Shops in the UK now charge 10 pence for each single use plastic bag. This charge was introduced to try and reduce the amount of single use plastic bags as these are a major cause of land and ocean pollution and a leading cause of marine animal deaths. Single use plastic bags are made from extracted oil which is a non renewable resource and production is also highly polluting.

Using recycled and upcycled materials such as plastic water bottles and cement sacks to make reusable shopping bags keeps these materials out of the waste stream. Well made bags can last for years, replacing thousands of single use plastic bags, reducing pollution from their production and disposal. Organic cotton and canvas are biodegradable materials that are strong and can also last for many years before being disposed of responsibly.

The number of times a bag needs to be reused depends on the type of bag and how it's used: According to a 2011 UK Environmental Agency study, a recycled plastic bag needs to be used 11 times before it's more environmentally friendly than a single-use plastic bag. A study found that conventional cotton bags need to be reused between 50 and 1,400 times, while organic cotton bags need to be reused between 150 and 3,800 times. The advice is to choose a strong bag/bags and use them as many times as possible.