Aldi customer shares 'annoying' shopping bag moment - but who's to blame?
Many shoppers have encountered this problem with supermarket issued paper bags.
An Australian Aldi customer has pointed out one big issue with the store's paper recycling bags after a trip to the shops ended in disaster.
The image, which was posted on Facebook, shows a ripped Aldi shopping bag next to several grocery items by the tyre of a car, with the caption: "The one and only time I will use their bags. Last minute decision to even grab one. Very annoyed!!"
A large pasta salad, dog food, a pack of bacon, salami and a few other smaller items had broken the paper bag and could be seen on a driveway.
While many people were quick to sympathise with the woman, others said it was user error because she had not held the bag from the bottom and had put too many heavy and cold items in a paper bag.
'Happens to me all the time'
Many of the people commenting on the post were quick to defend the woman, saying they had experienced breakages of paper bags too, and no longer used them.
"Happened to me picking up the bag at the register, that was three months ago. Will never buy the paper bag again from them," one said. Another commented that they were sick of paper and cardboard items for this reason: "Bring back plastic bags [and] knives, forks, spoons and straws... this wood paper stuff is a joke."
Many pointed out that the situation could have been worse if the shopper was carrying breakable things. One wrote: "Lucky no eggs!"
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Not everyone thought it was the bag's fault though, with plenty commenting on the amount of items in the bag, and the size of them.
"They are meant to be carried underneath. I don't know why they bother with handles. Old school paper bags you always carried from the bottom," wrote one. "Cheese, dog food and large pasta salad in the same bag? That'll do it," said another.
A third remarked: "They only have a weight limit of 6kg. Best to grab an empty box off the shelf and use that."
Recycling expert weighs in
A recycling expert is calling on supermarkets to re-think their approach to the bags they're offering consumers at the checkout.
Dr Trevor Thornton from Deakin University told Yahoo News Australia that paper bags are not the better option they seem to be when it comes to a cleaner planet.
"The environmental impact needs to be taken into account because most of the paper bags are transported to Australia from overseas. Most paper bags are used just once because they tear or break and aren't fit for two litre milks and large ice cream tubs," he said. "We also don't use paper bags multiple times like we did with plastic bags. Many of us grew up using plastic bags for multiple things, including the rubbish bin."
When it comes to complaints from users about the bags, Thornton agrees supermarkets need to do better to offer a better product.
"If I complained about the quality of a product or the standard of food, the supermarket would do some investigations but I've heard stories where customers are just told to buy two bags to make them sturdier."
More research needed
Thornton is calling on a life-cycle analysis to be done to determine the best approach supermarkets and other stores should take when it comes to recyclable bags.
"A couple of markets I go to, you can borrow a bag, but only if you return it the next time you go. It's almost sort of like a bag library," he said.
He said it would also be "very interesting" to find out how much profit supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths are making by outsourcing the manufacturing of paper bags overseas.
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