View Full Version : The Ziploc plastic bags/baggies brainstorm...
Live with them, live without them, that is the question. I've struggled with this one for a time now, just as I struggled with Glad Kitchen Catcher Plastic Garbage Bags when I first started buying/using them. They are a waste, yet if there's one thing I've learned about myself being the simple living and frugal practitioner that I am, that one thing has to be, recognizing the fact that no matter how frugal and reusable minded we are in respect to the daily things/items that mark our lives from day to day, we cannot (always) depend on everything we use being 100% recyclable and reusable. (At least I don't think we can).
In deviating from the typical things (and stuff) we use from day to day, that we appreciate and know create a less harmful footprint in our wake, I think it's acceptable (and reasonable) to say that there will be times in our lives where we simply cannot (always) conform to all things environmentally friendly and reusable. You just have to sometimes branch out and go for bust when it comes to certain throwaway things from time to time. Ziploc bags/baggies being one of them.
What are your thoughts on Ziploc plastic bags/baggies?
Thought I'd open this thread up by casting my vote. (Hand-wash, hang to dry on clothesline). It's amazing at how much life you can get out of a single plastic Ziploc baggy when caring for them this way!
Simplicity
7-20-11, 6:25pm
I wash and reuse them until they eventually become unusable. I also buy my 4 litre milk in the bags and I LOVE those bags! Once empty, I slit them open along the top and use them for freezing stuff.
Sad Eyed Lady
7-20-11, 7:05pm
Well.......you know my relationship with used baggies by now!
I wash and reuse them only if they have not been used for storing meat. Those get tossed.
treehugger
7-20-11, 7:41pm
I'm not quite sure what's the difference between your last 2 choices, so I didn't vote. Is there any way to wash them other than by hand?
I have a 2-pronged approach for dealing with zip-locs:
1) I try to use reusable containers whenever possible, instead reaching for a zip-loc in the first place.
2) Whenever a zip-loc is really the best choice (especially for freezing some things, since they fit better in the freezer than a hard-sided container), then I use, wash, and reuse, until they fall apart.
Kara
I use reusable containers whenever possible. I hate washing bags and so avoid them.
Miss Cellane
7-20-11, 9:35pm
I use reusable containers when possible, but there are times a baggie is the way to go. When I pack a lunch, I can fit more in the lunch box if I use baggies for some things rather than plastic containers. You can squish a baggie of carrot sticks down beside the sandwich, which you couldn't do if they were in a stiff box. And for freezer stuff, they are great. I wash by hand (is there another way?) and dry on an accordion cup rack thing that hangs on the wall by the sink. Or on wooden spoons that are sticking up in the dish drainer. I'm too lazy to walk them out the back door and hang them on the line on the back deck.
I bought two boxes (two different sizes) of baggies when I moved here 4 years ago. I finally had to buy replacement baggies this spring. So for me, they are more like reusable containers than disposable baggies.
I attempted to edit the "wash" option voting selection, however editing doesn't afford the creator of the OP to access that portion of the thread/poll. (The original entry now shows being edited even though it hasn't been altered or changed).
So, P.S. How about we think "simple" in regards to that one. Wash as in "hand-wash" for both options 3 and 4. :)
Simplicity. I'm always pleasantly surprised by the level of creativity that SL members come up with as to how to use, and reuse stuff! It's amazing! Ingenuity at it's best! I find (at least in my home) the zipper part on the bag seems to go long before the actual bag itself, but the repeat usage factor is staggering, and to think people toss them after a single use.
Shalom. Oh, I sure do! :)
Libby. For a while I was keeping two separate stashes of Ziploc bags that had been used more than once. One bunch were the bags I had used for things like cookies, sandwiches, and snacks and things, the other bunch were the ones used for the storing of meat. With the meat bags (even though they had been washed), I reserved those for things like soup bones, sealing up kids odds and ends, and so on, as for the ones that had been used for cleaner food products, those went on to be further used again, and again, and again... I did get a little derelict and lazy in keeping the old meat storage bags and actually veered away from doing it for a while, but I'm back doing it again. Throwing stuff away just bothers me to no end.
Treehugger. I try extra hard to put my Tupperware and Rubbermaid collection to use whenever I can, and that's often, but as mentioned by others, sometimes opting for a baggie is the better choice at the time. For instance, when one of my older kids packs a sandwich to the park with them (or wherever they're going), I actually prefer them using a Zip bag rather than one of my good plastic-seal containers, and that's just one example of where disposable baggies come in handy in our home.
Rosemary. Me too, it's so darn hard (and easy) at times not to opt for a cheap plastic bag. I have been working on it though. I think if it was just DH and I at home, I would be able to eliminate the use of disposable plastic bags in our home all-together with.
Miss Cellane. Wow! I'm totally impressed! Talk about maximizing!!! P.S. Love your wooden spoon idea for drying! Very funky! :) I have to remember that one. (May I ask where you got that nifty idea from)?
It's funny, because I remember contemplating switching over to Glad Kitchen Catcher Garbage Bags a few years ago, and what a personal struggle that was for me. I heed and hawed about it for weeks, even months, and then when I finally convinced myself to make the switch, I chickened out! The guilt I felt, it was unreal. But I was so tired of leaking plastic grocery shopping bags which was what I had relied upon since the dawn of time. They seem to always have a hole in them (somewhere) even if they are new and fresh, and they just don't seal and hold in messes like a proper plastic garbage bag does, so after a long and dragged out process of teetering from side to side, I finally caved, bought the bags, and never looked back!
I wash them and dry them on a little drying rack I made from a glass container and some chopsticks. I think it was Amaranth who gave me that idea. It works great.
My mom bought me a four pack of ziplock bags at Costco and I think that will probably last me for years and years.
BTW you can wash baggies in the dishwasher. I saw a product at a Green Expo that held the baggies open for washing. I wash by hand, though.
goldensmom
7-21-11, 6:55am
I wash and reuse them until they eventually become unusable. I also buy my 4 litre milk in the bags and I LOVE those bags! Once empty, I slit them open along the top and use them for freezing stuff.
Milk in bags, other than a cow’s udder? First time I’ve heard of milk in bags. I remember the first time I saw wine in a box. So funny, diner to waiter ‘give me a box of your best wine’.
Okay, on topic. I wash and reuse but prefer not to use Ziploc/baggies at all. My mom would use/wash/reuse them until they were limp. This could be a big marital issue between my husband and I because he uses and tosses at least 2 per day in his lunch. In the interest of preserving out marriage, I just close my eyes to it but it is one of those things that just makes me crazy.
I actually don't have any tupperware type containers - none, zilch. Oh, except two small containers that once held a garlic cheese spread and are the perfect size for a handful of baby carrots or strawberries for a lunch box.
I buy ziplock bags for sandwiches, chips, cookies, trailmix, but if I have a left over wax bag from a cereal box or a bread loaf wrapper or a zipper pouch from the spinach wraps then I use those things first. a Ziplock bag is a last resort and reused several times (unless it's held a meat sandwich or wrap).
Stella. I just LOVE you and Miss Cellane's drying idea!!! It's funny that you mention washing baggies in the dishwasher, because I said to myself (just this morning) after logging in, "what's stopping the user from washing them in the washing machine"? Sounds silly I know, maybe even a little ridiculous, but still, it is an option. Anyhow, that's totally neat about the Green Expo specialty product made especially for such!
Goldensmom. Your doing the right thing! :) But I do feel your pain. Sometimes one of the kids will reach into my plastic-wrap/tin foil/baggie drawer to get something out and I'll say to them, "don't you dare, shame on you, "put it in a Rubbermaid/Tupperware container"! :)
Float On. You're stylin! :) The key things is, making an attempt to conserve and save. So upsetting (and unsettling) to know not everyone lives like we do, us SL's. I hate to think what some people toss from day to day. The things nightmares are made of!
I see I am the lone dissenting voice of "never use" . I've never used them, prefer tupperware kind of things. I've never bought them either but have an unopened box at my house that my sister brought over as she uses (and reuses) them. I also never use plastic wrap or alum. foil and don't have either of those at the house either. I don't cook much (at all :-)!) and so everything goes into reusable tupperware.
Highly commendable Spartana! When the buzz in our house dies down somewhat (kid department) I'm hoping to follow suit and eliminate disposable bag/baggie use altogether with.
Goldensmom, the milk in bags is apparently a Canadian thing. I learned about it from a friend who lives in the Maritime Provinces.
Re: milk in bags, mom used to buy milk in bags when we were kids, although it she only did it for a few years. Can't recall why she started although... Anyhow, I remember how there was a special reusable plastic jug that the bags fit into, then when you had the bag inside, you'd take a pair of scissors, nip off one corner of the bag, and pour. Milk in bags was the buzz! That was the 1970's.
Too bad the results are skewed. Has a way of taking the fun out of starting a thread like this...
I don't actually buy them, but come into possessing them through using them at my parents' house. I keep them and wash them until they develop holes! I use plastic containers, normally.
Re: milk in bags, mom used to buy milk in bags when we were kids, although it she only did it for a few years. Can't recall why she started although... Anyhow, I remember how there was a special reusable plastic jug that the bags fit into, then when you had the bag inside, you'd take a pair of scissors, nip off one corner of the bag, and pour. Milk in bags was the buzz! That was the 1970's.
They still do milk in bags in some parts of Spain! Pasteurised milk is not very common there; they mainly drink that awful long-life stuff.
early morning
7-24-11, 4:01pm
My mother washed plastic bags in the washing machine with our towels for many years. She saved any and all plastic bags that came into her orbit, well before there were such things as "baggies", and was really pleased when bread started coming in bags instead of waxed paper wrappers. She always checked to be sure the bread bags were turned inside out before washing so the print wouldn't get on the towels. So yes, Mrs. M, you CAN put them in the washer!
Personally, I prefer containers. I will use bags when it seems to be a better option, and we do reuse them. Most of my baggy use is to contain non-food items, though. I use them to corral things in my sewing box, for small items that we sell together (marbles and jacks, small game sets, etc), for crafts items, "treasures" found hiking, things like that. And I always double bag bottles when we travel. Having a bottle of shampoo come open in a man-handled suit case is a mess, trust me!
Good on you Mira! :) P.S. Very interesting about milk in bags in Spain. I was thinking about this (the milk in bags thing) and I do believe it's been a while since I've seen bagged milk when out shopping. Will definitely be keeping an eye out for it next time I'm doing my shopping.
Early Morning. I knew it! :) Thanks for confirming EM!!! :laff: Seems (seemed) perfectly logical to me, although I do think washing machine washing would suck a lot of life out of baggies/bags, especially a top-loader agitator machine. P.S. Love all the nifty little ways you utilize disposable bags/baggies! They really are great for that aren't they.
We use them way too much because no matter how many storage containers I have/get, my DD swipes them for leftovers to take home.(they live really close, so we eat together a lot). And since my DH does the dishes, well, I just would rather toss them. I don't want him to go on strike! I would much rather use containers, tho.
sherry
Simplicity
7-25-11, 7:16pm
Re: milk in bags, mom used to buy milk in bags when we were kids, although it she only did it for a few years. Can't recall why she started although... Anyhow, I remember how there was a special reusable plastic jug that the bags fit into, then when you had the bag inside, you'd take a pair of scissors, nip off one corner of the bag, and pour. Milk in bags was the buzz! That was the 1970's.
They don't sell milk in bags in BC? I thought it was all over Canada. Maybe it's just a Maritimes thing.
I'm wondering about freezing food in a container. What about ice crystals and freezer burn? I often put my freezer items in a plastic bag, suck the air out, and freeze. Those bags I wash and reuse. Sometimes I wrap in plastic, then in alum. foil. The foil can be recycled, but not the plastic wrap.
Sissy. And that's just it, striking a happy note and balance with what works for you. :) Upsetting balance and unity over such a thing just isn't worth it.
Simplicity. I'm planning a trip to town either tomorrow or the next day, and I'll definitely be checking for milk in bags. :) Pretty sure milk in bags still exists here in BC, just I think I've become numb, maybe even a little blind as to seeing (spotting) certain things lately. (Will post again after my shopping day).
Janharker. When it comes to freezing soups and chili and things, reusable containers are all I ever use. No problem with freezer burn or ice crystals, but then again frozen prepared food never lasts long in our house. I do like the protective qualities that thicker freezer baggies provide when freezing the likes of things such as garden vegetables and such, and they flatten and stack nicely and take up way less space than bulky plastic containers do.
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