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Comment by conorbergin | Hacker News Reader

I think using a cotton bag 173 times to beat plastic bags and a mug 1,000 times to beat disposable cups sounds completely reasonable.

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Can you use the cotton bag 173 times? Cotton wears out over time. They also didn't ask about the cost of washing the cotton bag, which really should be done once in a while since they collect dirt and food particles - this will increase the times you need to use the bag. (it isn't clear if it lasts longer with or without washing - dirt is often sharp enough to wear the bag, but washing also puts wear on them)

Similar for the cup - I've dropped and broke several ceramic cups in my life - and I don't drink coffee/tea. Those cups will never get another use since the shards are scrap.

> Can you use the cotton bag 173 times? Cotton wears out over time.

Yeah, comfortably. Shopping bags don't actually get much "wear" in each active use period. The main issue will be the handles but good stitching will solve that.

And it'll go in the washing machine with your clothes (though you might want to tie the handles together).

I have a Lidl bag that is already into the sixties of usage (it has been my food shopping bag for more than a year).

I have other two reusable bags made from recycled polyester (so recycled plastic bottles and plastic bags) that have seen probably 1800 uses each, maybe more, in their lifetime.

This material is probably a better choice for reusable shopping bags anyway; it can be made from plastic that can't be reused for food grade, it's incredibly tough, it folds down small etc.

    > Can you use the cotton bag 173 times?

I can confirm: Easily. While I don't like the feel as much (the scrunching plastic sound is awful compared to natural fibers), PET bottles that are recycled to make reusable bags are incredibly tough. I had one that I used for 15 years(!) for multiple shops per week.

    > a mug 1,000 times to beat disposable cups sounds completely reasonable.

Small nitpick here: A mug needs to be cleaned and washed after each use. (Certainly in commercial settings.) However, a reusable grocery bag probably gets washed at max: once per month. Still: I love it when a bar goes out of the way to use mugs/glasses instead of disposal cups!

thats assuming the plastic bag is used once, but i've always reused them, sometimes had the same bags for 10 years

however i have never re-used a paper bag because they are awfully loud and cannot be compressed. it is the worst kind of bag.

I reused all my grocery store plastic bags for disposing of cat litter and other trash. When those bags went away I had to start buying new plastic bags for the first time.

That’s funny because when my locality switched from plastic to paper bags I was annoyed at having to buy trash bags for the bathroom for the first time but found the paper bags were excellent for litter cleanup since they stand up on their own and are easier to scoop into than a smaller fluttery plastic bag.

Turning a plastic grocery bag into a small bathroom trashcan liner is IMO the perfect reuse. it displaces a thicker plastic bag and ensures the grocery bag goes into a landfill.

My grocery store now uses slightly thicker plastic bags, and I've found that you con reuse them dozens of times; I've had the same bags in my car for over a year.

Unfortunately, when they deliver, they use brand-new bags, and they don't accept them back for reuse, so a lot of them get thrown away after a single use.

I have a reusable cotton bag that has been in use for 30 years. That's an extreme example, perhaps, but all the same

I have been using the same mug for 50 years.

Absolutely.

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