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My love affair with ziploc bags goes way back. They have always felt like a necessary part of my life. Have a few random bits and bobs? throw them in a ziploc. Need a place for a left over onion? ziploc. How about those leftover worms from a hooking project? yup, a ziploc- They work for everything! Don’t believe me? although I imagine you do- look all of the wonderful uses ziplock have.
Using ziplock bags for worms in a kit
Now, how do I break this habit? Admit it, you have the same addiction that I do-there always seems to be a good reason to use one. How have you conquered it- or maybe you haven’t, or maybe you don’t want to .
As I think about the impact that plastics have on our environment it makes me literally ill. I want to do my part. I offered to have my local farmer use my own bag (reusable Whole Foods bag) for my produce. My farmer said that from a production stand point, when he and his wife are bagging up the produce for orders- they don’t have time to stop and put my order into a separate bag- plus plastic just keeps things fresher. Ugh, what are we to do? I haven’t been washing my reusable bags- of which I am uber conscious about using – maybe I should after reading the linked article though?
I have switched over to using glass to store leftovers in the refrigerator. I save glass jars for items. I saved my glass vinegar jar some years ago to decant larger quantities of vinegar into. I’m trying- really, I am.
I have replaced the ziploc bags with paper in my rug hooking kits. I am trying to change over the way I package and ship orders but have yet to come up with a suitable solution that still makes it affordable for the buyer.
Paper instead of plastic for kits
We reuse the plastic ziploc bags until there is nothing left of them- or they break down and tear. Still, I admit, I use them.
I have been baking beans ( I may share the recipe in another post) for our son’s upcoming wedding and am freezing them in- you guessed it- ziploc bags. They are so convenient, take up much less space in the freezer and will travel easier to the location of the wedding. I thought long about it but concluded that this was the only way- if you have other ways that are as efficient , economical and earth friendly- please let me know! I still have 5 batches left and am willing to change if I only know how.
So- as you think about using your plastic bags- think about the future generations and what they will have to do to clean up after us selfish users. My little scientists may come up with a solution but what I don’t want is for them to have to be worrying about the health of our waters and environment.
Future scientist observing caterpillars and butterflies