Paper or plastic? How about a tote.(tote bags when grocery shopping)

The Environmental Protection Agency says 3.8 million tons of plastic bags and wrap and 720,000 tons of paper bags ended up as waste in 2007. You can easily keep bags out of landfills and incinerators by bringing your own to the supermarket. To point you toward good choices, we tested eight bags sold by national chains and regional stores (usually near the checkout line). Most cost $1 or less. Many other choices are out there, including tote bags you might already own.

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The Consumer Reports National Research Center also conducted a nationally representative survey of 1,000 households to assess Americans' use of and attitudes toward reusable shopping bags. Among the findings: 61 percent of respondents use only grocery-supplied bags. But among those who don't use their own bags, about a third would consider doing so and might therefore benefit from the findings below.

What our tests found

Strength. We filled each bag with 28 pounds of packaged flour and tomato cans, topped off with a 2-pound weight. A mechanical arm lifted the bag by its handles off the floor a few inches, then set it down again, and repeated that action 500 times. All bags survived intact.

Size. Trader Joe's bag has the smallest capacity, about 0.6 cu. ft., and Whole Foods' A Better Bag has the largest, about 0.9 cu. ft. Most of the tested bags measure about 0.7 cu. ft. All can hold much more than the throwaway plastic bags they replace. Bear in mind that bigger may not be better, because the contents can become quite heavy.

Leaking. We poured a tablespoon of milk into each bag, and most contained the leak to some extent, except for the Walmart bag, which leaked like a sieve. Whole Foods' A Better Bag worked like a magic trick: The milk disappeared inside the lining, where it could eventually have created a sour odor. The A&P bag and the Whole Foods Foldable Tote were especially good at repelling leaks.