I’m sorry for the lull in posts, I snuck in another camping trip even though my acupuncture program is in full swing already. I spent a few beautiful days in the redwood forest up in Humboldt County in Northern California. But that’s not what this post is about, although in a round about way it kind of is.
The closer we got to the city on our return trip, the more and more plastic bags I saw. They were everywhere. Stuck in the trees. Balled up in the meridian. You know, you’ve seen it. Most of us have at least 5 tote bags in the kitchen now to bring to the market. Maybe there’s even a tiny bag that fits in our backpack, glove box or purse. Great, I love that; it’s helping. But then I’m in the store and I’m watching people, including myself, piling beautiful organic produce and bulk foods into clear plastic bags. I usually reuse them, but still they pile up. And they’re plastic. And that beautiful food has now sat in an off-gassing bag. So I want to point out some lovely folks on Etsy that are here to help with reusable & washable bags for your bulk foods and produce. I know there are other ways around this, but I thought I’d share just a few shops with you. Click on the photo to get to their site.
nylon bulk food bags by Kootsac
cotton produce bags by wonder thunder
mesh bags by QwertyO
**QwertyO is offering an additional free mesh wash bag when you order their bags if you mention you saw them here at The Urban Field Guide. Thanks Kristin and Susan! (ps. Kristin is 16, and selling these bags as a way to raise money for college!)
September 22, 2009 at 05:40
Great post! I’ve been wanting to make something like the mesh bags on the bottom. I take my bags to the grocery and the baggers ALWAYS seem to have to put SOMETHING in plastic. Pet peeve. Sorry to say, but I re-pack the bags while I am there and leave the plastic at the store…
: )
September 25, 2009 at 09:29
Thanks! It’s been on my to do list forever too, but I’m a novice sewer and my bobbin is stuck in the machine and it can take forever until I’m in the mood to cry and curse over the sewing machine. Enter etsy.
September 22, 2009 at 17:07
I’ve lately stopped using the plastic bags for any produce that’s not just really small. If it’s bigger than, say, a mushroom, I just put it in the basket. That really cut down on my plastic intake! I use the bags when I clean the cat box so they don’t go to waste, but it’s nice to keep as few as possible laying around.
September 25, 2009 at 13:06
I agree, I’m always the girl with a bunch of apples and lemons rolling around on the conveyor belt, but they frown on a pile of loose oats!
September 25, 2009 at 12:30
You are finding some really great items. Plastic bags are a pet peeve of mine, but it’s hard to get away from them, and ohhh how frustrated I get when I accidentally leave my reusable bags at home.
September 25, 2009 at 13:11
Thanks Meredith! I’m going to order some of these bags and try to train myself to keep some in the car. But there are many times when I am balancing a lot of items in my arms because I forgot my tote. At least I entertain others.
September 26, 2009 at 23:16
It probably works best to have the bags available at the POS. Your comment about oats reminded me – I have two mesh bags and two cotton I got at the local farmers’ market. The cotton would work for my bulk items pretty much, unless they were sticky. . .
September 27, 2009 at 09:05
Hi! It’s nice to hear from you! Hope things are settling down with your chicken coop by now! I agree having the bags at the POS would be ideal. There’s one co-op near me that does that. The stores that carry the totes at the register seem to sell a lot of them so I think it would work for the stores too. Maybe I’ll talk to my local grocer.
November 11, 2009 at 15:36
[...] about plastic on this blog, I’ve talked about cutting down the usage of plastic bags with reusable produce bags and about creating your own seedling pots out of paper. Small steps, but important steps. Two days [...]