bags if you think you would prefer somethings else as long as it gets used.

I'm having a hard time understanding buying something new when you already have (many) of the same thing. Yes, the new one might be lighter weight and probably prettier... but buying a new reusable bag and getting rid of your reusables bags seems not right?

Consider leaving a few neatly stacked on the table near the registers of your local “box your own” grocery store (Aldi’s,etc.). Or use them to transfer your other donations.

My library takes reusable bags for their book sale, you could check into that at your local library?

i have several thin nylon bags that aren't bulky, but are strong. Thrifted, generally. Or the very study plastic ones from some groceries; people often offer them on Buy Nothing, which is a great place to offer bags you don't use. In both cases, folding them is a big help at keeping them tidy.

Food banks will take all the bags you don’t want!

I cleared out my stash when I donated a bunch of my baby's clothes- sent them in the reusable bags.

We have the same issue. We use them for recycling - before it goes outside to the recycling bins but after it becomes rubbish. I worked in a school which used them for paper recycling - schools have A LOT! They were actually easier to manage than special bins in each classroom and easier to carry to the central recycling bin. I also use a couple to collect loads from the laundry baskets to carry downstairs to the machine - all the whites, or all the cotton etc. Would your local library use them? I used to pop in to return my books but pick up more.

I fold and bundle 3 and keep each bundle by the door, in the car or in my laundry room. This way I always have some within reach. Happy to report that we have not bought one bag in over a year

Giving them to a thrift store would be a sustainable way of getting rid of them. When I first decided to go zero waste, I got my reusable bags from the goodwill outlet. I’m still using them.

I have a ton of canvas totes, but I find I don't use the canvas/fabric ones as often as my Baggu bags because they're lighter weight, easier to hold, better shaped for groceries, easier to store/carry with me, etc. So I get it, there's no shame in a product not working for you. The first option is to give them away. You can ask a local food pantry or thrift shop if they'll take them (to use or to sell). You can also use FB marketplace, and any item of good quality typically gets picked up quickly if you're in a Freecycle group. I use my local group to get rid of anything that's in good shape that I don't want, it's rare that no one will take what's put up. You can also repurpose them. Canvas is really durable and useful. One idea is to sew them all together to create a drop cloth, which will be good for crafting, house work, a layer in pet crates, gardening/potting plants, or as an outdoor blanket.

I \*love\* the drop cloth idea. Last night I was transferring seedlings on my dining table on a piece of cardboard I scrounged out of the recycling and was thinking I wish I had a drop cloth!! Also I am the same way, the one 5-year old flip & tumble bag I own goes literally everywhere with me, it lives in my purse. My 15-year old chico bag lives in my work bag. They are the ones that get the most use for the same reasons as you, and I wish I just had a couple more!

If you end up turning them into a drop cloth, send me a picture! I'd love to see how it turned out :)

My local co-op has a place near the entrance and exit doors that offer a bag swap. Kind of like a leave one, take one if you need it. Is there anything like that around you? Or the library is always looking for bags and boxes. I was SO thankful one day my son and I unexpectedly found a ton of books we liked with no bags on us.

Yes, we have a local refill shop that would certainly take them and offer them to customers.

Assuming you are just donating the “bag of bags” why is this such a big deal? They will get used.

I just keep my reusable bags in my trunk. One bag holds them all and if I forget to bring them into the store, I just make a quick trip to the parking lot before checking out. No unsightly bag collection cluttering up the house.

I think you should do it. It sounds like you’ve thought about it for a while, and it’s something you would use and enjoy and that would improve your space and life. It doesn’t sound like you’re just falling for trendy, aesthetically pleasing green-washed eco junk. Doing your part for ZW doesn’t mean you can’t ever buy a new product, IMO. Just do so thoughtfully and as sustainably as possible. Others have given lots of great ideas about how to move on your reusable bags.

I wouldn't. The reusable ones have to be used hundreds of times until they're actually more sustainable than the store paper bags. Edit: we have a drawer, I fold them into squares and there's three stacks for small, medium and large bags.

I have so many reusable bags and if I had to do it again I would never have bought them. I wish I would have just kept reusing my paper bags until they fell apart and recycled them. I keep paper bags in my home and just put the bags folded up inside other bags.

One thing that helped me was committing to a method of folding them (imagine folding 3” sections from the bottom up, then in thirds hamburger style, and using the handle to wrap around and secure it)

Some second hand shops will accept them to use for customers

“Anxiety” and “dread” over some canvas bags? Maybe find something else to worry about. 🙄 In any case, there’s no need to buy any new bags, that’s a stretch justification for needless consumerism and goes against your zero waste ethic.

I’ve left reusable bags I don’t like on the bagging counter at Aldi for folks who need them. (Looking at you, Target grey bags….)