Waste Not, Want Not - or not?

[mudbug]

This topic falls in the area of accessories, I guess:

Do you wash and re-use your ziploc bags? Unless the bag has held thawing meat , I usually wash 'em out and use 'em a few more times before pitching them. Hate to throw something away that's only been used once. I've got 3 sitting on my counter right now.

 

[marmalady]

I should, but - I barely get the dishes washed! Have you seen those nifty little things you can put on the counter to turn them upside down and dry?

 

[amber]

No, I always throw mine away. I get concerned about cross contamination, not just for meats, poultry, but also cheese and vegetables. I dont buy expensive zip lock bags. I get a box of 100 for about $3. I spend more for freezer zip locks, to cut down on freezer burn, but again I toss those out after one use.

 

[mudbug]

I usually just turn them inside out and leave them on the drainer or stick them over a fork or something in the drainer's silverware holder thingy.

 

[kitchenelf]

Yep, I reuse some of them like you - but those that have held raw meat, poultry, seafood get tossed.

 

[Alix]

I'm a reuser. The bags that have held any meat usually end up holding bones or liquidy things that I am tossing in the garbage. I HATE getting garbage juice on me when I empty the trash.

 

[mudbug]

ewwwwwwwwwww - garbage juice! worse than tobacco juice

 

[Alix]

Yep. Way WAY worse.

 

[SizzlininIN]

Unfort.....NO! Too much of a fuss but I probably should and the people who protect landfills will probably come and stuff me into one.

 

[Shunka]

I will have to tell my daughters that I am not the only one that re-uses some ziplock bags!!!! I have been washing and using them again for over 20 years (the practice, not the same bags!! ROTFL!!). At first it started because we could not afford to buy new ones all the time; I stay away from the cheap ones. In the last 10 years it is more because they are still in good shape and I hate to waste things.

 

[licia]

The cleanest of ziploks are reused. none of the meat bags but most of the freezer bags containing frozen veggies are used.

 

[urmaniac13]

If I used it for some dry items, like flour or nuts, I try to use it again with the same or similar item. Also I often wash and reuse the plastic forks, knives and spoons whenever possible.

 

[BlueCat]

I don't reuse ziplocks although my other half does a couple of times over for similar items. I don't use a lot of paper plates or disposable stuff, so ziplocks are for lunch items and freezing, and even the lunch items are often in reusable plastic containers. This way I don't feel guilty about tossing these bags occasionally. I'm too afraid of contamination to wash and reuse them. I don't know how you'd get into the little corners to get them clean.

BC

 

[purrfectlydevine]

My mother saves the ones that didn't have raw meat in for "smelly" trash like chicken bones, corn cobs, etc. since she has only 1 trash pick-up a week, even during the summer months.

I reuse bags to put "more of the same" of dry things like pretzels and cookies in them. They are still good for stuff like that, however I don't use that many. I use plastic containers instead.

 

[KAYLINDA]

I never wash and re-use..but like some others...if it's a like dry product...I might re-use.

 

[Barbara L]

I'm a reuser. The bags that have held any meat usually end up holding bones or liquidy things that I am tossing in the garbage. I HATE getting garbage juice on me when I empty the trash.

I do the same thing.

Barbara

 

[Piccolina]

Yep...I'll confess it, I'm a re-user to

I suppose I got it from my penny wise Gran, she has always saved them and re-used them (though like the consensus here I scrap those that held raw meat, seafood, etc). She takes it a step further though, saving re-usable things like tin foil and saran where possible and sanitary.

If I've got a more $ heavy-duty big freezer zip-lock that has stored raw meat, etc...I will sometimes wash it out in super hot soapy water (twice) and then use it to store things like sewing bits and pieces, craft supplies, etc...things that are not edible in other words. (They also handy for packing toiletries in for trips).

 

[Constance]

I only reuse them if they've had something dry in them, like crackers or cookies. The cost of one ziplock is cheap compared to the discomfort and down-right danger of food poisoning, and I don't feel like they get sanitized properly in regular dish-water.

 

[pdswife]

Yep, I reuse some of them.