Comments on: No More Plastic Produce Bags. Period.

By: chicago fence

chicago fence — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 14:17:13 +0000

My wife has been doing this for years! she is very much affected by the photos of animals hurt by the plastic bags and other plastic packaging pieces. Good read!

By: JenO

JenO — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 18:30:51 +0000

I actually use some green mesh bags I found at the Dollar Tree of all places. They were in a 3 pack, so I paid about 33 cents per bag. I think they were marketed as “mommy’s helper” bags or some such thing, but I find them much more useful for produce than toys, etc.

I’ve also made some in the past by sewing the bottoms of stained/ripped t-shirts then chopping off the sleeves and much of the neckline (leave a bit of the shoulders intact for handles) but they weigh a bit more than the mesh bags.

By: karen

karen — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 15:53:39 +0000

If I didn’t know how to sew, I would definitely buy these. They look like they are well made and light too! I saw some unbleached cotton bags online but they seemed too heavy. These seem strong and very light.

I’ll let you know how my cheesecloth idea turns out but I might just buy these if I have no time to make them.

Thanks for this post.

By: Pam in Taos

Pam in Taos — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 15:46:55 +0000

I have those bags, already, and LOVE them working equally well for flax seed, barley or veggies!!

By: karen

karen — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 15:26:04 +0000

Never mind. I just found out they are made with polyester. Still a petroleum derivative. I’ll try making some cotton cheesecloth bags.

By: karen

karen — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 15:24:27 +0000

What are these bags made of? Are they nylon like most reusable produce bags are? I was thinking of making some of these bags myself with unbleached cotton cheese cloths.

By: Simpler Living

Simpler Living — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 14:57:09 +0000

That’s a good rule of thumb (whether it has a skin). I eat a lot of salad, so I buy stuff like lettuce every week. My bags came in a set of three, which is enough for my shopping.

Thanks, David.

Naomi

By: Simpler Living

Simpler Living — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 14:25:19 +0000

Hey, David,

I made the switch recently after finding some great reusable bags in Ithaca. Love, love, love them. There’s no reason to use plastic bags when alternatives are so readily available.

Funny thing is, after I wrote a post about it on my blog –

http://blog.timesunion.com/simplerliving/reusable-produce-bags/20590/

– several of my readers told me that I shouldn’t be using bags for fruit or produce in the first place. I never bag things like bananas, but I’d like to have *some* sort of barrier between my lettuce or kale and the cart or basket. But apparently even reusable produce bags are not environmentally friendly enough.

After a moment of reflection and silent cursing, I decided to ignore the naysayers.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

Thanks,
Naomi

By: david

david — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 13:57:56 +0000

Yea, I don’t know how to sew. lol

By: Gardening 4 Life

Gardening 4 Life — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 13:47:55 +0000

I LOVE this idea. I’ve thought the very same thing for a long time. Setting these out in the produce section for purchase is a GREAT idea. This is one area I’ve felt that my hands were tied on alternative options for the plastic bags.