Benefits of reusable sandwich bags vs. plastic bags

Plastic is a very complex thing. It is also very appropriate that the adjective be used to describe people with airs of “falsehood” as plastic. This is because, at its core, plastic is very fake and man-made.

Plastic is a byproduct of petroleum. Yes, this is the same oil used to purify the gasoline that powers our cars, planes, and power plants. The same toxic and noxious substance that is so familiar to all of us is in the same family as the substance we use to package our food and drink!

However, unlike oil, which takes millions of years to form but little or no time to vaporize and spread, plastic takes millions of years to form and millions of years to break down. This is because plastic is what is called in chemistry as a polymer. A polymer is a long chain of molecules linked together by incredibly strong bonds that are very difficult to break. That is why plastic is such a durable and versatile material.

While plastic has many uses, food packaging is one area where it is used far too liberally. In fact, studies have been carried out linking the heating of food in plastic containers and a carcinogenic effect.

So when our food is packaged in a plastic bag, it comes into contact with the same materials that are used to make gasoline and diesel! Plastic is also full of nasty chemicals like BPA (Bisphenol-A) and phthalates (see glossary section) that have harmful long-term effects.

These harmful effects are only those that immediately affect our body. The damage that plastic does to the environment is multiple. While most natural materials, such as food waste, paper, and similar items, break down quickly (meaning they are easily digested by microbes and bacteria and broken down into smaller particles), plastic is virtually indigestible . It is estimated that families in the United States alone dispose of more than 200 million tons of plastic waste every day! A good amount of that is contributed by the plastic baggies!

By using reusable sandwich bags (brands like LunchSkins and EcoDitty are good examples) that are made from food-safe fabric and cotton, not only does our food touch safer natural materials, as the fabric and cotton are naturally grown rather than chemically manufactured, but reusable sandwich bags are washable, so you can use them over and over again. They will be like new every time! And they won’t add non-biodegradable and decomposable materials to our already clogged landfills either.