Hi all, Amanda here, I’ve taken over the blog for today to write about my experience with reusable produce bags. I wasn’t really aware of reusable produce bags until Patrick wrote the post about ways to help reduce plastic pollution. However, when I saw them, I just knew I had to buy some and try them out.
Patrick and I are very good at using reusable shopping bags. We have lots of the really strong big bags that you can buy from the supermarkets and reuse. We keep them in the boot of our car so that we always have them with us when we go grocery shopping. When we were on holiday in Corsica one year, we wanted to make ourselves picnics to take with us whilst we were out exploring the beautiful landscape or lazing on the beach. We bought a cooler bag from the local supermarket to keep our picnic food nice and fresh. Ever since our holiday, I use the cooler bag as a reusable shopping bag for all the chilled food that I buy. It too is always in the boot of the car so that we always have it with us. I also think it’s a good idea from a food safety perspective to transport frozen and chilled food in a cooler bag.
We also have several of the foldable bags at home. I keep them in our cupboard where we store our coats and shoes so that we can quickly grab one if we are heading out on foot to the local shops. Plus, I always have one foldable bag in my handbag. There have been so many times that I have used the bag for all sorts of shopping. I chose foldable bags that have a pattern that isn’t too girly so that Patrick is more than happy to sling one of his shoulder too!
But when it comes to the produce aisle, where we buy the fruit and vegetables, I hadn’t thought to actively look for bags that I could use. I had absolutely been relying on the supermarket to provide the bags for my loose tomatoes, courgettes, aubergines, apricots and peaches. Unfortunately, these bags have a very short life in our household. Sometimes, I was literally using them to bring the fruit and vegetables home and then throwing them away. Whilst some of the bags are biodegradable, I wasn’t sure if I could put some of the others into the recycling bin. Regardless, what a waste of carbon footprint to produce something that I literally used once for half an hour max!
Time to change, I was on a mission to buy myself some reusable produce bags
What is a reusable produce bag?
Basically, a reusable produce bag, is a bag that you use over and over again for the loose fruit and vegetables that you buy. I guess you could call it a fruit and vegetable bag, fruit and veggie bag or veggie bag. The bag can be made of any material but needs to be durable enough to be able to reuse it but light enough so that there are no additional costs when you buy your produce.
Which reusable produce bag to buy?
I searched online for my produce bags as I had no idea where I could buy them locally. There are bags that are made from cotton or hemp but the downside of these bags is that you (and the person at the checkout) can’t see what is inside.
The best bags, in my opinion, are the ones that are made from open weave fabric as you can see what is inside and they are easy to clean. There are quite a few polyester bags available on amazon but I like the idea of using bags that have been made from recycled plastic bottles. It just makes me feel like I’m doing even more to help save the planet!
The ones that I opted for come in a small carry pouch too that I quite like as it keeps the bags tidy and together.
How did I use my reusable produce bag?
I was a little nervous the first time that I went shopping with the bags. What if people stare at me? What will the person at the checkout say? Am I going to be allowed to use them or will I get kicked out of the supermarket?
No one stared, the person at the checkout didn’t even blink an eye and I didn’t get ejected from the supermarket! It was actually so rewarding and easy. I just popped the fruits and veg into the separate bags and went through the checkout as normal.
When I got home, I unpacked the larger produce into the vegetable drawer in the fridge and stored some of the smaller fruits and vegetables, like mange tout and cherry tomatoes, in the bags themselves. The bags are super easy to clean with water and washing up liquid and dry really quickly.
My final word on reusable produce bags
I love my reusable produce bags! I am frustrated with myself if I forget to take them to the supermarket with me so they are now going to be stored in the boot of my car along with the cooler bag and the reusable grocery bags. I hope to encourage other people to use fruit and vegetable bags as we can all do our own little bit to reduce single use plastics and so all my friends and family will be getting reusable produce bags in their Christmas stockings this year!
