Reusable shopping bags don’t have to be blah

As I’m sure you’ve all heard by now - the City of Toronto voted in favor of introducing a mandatory fee on those pesky plastic bags you get when you shop back in December.

The new bylaw came into effect Monday, so officially if you’re shopping (and need - or want - a plastic bag) you’ll be charged a minimum of 5 cents for every bag you take home.

Personally, I’ve been using reusable shopping bags for a few years now - mostly because I was sick and tired of having the plastic ones lying all over my apartment (and was out of space to store them). The reusable ones are convenient, fold up nicely, and can hold a whole lot of stuff. However, many of them are also pretty ugly. I mean, who wants to carry around a bag plastered with close-ups of fruit guts all day?

I’ve dug up some alternative options to the reusable bags being offered by grocery stores, most of them made by local crafters and artists.

goodEGG Industries is an online store focusing on handmade crafts and goods. The shop is run by a duo of Toronto crafters, and offers a wide selection of Canadian-made items, including a slew of totes and shopping bags for a decent price.

Karissa Cove is a local artist who designs totes (among other things) that she sells on the online site Etsy.com.

Delight is an American company - but I had to include them because they sell really nice looking, reusable shopping bags (just like the ones you can snag at the grocery store, only with funky designs). Not only are their bags awesome, they’re also available in quite a few of Toronto Shops (including Bergo Designs in the Distillery District and Rolo in Yorkville.

And, for those of us who are eco-friendly and interested in taking your reusable bags a step further (and cutting down on your produce bags during your shop), Kootsac (located in B.C.) offers a handmade, reusable alternative to the throw-away plastic bags available in grocery stores.