Sure cloth bags are better for the enviroment and at some stores you can save a few nickles or dimes if you use them. But I like them most as they are durable, never break and can carry far more far more easily than any plastic or paper bag. I can fit 3x the items in one cloth bag vs. paper or plastic - and the wide cloth handle is more comfortable than the 'cutting' handle of three plastic bags. Otherwise I use a backpack or mess bag for shopping, when on bike.

Right now there are two plastic shopping bags hanging very high up in tall trees in full view from my back porch. They have been there for over 4mo. Maybe they are not as bad for the environment in manufacture, but when they get loose (from garbage bins, trucks, etc.) they persist in uglyness. Never seen a paper bag so ugly.

Only problem is since we don't get any plastic (or paper) bags anymore, we no longer have under sink garbage bags.

Al