Wondering what type of bag is best to use when shopping; paper or plastic? The answer is neither. The best bags to use are canvas bags that you bring to the store yourself. Canvas bags can be re-used many times (I've had some of mine for over fifteen years) so they cut down on the waste created by plastic and/or paper bags. In addition, you can put a lot more stuff in a canvas bag. This makes for having to carry fewer bags, which is a nice bonus.