Bernard O'Shea: This is my hack so you'll never forget your Bag for Life

We all have experienced that "Ah sh#te" feeling of reaching the checkout counter only to realise we left our reusable bag home. It's a tiny personal moment of regret we've all faced, but it's also a crucial lesson in sustainable shopping.

Bernard O'Shea: pictured while remembering where his Bag for Life is. Pic: Brian Arthur

We all have experienced that "Ah shite" feeling of reaching the checkout counter only to realise we left our reusable bag at home. It's a tiny personal moment of regret we've all faced, but it's also a crucial lesson in sustainable shopping.

In 2002, the Government boldly tackled plastic bag litter by slapping a 15-cent levy on these pesky pollutants. I remember being caught out initially with the levy as a penniless shopper in Dublin's north inner city where I lived in a bedsit. I bought about six to seven items in a shop and on fiscal and pig-iron grounds, refused to pay the 15c. From the top of North Fredrick Street to Eccles Street, I walked back to my bedsit like a Cirque de Soleil performer juggling bread, milk, potato waffles, and shaving foam.