Plastic bags

I noticed for the first time when we went shopping this weekend that more and more shops are now charging for plastic bags. Target sells compostable plastic bags.

I must admit have been a bit lax in the plastic bag department. Some reasons: (excuses, if you like!)

1. We re-use the supermarket bags in our little kitchen garbage bin.
2. I keep forgetting my green bags in the car and only remember when I get to the checkout.
3. I have a very cute little storage bag for used plastic bags in the kitchen.
4. We never throw them out or re-cycle them, every one of them is re-used.
5. I actually thought they were all now compostable!

So I have decided to be a little more pro-active and in response to the above excuses will take the following steps:

1. All of the veggie peelings and messy stuff goes into the compost, tins and bottles go into the re-cycling, so really the rubbish can just go straight into the bin and then get thrown into the large wheelie bin. Maybe we will pick up a few cardboard boxes to keep the wheelie bin clean, or wrap messy stuff in newspaper.
2. I found a cute design for roll up tote bags and will make some of those that fit into a small area so that I can easily carry them with me - no excuses anymore!
3. Maybe I can use that bag for cloth rags instead. we never buy paper towels anymore so use cloth rags!
4. In actual fact if they are used to throw out the rubbish we are throwing them into the landfill!
5. Just goes to show I need to be more informed!

I have already made some little cotton veggie bags to store veggies in the fridge and they do work better than plastic. I just need to remember to take them in to the store so that I don't even put the veggies into plastic at the store end.
There is so much information out there, and a lot of it is trying to sell a product, so is skewed in that direction.
The green bags that everyone thinks are the answer are manufactured overseas, so there goes the buying local theory. Looks like I will get out the sewing machine and use up all my scraps to make some re-usable grocery bags. They will then also be made of cotton and not the polypropylene that the supermarket green bags are made of.
There is talk of re-using bags without washing between uses to be unsanitary. I will use the plastic lined bags for meat, and those can be washed each time (or wiped down with a light bleach solution.)
So it seems that this simple shift in thinking has opened a can of worms.
What does everyone else do? any ideas or suggestions to make this path of ours easier? What are your thoughts?