I was recently taken to task in a public forum for shopping at a normal grocery store– Acme– and not totally eliminating plastic from my life. Because, apparently, if I am not perfect in my quest for green living then it is unacceptable for me to give other people my opinion, even if they asked for it.
Now, I use very little plastic. I go for glass or paper first, and then if I have to, recyclable plastic. My initial rebuttal was that I don’t use any plastic habitually, but then I realized that’s not quite accurate: my bread comes in plastic, and I use those horrid plastic produce bags for little things like green beans. (Bigger items, like celery or onions, I just pile onto the conveyer belt loose and deal with the skunkeye I get from the cashier.)
I don’t know what I can do about the bread yet; I am not up to the challenge of baking a fresh loaf every other day. But I did do some research and I purchased the Flip & Tumble™ Reusable Produce Bags from reusablebags.com. (Not an affiliate link, I purchased these on my own.)
The bags are a fair size, not quite long enough for a stalk of celery (which I am OK with loose anyhow) but plenty big enough for a carton’s worth of farmer’s market strawberries, a pound of green beans, or half a dozen large apples. They are a sturdy mesh that have gone through the wash just fine (line dry) and all the strawberry stains came right out. They close securely with a drawstring, you can wash your produce right in the bag– eliminating the need to wash out a colander– AND, most importantly, the cashier can read the labels on your produce through the mesh. No skunkeye to report.
Also, I like the multi-colored tabs on the side. I don’t know that they serve any purpose but they were a good design idea.
I do wish they weren’t made in China. Just sayin’.
So that’s one less thing for me to feel guilty about, one step closer to a life less plastic.
How’s your path to green going these days?
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