Yesterday, I decided to hit one of my favorite places in the city, Quiapo. The reason being I wanted to stock up on beads and things so I could start early on my Christmas giveaways. Anyway, knowing how fond these vendors are of plastic bags, I came armed with a medium-sized drawstring cloth bag.

I have come to abhor plastic bags because everywhere I go (and even in the house), I see them overflowing from trash bins and floating on clogged esteros and drainages! And on more than one occasion, I’ve seen plastic bags (the very light ones given out at wet markets) “flying” as high as the 32nd floor of the building I work in! I kid you not because at the time, my workstation was situated in a corner, and I have big, wide windows in front of me and to my right!

Whenever I see those plastics bags flying high, with nary a care in the world, I tell myself this plastic bag craze has got to stop! I mean, we can’t live without them, but if we can lessen its use, or if we can recycle what we have at home, then there will be less traffic caused by floods, which in turn are caused by clogged drainages, which in turn are caused by, you guessed it, many plastic bags (and discarded Styrofoam packaging, and boxes, and wrappings from junk food, ad infinitum)!

Where was I? Oh yes, arming myself with a cloth bag when I went to Quiapo yesterday. Well, as expected, the first store I went to refused to accommodate my request for “No plastic, please. Just put them in the cloth bag.” The guy at the counter gave a reasonable remark, that the guard might not allow me to go out of the store if he sees me carting away my loot in a cloth bag. I was not going to argue with that so I hastily left the store. Once outside, I carefully transferred the contents from the plastic to my cloth bag.

While the first store didn’t allow me to carry on with my ‘mission,’ the next three shops didn’t seem to mind at all when I repeated the line, “No plastic, please. Just put them in the cloth bag.” However, the salespersons who assisted me were perplexed that one of their shoppers refused to have her purchases placed inside a plastic bag. I explained that we have more than enough in the house, and that we have to do our part to help the environment. The lady guard in the last shop I went to seemed to approve my little experiment.

The bottom line is, as a customer who cares for your environment, you have the right to say, “No to plastic bags.” Let vendors see how serious you are by bringing your own cloth or canvas bag. I believe many department stores and specialty shops are selling them at reasonable prices. Or if you’re into sewing, why not just make one yourself? With a little creativity and a lot of imagination, cloth bags definitely look better than plastic anytime!

Post script: For habitués of SM, The Body Shop, and National Bookstore, you’ll be happy to know that they support customers’ request for “No to plastic bags.” Just make sure you have an extra bag that’s big enough for your purchases.