Thursday, April 23, 2009

#47 Don't toss 'em 'til they're sad and holey

Know what I'm talking about?  Yes, that ever-so-useful zipper plastic baggie.  They are everywhere, aren't they?  Even if I didn't purchase any (which I haven't since 2007,) they end up in my house.  And lets face it, although I'd like to be rid of such plastics they are extremely useful.   From freezing stuff to holding stray crayons.   So in order to get all the use that I can out of them, I wash them.  It really is simple.  Rinse them out, turn them inside out, and put them in the laundry. Easy, no?  Okay, you have to take them out before they go into the dryer.  But still.  I have not purchased any bags since I started going green, and yet it seems that I have more bags than I used to.  They come home from school, from goodies from friends, and my husband even brings some home from work when they were just going to get thrown in the trash.  
I throw them away when they get holes, will no longer close, or when they've been used for raw poultry.

Pros: Reusing plastic means less plastic waste, while still retaining the convenience of the bags.

Cons:  It is plastic, and they do wear out eventually (the more expensive brands last longer.)  I have to make sure they don't get washed in loads of laundry with diapers.  I have occasionally missed one and sometimes they will get melted in the dryer.

1 comment:

NW Varneys said...

I never thought of washing these in the laundry--we just do ours in the sink with dish soap. I think your way sounds a lot faster and easier, though.