Plastic bags are the cheapest, most recyclable, least environmentally damaging container available. As with DDT anything truly beneficial must be demonized.
And, if you go to the store ad forget to bring your bus you have two choices:
a. you can buy a paper bag for about .10 cents
b. you can buy a heavy plastic bag which is usable for about 100 times. Cost about $1.00.
You have NO OPTION and CANNOT BUY UNDER AND CIRCUMSTANCES cheap plastic bags [which usually run about .02.5 cents a bag0.