I’m sure you’ve all heard about the damage that plastic bags are doing to our oceans, but people very rarely talk about produce bags. It’s thought that the average American will use around six bags a week, which might not seem like much.
But here’s the thing:
If there’s roughly 300 million living throughout the United States, then that would equate to around 1.8 billion plastic bags used every week.
To make it worse, it’s estimated that only 2% of plastic bags get recycled, which means the rest end up in either:
- The ocean
- Landfills
- The floor
Well, read on and find out:
Contents
What To Look For When Buying Reusable Produce Bags
Size
The size of your produce bag is important for obvious reasons; there’s nothing worse than not being able to fit all your produce in the bag. Make sure you check it out before you purchase your produce bag.
Price
No matter what people say, the cost is always an important factor, don’t pay enough, and you end up with an inferior quality product. Pay to much, and you might feel out of pocket before your produce bag turns up. When looking at the price, try to compare the features your reusable bag offers.
Tare Weight
Your weekly shop is probably heavy enough without adding extra weight to it, and alright, a reusable bag might not weigh that much, but it all adds up. Another thing is if the store doesn’t tare the produce bag.
Breathable
Keeping your produce fresh in your kitchen can become a problem. Having a wet and breathable bag for food helps to keep the fruit and veg fresher.
Material
One of the main benefits of having a reusable produce bag is it’s a more sustainable option, So choosing a material that is sustainably sourced is a massive benefit.
Free Of Toxins
Although many reusable produce bags are made from eco-friendly materials, some are still made with BPA plastics. Choosing a cotton produce bag can help to stop harmful toxins leaching into your fresh food products.
Washable
Unfortunately, produce bags don’t keep your food fresh forever, so eventually, you’ll need to wash them. But some aren’t capable of going into the washing machine due to the material. If you’re not planning on hand-washing your produce bag, then it’s worth checking it can go in the machine.
How Many In The Set
Produce bags don’t just come in different sizes, but they come in different quantities. So, it’s always worth checking how many you get for the price; if it costs an extra $3 for four more, it might be worth going for it.
Scannable
When you have a lot of produce, which will need scanning, it makes life a lot easier if it’s scannable, it saves you having to empty the contents each time.
Warranty
Some produce bags will offer you a guarantee on your produce bags, it’s a good idea to know if yours is covered if anything goes wrong. Which we all now happens sometimes.
Which Are The Best Reusable Produce Bags?
FLIP AND TUMBLE
The mesh bag, which is made with polyester, is also machine washable.
The lightweight bags are 12 x 14 inches in size, which could be considered as small for some people.
Each produce bag comes with a color code, which is excellent for organizing your fruits and vegetables in your kitchen.
Although made from polyester, the bags are free from the toxins BPA, mercury, and lead, so you don’t have to worry about harmful toxins leaching into your food.
Key Features
- Comes with two brushes
- Made with polyester
- 12 x 14 Inches
- Free of toxins
- Machine washable
- Pack of 5
My review is, they seem like a good set of produce bags, although it is a shame they’re made from plastic, especially when the whole point of getting reusable produce bags is to cut it out.
Pros
- Breathable
- Scannable
- Toxin-free
Cons
- Made with polyester
- No variety in sizes
Simple Ecology Produce Bags
The organic cotton mesh is breathable, which will leave your fruits and veggies staying fresh and crisp.
Their lightweight bags are perfect for delicate greens such as spinach.
The reusable produce bags cotton comes in a pack of six and is available in different sizes, or you could opt for two of each.
Each bag has a drawstring to stop any items falling out during transportation.
And, the organic cotton mesh is machine washable, so you don’t have to worry about smelly bags.
Key Feature
- Comes with two brushes
- Pack of 6
- Five different sizes
- Machine Washable
- Made with organic materials
I like these bags, the range of sizes is excellent, so you don’t have to worry about space. I also love that they’re made with organic and sustainable cotton, which is a step in the right direction.
Pros
- Made from organic cotton
- Great selection of sizes
- Breathable
Cons
- Not scannable
- Weak drawstring
Big A Produce Bags
And it’s hard to argue with them. You get nine produce bags in the set of all different sizes, and as a bonus, it comes with a shopping bag.
The produce bags are made with a strong and durable organic cotton mesh weave.
Add that to the heavy-duty drawstring; you’ve got some seriously durable bags.
Big A also gives you a 90-day manufacturer warranty. If you’re not satisfied, you can send them back.
Key Features
- Pack of 9
- Includes a shopping bag
- Four different sizes
- Made with organic cotton
- Machine Washable
In my opinion, the bags are well priced for the quantity you receive and are more than capable of carrying a heavy load of fruits and veggies, although I would be watching out for any shape edges.
Pros
- Scannable
- Great selection of sizes
- Made from organic cotton
Cons
- Not great with wet produce
- Delivered in plastic
INCOK Produce Bags
The 100% natural cotton is a sustainable option, and also keeps your fruits and veggies fresh.
The set of produce bags comes in a set of nine and has three different sizes.
The lightweight design is and scannable; no need to take your produce out at every checkout.
Although the bag is lightweight, it’s still solid and can hold up to five kilos.
They also come with color-coded tare weight, making the bags great for organizing your food in the kitchen.
Key Feature
- 100% natural cotton
- Pack of 9
- Three different sizes
- Lifetime warranty
- Machine washable
By the reviews, you can tell these are a great bag, and the lifetime warranty is desirable. Although you should take note of the sizes before purchasing to make sure they are right for you. The color coding tare labels are just what I need to organize the produce in my kitchen.
Pros
- Comes in different sizes
- Scannable
- Lifetime warranty
Cons
- The small bag is very small
- Has a plastic clasp
Purifyou Premium Reusable Mesh
And for extra confidence, the bags come with a lifetime warranty.
The produce bags come double stitched for extra durability. They claim the lightweight bags can carry 11 pounds.
In the set, you get nine mesh produce bags with three different sizes.
Each reusable produce bag is made with cotton and can be machine washed.
The best thing about these bags is a part of the profit gets donated for sustainable living around the world.
Key Features
- Pack of 9
- Three different sizes
- Lifetime warranty
- Machine washable
- Donates to charity
I think these bags are great; they’re strong and large. I’m sure you’ll have no problem fitting in your store brought produce. And I love they give to a good cause.
Pros
- Good range of sizes
- Scannable
- Portion of profits go to charity
Cons
- The strings get caught easily]
- Codes hard to scan
Why Use Reusable Produce Bags?
A great start is to go reusable; it’s thought if 1 out of 5 people started to use reusable produce bags, we could potentially stop over 1 trillion bags becoming used in your lifetime.
To make it worse:
The average produce bag is used for roughly twelve minutes, yet plastic takes well over 500 years to decompose, even if it’s made from biodegradable plastic.
Changing to reusable produce bags will massively cut down the amount of plastic bags that end up in landfills.
so, that’s one reason you should start using reusable vegetable bags.
Here’s another:
Our plastic crisis, is happening all over the world is the direct cause of death for millions of animals every year:
- 1 million birds
- 100,000 turtles
- And a lot more marine life
In California alone, the government spends more than $300 million every yearon beach cleanups; the primary trash collected; plastic bags, and bottles.
And where does this money come from?
You, the taxpayer, that’s a lot of money getting used, and let’s face it should be spent on far more important things. One person using reusable bags as the potential to remove over 22,000 plastic bagsbeing sold at the store.
That’s 22,000 bags that won’t cost you money getting cleaned off beaches.
So, using reusable produce bags can directly save:
- The environment
- The ocean
- Taxpayers money
And, Ireland was the first European country to start taxing the use of plastic bags, and since then, they have seen some fantastic results.
Since the ban got introduced seven years ago, they’ve cut the use of plastic bags by 90%, which is fantastic for such a small amount of time.
Reusable produce bags give us the chance to eliminate plastic from our lives for good, which will have positive effects on the carbon footprint.
So much oil and natural gases go into the production of a plastic bag that we are negatively affecting our ozone layer; a leading cause of global warming.
If you are thinking about making the change (and I don’t blame you), there are a few things you should be looking at before making the purchase.
Summary
So to recap, using reusable produce bags helps to stop the amount of plastic waste reaching our oceans and killing fish, not only that, but it prevents the buildup in landfill sites.
And don’t forget to think about what makes the right reusable bag for you? Are you looking for a set of bags to organize the kitchen?
If you follow my tips on what to look for, you’ll have no problems finding your own set of reusable bags. Make sure when your choosing you think about the price and compare it to the features. You’ll never do wrong!
Remember only one of the sets came with a reusable grocery bag, it might be worth checking out before you make a purchase.
If you liked my review or you have any questions don’t forget to comment below. For more tips, make sure you follow us on Facebook.