I can recall reading about a pre-industrial community that had the custom of throwing all of its rubbish on the ground at the back of its members' homes. This was fine as long as they were chucking out scraps of food, or wooden or plant-based material.
However, they got access to cheap plastics and then their homes became fronts for rubbish tips. Plastic has that often annoying habit of sticking around almost forever.
To avoid plastics overwhelming my own household, I opted to start carrying my own bag to the local food stores. Sure, it had seen better days, but I was still greatly proud of its wrinkles and rheumatism.
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