Shopping bag

An example of a single-use paper shopping bag. Some retailers, such as department stores, are more likely to provide paper bags to shoppers, whereas supermarkets and grocery stores tend to favour plastic bags.

Shopping bags are medium sized bags, typically around 10-20 litres in volume (though much larger versions exist, especially for non-grocery shopping), that are often used by grocery shoppers to carry home their purchases. They can be single-use or reusable. Types and typical use of shopping bags vary by country:

• In the United States, plastic shopping bags are common and typically free with a purchase.
• In many European countries, plastic shopping bags were also free and common well into the noughties, and as of 2007 still are common, but their use is becoming less and less widespread, partly due to environmental legislation, which has led retailers to charge for plastic bags. The Republic of Ireland for example imposed a dedicated plastic bag tax, thus forcing retailers offering plastic bags to charge for them.
• Reusable shopping bags are increasingly used, eg. in EU countries where use of single-use plastic shopping bags is in decline. Reusable bags are often made from jute cloth, also known as burlap in the US, but sometimes they are also made from plastic; however these reusable plastic bags are sturdier than single-use plastic shopping bags.
• Paper bags are another alternative to plastic bags: both have environmental concerns. Some paper bags are made from recycled paper which helps reduce deforestation. Paper bags are also in widespread use within the United States and other countries.

Environmental Concerns

Heavy duty mulitple-use shopping bags are oten considered environmentally better than single-use paper or plastic shopping bags. When possible single-use bags should be recycled or reused as trash bags, storage bags, etc. Responsible solid waste usage is encouraged. Used bags should not be littered: this can be unsightly and damage wildlife.

Popular culture

• It has been written that filmmakers, when depicting someone returning from shopping, always ensure that something is sticking out of the top of the shopping bag, usually a baguette (loaf of french bread).