Shopping bags

Today at the grocery store the woman in front of me at the checkout didn’t use any plastic bags for her vegetables. She just placed them all on the conveyor belt naked. Even stuff like scallions and Boston lettuce. Then as the checker scanned everything she put it right back into the cart without any shopping bags. I don’t trust the cleanliness of the conveyor belt enough to do that but I’m curious if anyone here does something similar.

I’d also at least use reusable shopping bags (I’ve been using the same 3 bags for the two years we’ve lived in the suburbs. I keep them in the trunk of my car) to pack everything up after checking out so that I didn’t have to make 40 trips from car to house like this woman will. She had a full cart of groceries all just piled up.

Yep. I put mine naked on the belt, too. I do take the plastic shopping bags. Use them for all sorts of stuff and pass some to coworkers for dog poop bags.

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Originally Posted by Tradd

Yep. I put mine naked on the belt, too. I do take the plastic shopping bags. Use them for all sorts of stuff and pass some to coworkers for dog poop bags.

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The random (rare) times SO does the shopping he brings home the plastic shopping bags. Just about enough for us to use one per week for kitty litter so it works out.

We have reusable shopping bags, but we do use the store-provided disposable plastic bags for produce. They get a second use with kitty litter, poison ivy seedlings, etc.

Poison ivy seedlings? Do you grow it intentionally?

I have netted bags for produce. Some I made and some I bought. Easy to see through so the cashier is not guessing on the contents.

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Poison ivy seedlings? Do you grow it intentionally?

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I read somewhere (Sparkle Hayter maybe?) that poison ivy in window boxes is quite pretty, and has the added advantage of making peepers and perps who try to climb through your windows suffer for their actions, lol.

But I suspect rr does as I do - puts one's hand in plastic bag, removes small poison plant, turns bag back over plant, thus giving a touchless way to remove said plant, much as one may do with *ahem* any other offending matter.

I put produce in produce bags, though. These we reuse, or in the case of our TJ bags - compost.

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Originally Posted by jp1

Poison ivy seedlings? Do you grow it intentionally?

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She probably means she pulls them and puts them in garbage, not composting them.

I do the naked-belt thing. Stuff gets washed at home, plus I see the checkers cleaning the belt all the time. I'm pretty laid back about this kind of stuff, I guess. I don't like bringing home plastic. We have string reusable produce bags, but since DH does most of the shopping, they are almost always in his trunk.

The lady with the miscellaneous unbagged stuff in her cart may have some kind of transport carton or gizmo in her car she transfers everything to. Who knows? You didn't say if she's old, but she may have trouble lifting bags.

I'd prefer not to get too many plastic bags ( I think my city has banned them anyway), so naked produce doesn't bother me.

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Originally Posted by early morning

I read somewhere (Sparkle Hayter maybe?) that poison ivy in window boxes is quite pretty, and has the added advantage of making peepers and perps who try to climb through your windows suffer for their actions, lol.

But I suspect rr does as I do - puts one's hand in plastic bag, removes small poison plant, turns bag back over plant, thus giving a touchless way to remove said plant, much as one may do with *ahem* any other offending matter.

I put produce in produce bags, though. These we reuse, or in the case of our TJ bags - compost.

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Originally Posted by iris lilies

She probably means she pulls them and puts them in garbage, not composting them.

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Ahhhh. That makes sense!

In my area stores are legally required to charge $.05 for each plastic bag used. There's exceptions for take out/deliver and a couple of other things I can't remember.

I have cotton bags for groceries and we keep 1-2 in the trunk at all times just in case we decide to stop somewhere. I do use the plastic bags for produce, been thinking about getting reusable bags.

I always do naked vegetables on the belt. Doesn't bother me. As for bags, the best ever are Baggu bags. They are strong and you can ball them up and they take very little room in your purse or backpack. I can fit 3 in my medium-sized purse and still be able to fish around for my wallet. My DD gave me one as gift once, and I buy them now for stocking stuffers, etc.

I see some produce bags are biodegradable now.

I've been getting my bags from NOMAR for years now, they are super high quality and bombproof.

https://nomaralaska.com/collections/mesh-bags

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Originally Posted by JaneV2.0

I see some produce bags are biodegradable now.

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Recolonization, our trash provider has asked everyone to not use the compostable bags for curbside compost. Apparently some of them are more compostable than others. For a while now I’ve been using up the ones we had by dumping the food waste out of them into our compost dumpster. We just ran out of them so now we are using paper bags. They don’t fit nicely into our undersink compost bin but at least they can definitely be composted. And they are actually about half as expensive at $.07 per bag vs $.14 per bag.

I ask for the paper bags at the store and use them as trash bags, so they charge me a few cents for it, they get used.

As for produce, sometimes I don't mind putting it on the conveyor - a tomato, potato etc, who cares. But wet stuff like lettuce I would take a plastic produce bag. If you don't take a produce bag for things like wet produce, how do you store it in your fridge? Produce bags are pretty convenient for storing in the fridge.

I have various containers for food storage at home, and lots of shopping bags (unnecessary at this point due to grocery delivery).

I just bought several.of these SKYNKE bags for carrying things. The local IKEA must have been changing designs, as they were clearancing them at 50% off. (can't insert link, sorry)

Just read that Colorado is banning plastic bags and styrofoam effective Jan 2024. Also saw a blurb that our local Walmarts will no longer have plastic bags but don't know when that starts or if it's nationwide. We were just talking about how much trash we would be putting out if we didn't compost. Change will be hard for many who don't give a second thought to their actions.

We have a couple of grab bags in each vehicle, including one each of the insulated kind for frozen items. They're pretty sturdy and fold up nicely for storage. Not sure where we got them.

https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/7a2...b2e62811f.jpeg

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Originally Posted by pinkytoe

Just read that Colorado is banning plastic bags and styrofoam effective Jan 2024. Also saw a blurb that our local Walmarts will no longer have plastic bags but don't know when that starts or if it's nationwide. We were just talking about how much trash we would be putting out if we didn't compost. Change will be hard for many who don't give a second thought to their actions.

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So, does that mean Colorado is banning all plastic bags? Like trash bags? VT has eliminated plastic bags in stores, and we've adapted. The only time I miss plastic bags is when I dog sit my DDs dogs.

So glad they are banning styrofoam. Nothing really "environmental" about trhe fact that I HATE styrofoam, but the squeak of it is like nails on a blackboard to me. I can't load food or cans into a styrofoam cooler, or take out a product encased in styrofoam in a box. I simply can't. DH has to do it. Then, layered onto that, is the fact that it's nasty stuff to begin with.

Suppose you buy lettuce, scallions, carrots, parsley, what exactly do you store it in in the fridge if not the produce bags? Naked in the veggie drawer? Any particular storage containers?

It's never made much sense to me. Nor has getting rid of grocery bags when I use them for trash but I use paper bags for that, so banning plastic grocery bags is fine with me (they kind of are banned many places here but nor is the law entirely followed)

I have plastic spoilage-retardant boxes similar to these"
https://smile.amazon.com/Vegetable-C...%2C184&sr=8-31

And several large glass containers.

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I have plastic spoilage-retardant boxes similar to these

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that makes sense. When I have tried to find out how to store produce not using produce bags in the past, I have mostly come across answers like put your parsley in a mason charge in water like it was a flower in a vase. And it was like no way I have time to take up parsley arranging or arranging of various other vegetable bouquets in my fridge. :laff:

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Originally Posted by ApatheticNoMore

that makes sense. When I have tried to find out how to store produce not using produce bags in the past, I have mostly come across answers like put your parsley in a mason charge in water like it was a flower in a vase. And it was like no way I have time to take up parsley arranging or arranging of various other vegetable bouquets in my fridge. :laff:

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"Produce savers" seems to be an effective search term for these. There are special containers for herbs, but--like you--I'm not going there.

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Originally Posted by happystuff

I have netted bags for produce. Some I made and some I bought. Easy to see through so the cashier is not guessing on the contents.

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Yes! There are reusable bags you can make or buy for produce.

Trying to recall how we dealt with things before plastic bags. Paper bags in the trash can. Trash cans were made of metal and got rinsed out. I don't think we ate a lot of fresh produce unless fresh-picked. There weren't a zillion dogs pooping everywhere. In any case, we lived without plastic.

These bags work very well. I wash them out and hang to dry. They last a long time. I have used other brands that work well too.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015Y7B57U...2-587d01f975e8

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Originally Posted by pinkytoe

Trying to recall how we dealt with things before plastic bags. Paper bags in the trash can. Trash cans were made of metal and got rinsed out. I don't think we ate a lot of fresh produce unless fresh-picked. There weren't a zillion dogs pooping everywhere. In any case, we lived without plastic.

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The zillion dogs were pooping everywhere--they were mostly free-range. We just let it break down. My partner had a dog-poop phobia from childhood encounters. :laff:

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Originally Posted by ApatheticNoMore

Suppose you buy lettuce, scallions, carrots, parsley, what exactly do you store it in in the fridge if not the produce bags? Naked in the veggie drawer? Any particular storage containers?

It's never made much sense to me. Nor has getting rid of grocery bags when I use them for trash but I use paper bags for that, so banning plastic grocery bags is fine with me (they kind of are banned many places here but nor is the law entirely followed)

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I keep mine in the mesh bags I previously mentioned. They go from the grocery store right into the veggie bin in the fridge.

I got some cotton mesh bags on Etsy that I use for produce. I think there are nicer bags on Etsy than the ones I got, but they work and are holding up. I only do naked produce at the checkout for things it doesn't matter as much for (bananas, onions, garlic, potatoes, etc.), and for anything with a more porous surface and high surface area to volume ratio, or anything I get in large quantities, I bag them up (greens, celery, mushrooms, etc.). I also have a few non-mesh cotton bags for grains, nuts, coffee, etc. from the bins.

For reusable grocery bags, I really like the L.L. Bean boat and tote bags. They are quite durable and can handle a lot of weight. Also they have many other uses. I keep four nested medium size boat and tote bags and about 15 mesh and non-mesh cotton produce bags of various sizes in my trunk.

And when I put produce in my fridge, anything that needs to be in a bag/container I put in Ziploc gallon freezer bags. When the produce is used up or goes bad and I'm done using the bags, I wash them in cold water with a little soap (they seem to last longer when not exposed to hot water), put the clean bag on my arm and give a few fist pumps to disperse the remaining water in the bags for easier drying, then hang them upside down on the leaves of my indoor plants to dry.

Also, I've found that some produce (e.g. cilantro, parsley) lasts longer if placed in a cup or vase filled with a few inches of water, with a bag covering the leaves/shoots. I put produce that I store this way on the door to avoid frostburn, and take it out every week or two to change the water and trim off anything going bad. I've noticed that if I do this, I can get some things to last much longer in the fridge.

Also I've noticed organic foods last longer than conventional in the fridge, sometimes by several weeks. It seems like it is probably related to the more hazardous pesticide residues used on conventional produce that remain on the plant or have been absorbed by its tissues, and that consuming conventional produce may also affect our shelf life. Although there are too many factors to be able to tease out the lifetime effects of consuming trace levels of conventional pesticides in produce over a lifetime, I'd rather play it safe for most things (certain produce items in particular like strawberries and apples, less so things like pineapples or avocados which to my understanding generally have low or no pesticide residues even in conventional/non-organic...basically anything grown above ground with a highly non-porous skin and/or few natural pests/low pesticide application).

Since we are back to having a cat, the plastic bags come in very handy for cat litter disposal.


I had forgotten how messy cats are. This little cat at 8 pounds is always prancing around with his cat littered dusty feet and I can see every place he has been. Our previous cat was a large old lump of a thing who never jumped up on chairs or tables, who just never jumped. She left all of her debris on the floor.

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Originally Posted by iris lilies

Since we are back to having a cat, the plastic bags come in very handy for cat litter disposal.


I had forgotten how messy cats are. This little cat at 8 pounds is always prancing around with his cat littered dusty feet and I can see every place he has been. Our previous cat was a large old lump of a thing who never jumped up on chairs or tables, who just never jumped. She left all of her debris on the floor.

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Have you tried pine litter or similar? Stack one bin on top of another, drill some holes in the bottom of the upper bin. When the cat poops, scoop, when they pee, the litter turns to sawdust and can be agitated into the lower bin, similar to how a sieve works. You can put an enzyme cleaner in the bottom bin to help minimize odors--Biokleen has a laundry detergent with enzymes, which is more cost-effective and more environmentally friendly than buying jugs of nature's miracle (which costs $30 per gallon and is ~95% water...just buy the enzymes and add water yourself). And pellet fuel is basically the same thing as pine litter but only costs $10 for a 40 lb bag. Pine litter/pellet fuel is a lot less messy than clay, very hard for a cat to kick out of their litterbox. It does absorb odors over time; I usually dump the spent litter/sawdust in the bottom bin once a week, and dump the whole box every month or two when it starts to smell. A 40 lb bag probably lasts about six months to one year per cat. If you can convince your cat to make the switch...if your cat is still young, there's hope they could adjust to the change.

Also, don't know if this is the most environmentally friendly thing to do, but I flush cat poo down the toilet so no need for bags. I try to dust my yard with the spent pellet fuel/sawdust, it is mostly just carbon/wood that will biodegrade in the wet and humid climate of south Louisiana.

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Originally Posted by iris lilies

Since we are back to having a cat, the plastic bags come in very handy for cat litter disposal.


I had forgotten how messy cats are. This little cat at 8 pounds is always prancing around with his cat littered dusty feet and I can see every place he has been. Our previous cat was a large old lump of a thing who never jumped up on chairs or tables, who just never jumped. She left all of her debris on the floor.

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Has he made inroads with his brother yet?

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Originally Posted by Eric

Have you tried pine litter or similar? Stack one bin on top of another, drill some holes in the bottom of the upper bin. When the cat poops, scoop, when they pee, the litter turns to sawdust and can be agitated into the lower bin, similar to how a sieve works. You can put an enzyme cleaner in the bottom bin to help minimize odors--Biokleen has a laundry detergent with enzymes, which is more cost-effective and more environmentally friendly than buying jugs of nature's miracle (which costs $30 per gallon and is ~95% water...just buy the enzymes and add water yourself). And pellet fuel is basically the same thing as pine litter but only costs $10 for a 40 lb bag. Pine litter/pellet fuel is a lot less messy than clay, very hard for a cat to kick out of their litterbox. It does absorb odors over time; I usually dump the spent litter/sawdust in the bottom bin once a week, and dump the whole box every month or two when it starts to smell. A 40 lb bag probably lasts about six months to one year per cat. If you can convince your cat to make the switch...if your cat is still young, there's hope they could adjust to the change.

Also, don't know if this is the most environmentally friendly thing to do, but I flush cat poo down the toilet so no need for bags. I try to dust my yard with the spent pellet fuel/sawdust, it is mostly just carbon/wood that will biodegrade in the wet and humid climate of south Louisiana.

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Sorry, am not going to fuss around with pine litter ( I don’t really know anything about it!) and I would never flush the clay stuff.

jane, William Bill ( the cat) is fully integrated with our bulldog. Mostly the two ignore each other but at times there is affection shown toward one another or there is a chase game. this is a relief because I feared our active bulldog might be too aggressive.

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Originally Posted by iris lilies

Sorry, am not going to fuss around with pine litter ( I don’t really know anything about it!) and I would never flush the clay stuff.

jane, William Bill ( the cat) is fully integrated with our bulldog. Mostly the two ignore each other but at times there is affection shown toward one another or there is a chase game. this is a relief because I feared our active bulldog might be too aggressive.

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Excellent--and their relationship is still young, so it will only bloom.

Our cat adored our dogs. One of my saddest memories was when our Pyr died, our cat came over and kissed her on the nose.