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Reusable Produce Bags!

8/18/2011

2 Comments

 
This project has been a long time coming - I try my very hardest to conserve plastic bags by bringing my own when I go shopping, but there's still that little pang of guilt every time I rip off one of those flimsy produce bags for my fruit and veggies.  (And the pang is definitely more than "little" when I walk away from a farmers' market with plastic bags INSIDE my reusable shopping bag!)

I knew there was a solution: make something small with a drawstring to bring with me!  

The challenge: make it lightweight enough so that I can use it at a grocery store without worrying when buying per-pound items...

The end product:
Picture
I absolutely love them!!  And they were super easy to make!

I've put together a little tutorial for them here - it was as easy as cut a rectangle, sew 3 seams, thread a drawstring.  Done and DONE!

Here's a photo sans fruit:
Picture
I used tulle because it was the most lightweight fabric I could think of and it has the added bonus of being nylon (i.e. super easy to clean if something spills, fruit gets juicy, etc. and it won't promote mold growth like cotton would).  PLUS I found it in a shimmery lime green!

I will admit, that the tulle was a little bit of a pain to sew (for those of you who have never had the pleasure, it stretches weird and bunches under your stitches if you aren't careful.  But who am I kidding?  This is a practical project and a crooked seam here or there isn't going to kill me... I still stand by that they were easy and totally worth it.

Now, for the real test - how do they compare to your everyday plastic produce bags? 
Picture
EXACTLY THE SAME!!!  (0.05 oz for those of you playing the home game...)

I was thrilled - oh, happy accident...

No more wasteful plastic bags, no more fighting to untie that stupid little plastic knot when I get home (resulting in a frustrated ripping of the entire bag, usually spraying my produce across the floor), and no more pangs of guilt!!!



P.S. Thanks to Kitty for letting us share our ideas!!

A Law Student's Journey
2 Comments
Liz
8/18/2011 12:33:36 pm

Absolutely agree with the pang of quilt and had picked up the habit of just throwing the produce into one of the fabric reuseable bags but this would be much easier on the check out clerks on days I can't use a self check out and would help me keep the produce under control.

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cheryl
8/18/2011 03:21:29 pm

I know little about tulle except for random wedding favor bag I have received but... would they be washable... or cleanable in some way that add to the beauty of this idea??? I am still using too much plastic to keep meats separate...

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    Alison "Ali" Rose

    Currently working on a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering and all of the side projects that help get me through it!

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