Day 25: Replacing flimsy plastic produce bags

You know those reusable grocery bags supermarkets always sell? I hope you’re already using them! This article is for those folks that want to take the no-plastic ban one step further to replace those flimsy plastic produce bags you see in supermarkets with sustainable options.

Here are some fun facts about plastic bags: in France, where I lived until recently, if you wanted to use the supermarket’s plastic bags you had to pay for it (less than 5 cents a bag).  France also became the first country to ban plastic cups and plates in 2016. Go, France! California also banned plastic bags in 2016, so the States is on the right track as well.

Credits: Amazon

Just ordered a set of these from glowgirlfibers.com . I’m excited!

Usually people don’t think about replacing the plastic produce bag because supermarkets don’t usually offer you another reusable option. But it’s definitely possible. Here’s what you can do:

• Buy a set of cute mesh produce bags like the ones pictured above and take it with you shopping, along with your reusable grocery bags.
• Use paper bags, and then shred the used paper into your compost.
• Make your own out of sturdy fabric!

So far, I’ve succeeded in replacing plastic grocery bags with reusable ones and the flimsy produce bags with mesh bags. Next step is to eliminate the trash bag – that’s a little trickier, because you have to start with reducing all your trash in general. But if you’re composting and recycling, you should have noticed that your amount of trash has reduced – and that’s already fantastic.