Find out why you should bring reusable produce bags on your next shopping trip…
Zero waste and grocery shopping go hand in hand. More and more people are becoming aware of the dangers of single use items and produce bags are no exception. Hence, reusable produce bags are now officially a thing. You will begin to see more and more people shopping with them in your local grocery store.
Conventional plastic produce bags are made out of petroleum and are non-biodegradable. In fact, they take 1000 years to degrade, ruin the soil, fill up landfills, prevent decomposition and also pollute water bodies. The production cost of plastic bags is about $4 billion per year, which is a lot for something that will ultimately become an environmental pollutant. Meanwhile, reusable bags are recyclable. This means they don’t have to be produced in such vast numbers, thus reducing the overall production cost.
They conveniently come in several sizes and styles. Most are made of muslin, mesh or other recyclable/compostable substances so they are super lightweight, portable and space saving. They are washable and see through. They are BPA free and food contact safe. If you get the transparent kind bar codes can easily be seen and scanned right through the bag. Also, most have a drawstring toggle closure.
Though we’ll still be leaving a carbon footprint in the manufacturing of reusable produce bags. We’ll be doing so in a way that won’t cost us down the line. By manufacturing something that will decrease the need for plastic we will ultimately reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in landfills. This is just one more huge step toward zero waste.
So will you bring reusable produce bags on your next shopping trip? Is this already something that you do? When did you start?
