The important thing is that we don't necessarily look for substitutes, but instead for ways to reduce material. That's the piece we always miss. We think that if we can recycle something, it's okay if we produce it, but instead, we need to look at the system.
Shopping bags are a perfect example. The best option for shopping bags—without question—is reusable bags. We should all be using reusable bags instead of worrying about whether we can recycle the single-use shopping bags we're using. We should not have single-use items unless we absolutely have to. We need to wean ourselves off that crazy thing that's sold on the basis of convenience and that is actually just a bad idea from the start.
Again, we need to start thinking from square one about how we get the service we want without creating waste. There are lots of examples of how we can do that, but instead we so often look at the easiest way instead of the best way.