Friday, May 16, 2008

Reusable Baggies


Kootsac makes some very colorful, not to mention useful nylon bags that are great for purchasing bulk foods, as an alternative to plastic bags. And I should know, I bought a few from her! They're washable and reusable, which is very convenient, not to mention great for the earth!



Here is some information about these bags, straight from the source:

WHY NOT USE A NATURAL FIBRE LIKE COTTON?
I am a textile artist and designer and only work with natural fibres, so that was my first thought too. Cotton is too heavy and things like flour leak through the weave. Uncoated ripstop nylon is lightweight, doesn't leak and is water resistant.

WHY IS THERE NO DRAWSTRING?
It was important to keep the weight down. When you buy bulk food you are paying by weight. These bags weigh the same as a plastic bag. Just use a twist tie. Many stores require that you put a bin number on the twist tie anyway.

WILL THEY BE ACCEPTED IN A GROCERY STORE?
All the natural food stores I've used them in have been really excited to see an alternative to plastic and have been very supportive. I can't speak for other stores but I can say that there is a movement towards banning the bag in many parts of the world.

CAN I STORE MY FOOD IN THEM?
In the same way as I try not to store food in plastic I would not store my food in these bags. I put the food in a glass storage container when I get home from the grocery store. Plastic leaches chemicals into your food. Ripstop nylon is not an organic material so I would treat it the same way as plastic, although it is an uncoated nylon.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Thank-you very much Kate. I love your new blog!

Anonymous said...

I lurve these bags :) I need to buy some.