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03/19/2008 02:29:41 PM · #26 |
| The giant plastic packaging (blisterpak I think it's called) on some of the merchandise at Costco is bad too, just so the product displays nicely on the shelves. WAY too much plastic used for a few light bulbs or a small set of tools, etc. |
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03/19/2008 02:33:21 PM · #27 |
I'm just waiting for the glacier to retreat and the farmer's market to re-open.
I try to buy locally produced food as much as possible. It's always fresher, tastes better and think how much fuel was burned not only by the farmer in South America who grew that tomato you bought in December, but also in transporting it to the North. |
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03/19/2008 02:40:04 PM · #28 |
Never used plastic - always hated them. We just bought our second round of canvas 'totes' for groceries as we wore out the first three we had - straps broken. Have used the canvas bags for about three years now. One is always in my car, wife's truck with the extra in the kitchen for use when larger shopping trips are called for.
In season we grow as much of our food as we can - canning and preserving as much as possible for off season. What we cannot grow we always buy from local farmers and from the local farmer's markets in the summer. Since we are both vegetarians this works out great for us.
Message edited by author 2008-03-19 14:41:45. |
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03/19/2008 02:43:41 PM · #29 |
| Yeah, it is easy and safe to transfer packaged goods again and again in reusable canvas totes. But I am not so sure about perishables -- guilty as charged, I love raw foods like loads of veggies and even meat. I would never even think of putting those in my canvas bag time after time unless they are in their little 'light' plastic bags first (and this is not just for meat, I mean this for veggies, they cross-contaminate too!). So what am I missing? You put your veggies without plastic right into the canvas tote with everything else? Do you bleach your bags after every use? |
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03/19/2008 02:44:52 PM · #30 |
Originally posted by cgino:
Yeah, it is easy and safe to transfer packaged goods again and again in reusable canvas totes. But I am not so sure about perishables -- guilty as charged, I love raw foods like loads of veggies and even meat. I would never even think of putting those in my canvas bag time after time unless they are in their little 'light' plastic bags first (and this is not just for meat, I mean this for veggies, they cross-contaminate too!). So what am I missing? You put your veggies without plastic right into the canvas tote with everything else? Do you bleach your bags after every use? |
No, i just wash my fruits and veggies before I eat them. You don't need to "bleach" your bags, but you might need to wash them if they get dirty. I haven't had to wash mine yet! |
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03/19/2008 02:45:41 PM · #31 |
Originally posted by CEJ:
Never used plastic - always hated them. We just bought our second round of canvas 'totes' for groceries as we wore out the first three we had - straps broken. Have used the canvas bags for about three years now. One is always in my car, wife's truck with the extra in the kitchen for use when larger shopping trips are called for.
In season we grow as much of our food as we can - canning and preserving as much as possible for off season. What we cannot grow we always buy from local farmers and from the local farmer's markets in the summer. Since we are both vegetarians this works out great for us. |
way cool! I live in philly so the growing possibilities are limited but we do have a small plot of land in the back... very rare for around here! lol. I think we are gunna try to grow some stuff but I don't think we can do too much in the way of food. We've only got a 14 month lease then we're outta here! |
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03/19/2008 02:46:00 PM · #32 |
I remembered this little craft gem from a local paper:
Plastic Bag Curtain for your garden |
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03/19/2008 02:49:12 PM · #33 |
Originally posted by cgino:
Yeah, it is easy and safe to transfer packaged goods again and again in reusable canvas totes. But I am not so sure about perishables -- guilty as charged, I love raw foods like loads of veggies and even meat. I would never even think of putting those in my canvas bag time after time unless they are in their little 'light' plastic bags first (and this is not just for meat, I mean this for veggies, they cross-contaminate too!). So what am I missing? You put your veggies without plastic right into the canvas tote with everything else? Do you bleach your bags after every use? |
Glad you asked. The ditty bops have a solution for this as well, it's towards the end of the video I posted of them going to the market. They sew small bags out of muslin to use for the veggies, so each veggie gets its own little baggie and you store it in the fridge like that too and it keeps the veggies fresher.
But anyway... whats so scary about them touching the bags when you use them over and over? What sorts of things do you think the food touched even before it ended up at the market being pinched and poked by numerous dirty hands? ;) But if it really bothers you, make those small bags and then they can just be put in the wash with the rest of your clothes, the tote bags can too if you get cloth ones. |
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03/19/2008 02:53:56 PM · #34 |
Originally posted by escapetooz:
What sorts of things do you think the food touched even before it ended up at the market being pinched and poked by numerous dirty hands? ;) |
Never mind the organic fertilizer used by the farmers.... ;¬P |
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03/19/2008 03:01:21 PM · #35 |
Originally posted by escapetooz:
But anyway... whats so scary about them touching the bags when you use them over and over? What sorts of things do you think the food touched even before it ended up at the market being pinched and poked by numerous dirty hands? ;) |
Well, there was that e-coli outbreak we had in my neck of the woods from contaminated spinach..
Message edited by author 2008-03-19 15:02:09. |
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03/19/2008 03:04:21 PM · #36 |
Originally posted by escapetooz:
Yea, I use them for trash bags in the bathroom. Even going to the grocery store with reusables I still get so many just from other places, blockbuster, CVS. When I say I don't need a bag they almost always ignore me or look at me like I'm stupid and have just said something ridiculous. |
I get that too! Why do you think that is, that the clerk thinks we're weird for not wanting their plastic bags? The other day I said not thanks to a bag, because what I purchased fit nicely in my coat pocket. I received the comment, well aren't you trying to save the world! I may or may not be trying to save the world, but what difference does it make if I don't take a dumb plastic bag!? |
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03/19/2008 03:11:48 PM · #37 |
Originally posted by icu1965:
Originally posted by escapetooz:
Yea, I use them for trash bags in the bathroom. Even going to the grocery store with reusables I still get so many just from other places, blockbuster, CVS. When I say I don't need a bag they almost always ignore me or look at me like I'm stupid and have just said something ridiculous. |
I get that too! Why do you think that is, that the clerk thinks we're weird for not wanting their plastic bags? The other day I said not thanks to a bag, because what I purchased fit nicely in my coat pocket. I received the comment, well aren't you trying to save the world! I may or may not be trying to save the world, but what difference does it make if I don't take a dumb plastic bag!? |
lol! No one has ever been that outright about it to me but I feel like those are the kind of looks they give me. I think it's just they get in this pattern "ring up, get money, put item in bag" over and over all day when you put a kink in their brainless activity it throws them off. It seems like its harder for them to NOT bag the stuff. lol.
I wonder what would happen if i went to starbucks with my own cup (not that I go to starbucks or drink coffee)... or are they even allowed with health regulations and all that?
Message edited by author 2008-03-19 15:12:13. |
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03/19/2008 03:13:22 PM · #38 |
Originally posted by cgino:
Originally posted by escapetooz:
But anyway... whats so scary about them touching the bags when you use them over and over? What sorts of things do you think the food touched even before it ended up at the market being pinched and poked by numerous dirty hands? ;) |
Well, there was that e-coli outbreak we had in my neck of the woods from contaminated spinach.. |
oh you mean the food getting all over other stuff. lol. I thought you meant the bags making the food dirty. |
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03/19/2008 03:23:17 PM · #39 |
I work in sales, so advertising is a way of life. I do my grocery shopping with a tote bag that has my company logo on it. Good for the environment and occasionally leads to a conversation about the work I do.
I also shop at one of the chain bulk purchase stores where they have bins of used cardboard boxes for your items. I don't use the cardboard. Instead, I have a couple of plastic file boxes (the kind that are designed for hanging file folders) in the trunk of my car and empty the shopping cart into those reusable file boxes (good handles make it easy to carry them and they are stackable - I also have a small luggage carrier with wheels in the trunk so I can roll two boxes of groceries and my tote bag in one trip). The boxes store inside each other and the tote and collapsible luggage carrier fit inside the stacked boxes, so very little trunk space is used. The items didn't cost much and have lasted for years with no wear and tear yet.
It works for me and the tote and boxes are reuseable pretty much forever. Oh, and I once made a sale to someone who started a conversation with me about my tote bag...so it has paid me - literally - to use this method. |
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03/19/2008 03:27:28 PM · #40 |
Originally posted by chalice:
I work in sales, so advertising is a way of life. I do my grocery shopping with a tote bag that has my company logo on it. Good for the environment and occasionally leads to a conversation about the work I do.
I also shop at one of the chain bulk purchase stores where they have bins of used cardboard boxes for your items. I don't use the cardboard. Instead, I have a couple of plastic file boxes (the kind that are designed for hanging file folders) in the trunk of my car and empty the shopping cart into those reusable file boxes (good handles make it easy to carry them and they are stackable - I also have a small luggage carrier with wheels in the trunk so I can roll two boxes of groceries and my tote bag in one trip). The boxes store inside each other and the tote and collapsible luggage carrier fit inside the stacked boxes, so very little trunk space is used. The items didn't cost much and have lasted for years with no wear and tear yet.
It works for me and the tote and boxes are reuseable pretty much forever. Oh, and I once made a sale to someone who started a conversation with me about my tote bag...so it has paid me - literally - to use this method. |
Wow! I never even thought about boxes for shopping in bulk. That's such a great idea., thanks for contributing! |
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03/19/2008 03:27:34 PM · #41 |
Originally posted by escapetooz:
Originally posted by cgino:
Originally posted by escapetooz:
But anyway... whats so scary about them touching the bags when you use them over and over? What sorts of things do you think the food touched even before it ended up at the market being pinched and poked by numerous dirty hands? ;) |
Well, there was that e-coli outbreak we had in my neck of the woods from contaminated spinach.. |
oh you mean the food getting all over other stuff. lol. I thought you meant the bags making the food dirty. |
Not exactly, but perhaps... put a bunch of non-separated food-stuffs into one bag and sometimes there can be a problem.
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03/19/2008 03:31:03 PM · #42 |
Originally posted by cgino:
Originally posted by escapetooz:
Originally posted by cgino:
Originally posted by escapetooz:
But anyway... whats so scary about them touching the bags when you use them over and over? What sorts of things do you think the food touched even before it ended up at the market being pinched and poked by numerous dirty hands? ;) |
Well, there was that e-coli outbreak we had in my neck of the woods from contaminated spinach.. |
oh you mean the food getting all over other stuff. lol. I thought you meant the bags making the food dirty. |
Not exactly, but perhaps... put a bunch of non-separated food-stuffs into one bag and sometimes there can be a problem. |
Yea... I haven't taken the time to make those muslin produce bags yet but I should soon. I think I'm gunna try and find some sort of fabric from old clothes or something to use so they can be cool looking and I don't have to buy muslin. SO for now though, when using plastic for the produce I generally only do for fruits and veggies without thick skin, like leafy greens and pears and stuff. Bananas, oranges, avos, etc I usually just toss in the cart as is. |
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03/19/2008 03:37:59 PM · #43 |
Originally posted by escapetooz:
Bananas, oranges, avos, etc I usually just toss in the cart as is. |
Yummm!!! My favorites :-) |
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03/19/2008 03:39:18 PM · #44 |
Originally posted by escapetooz:
Originally posted by chalice:
I work in sales, so advertising is a way of life. I do my grocery shopping with a tote bag that has my company logo on it. Good for the environment and occasionally leads to a conversation about the work I do.
I also shop at one of the chain bulk purchase stores where they have bins of used cardboard boxes for your items. I don't use the cardboard. Instead, I have a couple of plastic file boxes (the kind that are designed for hanging file folders) in the trunk of my car and empty the shopping cart into those reusable file boxes (good handles make it easy to carry them and they are stackable - I also have a small luggage carrier with wheels in the trunk so I can roll two boxes of groceries and my tote bag in one trip). The boxes store inside each other and the tote and collapsible luggage carrier fit inside the stacked boxes, so very little trunk space is used. The items didn't cost much and have lasted for years with no wear and tear yet.
It works for me and the tote and boxes are reuseable pretty much forever. Oh, and I once made a sale to someone who started a conversation with me about my tote bag...so it has paid me - literally - to use this method. |
Wow! I never even thought about boxes for shopping in bulk. That's such a great idea., thanks for contributing! |
That is what I was trying to say that I am using for shopping .... guess my english wasn't right :) |
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03/19/2008 04:01:17 PM · #45 |
Originally posted by anotherday:
Originally posted by escapetooz:
Originally posted by chalice:
I work in sales, so advertising is a way of life. I do my grocery shopping with a tote bag that has my company logo on it. Good for the environment and occasionally leads to a conversation about the work I do.
I also shop at one of the chain bulk purchase stores where they have bins of used cardboard boxes for your items. I don't use the cardboard. Instead, I have a couple of plastic file boxes (the kind that are designed for hanging file folders) in the trunk of my car and empty the shopping cart into those reusable file boxes (good handles make it easy to carry them and they are stackable - I also have a small luggage carrier with wheels in the trunk so I can roll two boxes of groceries and my tote bag in one trip). The boxes store inside each other and the tote and collapsible luggage carrier fit inside the stacked boxes, so very little trunk space is used. The items didn't cost much and have lasted for years with no wear and tear yet.
It works for me and the tote and boxes are reuseable pretty much forever. Oh, and I once made a sale to someone who started a conversation with me about my tote bag...so it has paid me - literally - to use this method. |
Wow! I never even thought about boxes for shopping in bulk. That's such a great idea., thanks for contributing! |
That is what I was trying to say that I am using for shopping .... guess my english wasn't right :) |
oh yea! I was wondering what you meant by "stack and nest" totes. ;) sorry about that, I should have just asked. |
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03/19/2008 04:06:17 PM · #46 |
Originally posted by escapetooz:
Originally posted by anotherday:
Originally posted by escapetooz:
Originally posted by chalice:
I work in sales, so advertising is a way of life. I do my grocery shopping with a tote bag that has my company logo on it. Good for the environment and occasionally leads to a conversation about the work I do.
I also shop at one of the chain bulk purchase stores where they have bins of used cardboard boxes for your items. I don't use the cardboard. Instead, I have a couple of plastic file boxes (the kind that are designed for hanging file folders) in the trunk of my car and empty the shopping cart into those reusable file boxes (good handles make it easy to carry them and they are stackable - I also have a small luggage carrier with wheels in the trunk so I can roll two boxes of groceries and my tote bag in one trip). The boxes store inside each other and the tote and collapsible luggage carrier fit inside the stacked boxes, so very little trunk space is used. The items didn't cost much and have lasted for years with no wear and tear yet.
It works for me and the tote and boxes are reuseable pretty much forever. Oh, and I once made a sale to someone who started a conversation with me about my tote bag...so it has paid me - literally - to use this method. |
Wow! I never even thought about boxes for shopping in bulk. That's such a great idea., thanks for contributing! |
That is what I was trying to say that I am using for shopping .... guess my english wasn't right :) |
oh yea! I was wondering what you meant by "stack and nest" totes. ;) sorry about that, I should have just asked. |
yep, there are some words missing from my vocabulary :) so no pb ;) |
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03/19/2008 04:07:17 PM · #47 |
 anotherday -- I understood what you meant! Don't knock your english. I think its pretty fantastic. |
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03/19/2008 04:11:53 PM · #48 |
Originally posted by frisca:
anotherday -- I understood what you meant! Don't knock your english. I think its pretty fantastic. |
Thank you! :) |
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03/19/2008 04:35:08 PM · #49 |
Originally posted by escapetooz:
I wonder what would happen if i went to starbucks with my own cup (not that I go to starbucks or drink coffee)... or are they even allowed with health regulations and all that? |
Typically the charge you less for the coffee, like most coffee shops. |
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03/19/2008 04:44:57 PM · #50 |
In our area; Superstore always charged for bags but no longer carries them at all.
Thrifty Foods uses biodegradable bags, which seem stronger and able to hold more. They also pack properly, using less bags.
Western, and probably others, give 3cents credit for each bag you reuse.
All of them have bag-recycling bins and sell cloth bags, Superstore also sells handbaskets.
It's a start, at least.
Oh, and regarding the doggy-doo; you can buy compostable bags for that :) I believe they're called "biobags"? |
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