The only situation where OP isn’t an idiot is food delivery. If you get your groceries delivered, I don’t think there is a formal feed back mechanism. (Though your grocery store would almost certainly accept them back.)

It's an inconvenience to actually reuse the bag that is inevitably covered in rancid meat juice. Calling people idiots isn't constructive, and besides, one may not be an idiot for simply not caring about burying a few plastic bags in the landfill. It's just different judgements about what's important.

> an inconvenience to actually reuse the bag that is inevitably covered in rancid meat juice

Why do you have rancid meat juice in your grocery bag!? Why do you have rancid meat!

> not caring about burying a few plastic bags in the landfill

I don’t particularly care about this. I still have a couple reusable bags in the back of my car that I use to transport food from the grocery store home. (I never have to deal with bags breaking. And my town charges for single-use paper bags, which I think is a fair compromise.)

When rancid meat juice raises its head, it’s rare and immediately dealt with by cleaning out the fridge. I’d be worried for a friend citing exposure to it as not only a regularity, but inevitability.

You've never had a package of meat leak a little juice in to the grocery bag? If you have, you either wash it (inconvenient) or you have rancid meat juice if you don't (it doesn't start rancid).

Yea, taking 5 seconds to rinse the bag out in the sink is _such_ an inconvenience. Life is rough.

I stopped buying meat for environmental / water usage reasons a while back, so no, this isn't an issue for me anymore. Guess I'm just a stupid hippie.

> Yea, taking 5 seconds to rinse the bag out in the sink is _such_ an inconvenience.

The old "you're just not doing it right" chestnut, where have I heard that one before! Hey, by any chance have you noticed how many of those silly face masks made it (or didn't make it) to landfills?

> I stopped buying meat . . . Guess I'm just a stupid hippie.

You said it not me!

> You've never had a package of meat leak a little juice in to the grocery bag?

Not frequently! If that’s happening, the butcher is doing a bad job sealing the package or the meat isn’t fresh.

I agree in those situations I’d likely toss the bag versus rinse it. But this is—and should be—a once every couples years problem. (And I buy meat almost every time I go to the grocery store.)

> You've never had a package of meat leak a little juice in to the grocery bag?

No, and if it was a common occurrence I'd find a different butcher that can actually package the meat properly.

There have been a few times I've washed a bag because it got dirty. It wasn't really inconvenient. I just tossed it in the laundry with the rest of my clothes. Or do you also just throw away clothes once they get a little dirty?

You're assuming the bag actually makes it to the landfill. MANY do not. Also, the rancid meat juice issue sounds like a problem specific to you. I certainly don't have that issue.