It's official: plastic bags are going out of business.

Reusable bags are fast replacing plastic and paper bags, which are the leading cause of pollution and litter. Across the US, plastic bags are handed out for free in grocery stores and shopping malls, resulting in the use of between 30 and 100 billion plastic bags annually (and that's just in this country!). Fortunately, some businesses are banning plastic bags altogether. Whole Foods Market, an organic foods supermarket -- and in LA, the site of many a celebrity food shop -- is putting an end to the use of disposable plastic grocery bags at the checkouts in all of its 270 stores in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. The goal is to be plastic bag-free by Earth Day, April 22, 2008. Whole Foods has long been encouraging shoppers to do their part by taking $.10 off of the purchase when customers bring their own bag. The natural food market also sells a variety of inexpensive reusable bags at the checkout line.

Trendy and earth-friendly totes encourage shoppers to bring their own bag to do their shopping. The hot-off-the-shelves "I'm not a plastic bag" (below) by designer Anya Hindmarch -- made of unbleached cotton -- created a craze among stars (like Keira Knightley--below) and mere mortals alike in England, Japan, and the US. (The downside, according to UK paper the Evening Standard: The bag was discovered to have been made in China using cheap labor and is neither fair trade nor organic.)

Image via Ecorazzi.com

My Bag Cares is a canvas tote that plants a tree for every bag purchased.

The reusable ChicoBag is made from durable nylon and holds up to 20 lbs.

Another option is Greensender's Organic Cotton Grocery Bag, which holds the equivalent of three plastic bags.

Model/activist Lauren Bush created the Feed Me bag, a reversible tote bag with a price tag that will feed one child school lunch for an entire year.

Last December, San Francisco was the first city in the nation to ban disposable plastic bags. And now, according to People magazine, more than a dozen US cities are thinking about jumping on the band wagon.

There's also tons of other options on EcoBags.com. In the meantime, look around your house for some old bags and bring them to the store on your next trip.