When it comes to tackling single-use plastic bags, it isn’t just plastic shopping bags that we want to be replacing with better, reusable alternatives. Plastic produce bags (the extremely thin, colourless, clear bags we see in the fruit and veg aisles at supermarkets) are just as problematic – difficult to recycle, very difficult to reuse and a huge contributor to litter.
For more information, please visit our website.
Yet the conversation always seems to be around shopping bags, and the produce bags are left out.
Which is a tragedy! There are just as many solutions for replacing single-use produce bags with reusables as there are for shopping bags. Yet it’s something that isn’t on many people’s radar when they are starting out.
It certainly wasn’t on mine.
Fortunately, it is now. I want to share some of the alternatives to single-use plastic produce bags, the pros and cons of different options, as well as a few things you may like to consider.
This post contains some affiliate links. You can read more about what this means at the end of the post.
There are plenty of options with reusable produce bags. Here’s a few things to consider:
Homemade is always cheaper, and there’s the option to choose the exact size that you need. If you want bags that last and don’t need to be mended continually, an overlocker generally produces better (longer-lasting) results than a regular sewing machine.
The flipside of homemade is needing access to a sewing machine, and knowing how to sew.
If you do know how to sew, produce bags make great gifts.
Second-hand fabric is an option for making reusable produce bags, and ready-made produce bags that used second-hand fabric are also available. Fabric includes old net curtains, tablecloths, sheets and old bedding. Choose a fabric that is machine washable and can go through a hot wash (rather than the handwash cycle).
Although mosquito netting seems ideal for produce bags, most mosquito nets are impregnated with pesticides, so not desirable for use with food.
Different fabrics have different properties. Mesh or net bags are lightweight and see-through, but are rarely made of natural fibres. They’re also not suitable for flour and fine powders.
Cotton cloth is natural but not see-through, and is slightly heavier. (Not all stores have the ability to take off the weight of the bag on the scales, so heavy bags will cost more.) Not being transparent will slow down the checkout operators, so be mindful of using too many of these bags on a busy day.
In practice, it can be useful to have different types for different things.
Personally, I have a combination of homemade and purchased reusable produce bags, and made of different materials.
As much as I recommend making do and using what we have where possible, I also know that sometimes we need shortcuts.
If sewing if definitely not your thing (and you don’t have a relative or friend to persuade to do it for you!) then here are some ready-made solutions.
If you haven’t heard of it or used it before, Etsy is an online marketplace where people who know how to make things sell these things to those of us who do not (or do not have the time). There are plenty of sellers on the platform who make reusable produce bags out of old curtains and tablecloths (as well as sellers who use new fabric, if that’s your preference).
If the second-hand approach appeals to you but you just don’t have the time or inclination, I’d recommend looking on Etsy for reusable produce bags made of upcycled fabric.
There’s no one Etsy seller I recommend, instead I’d suggest browsing and finding the seller that is closest to your home to minimise the packaging and transport footprint.
Some people don’t love the idea of going plastic-free and then buying reusables made of plastic. When I first went plastic-free back in I was the same. But then I looked into it a little more and adjusted my view.
If we stopped using plastic today, and didn’t make anything else made of plastic, there is still a huge amount of plastic already in existence. Legacy plastic, I call it. From a resource perspective, it makes sense to be using this to make resources rather than leaving it somewhere to sit for all eternity.
PET is the plastic that water bottles is made from. It’s hard wearing and durable. The PET plastic bottles can be recycled into a mesh that is used to make reusable produce bags. These bags have a much lower carbon footprint than other “new” bags because they are made from 100% recycled material.
I have a set of Onya bags that I purchased for my first Plastic Free July back in . They may not be as white as they were when I purchased them, but they function as good as new. (Which cannot be said for my biodegradable ones, which have, well, biodegraded and needed some stitching up).
Mesh bags are great for fruit and vegetables, loose salad leaves (the produce can be washed in the bag) and loose bread rolls.
Cotton bags are great for all the things that mesh bags aren’t: powders and flours. I have a set made out of an old bed sheet. The advantage of these is that they can be repaired easily, and composted at the end of their life.
It’s possible to buy new cotton reusable produce bags: I’d recommend looking at your local bulk store as they will often stock them.
I’d always recommend supporting a local brick-and-mortar store where you can, but if this isn’t an option, they can easily be found online.
If you’re further afield here’s a list of independent online plastic-free and zero waste stores.
These reusable produce bags are a fairly new idea, and are designed for bulk store shopping (as opposed to fruit and veg shopping). Whilst reusable produce bags are very easy to transport, they aren’t ideal for storing food.
Onya Life launched these bulk bags in (made of recycled PET, which I talked about above) as a lightweight alternative to glass jars. They can be labelled and are suitable for food storage.
They are not something I’ve used, but I think they are a great alternative for those of us who don’t want to carry huge amounts of glass jars on our shopping trips, or have to decant everything into said glass jars when we get home.
Before rushing out and buying anything new, have a think about what you might already have at home. Many bulk stores accept glass jars for refilling, so consider taking jars rather than bags, if that is practical. A pillowcase makes an excellent cotton bread bag. Laundry bags are a mesh alternative to mesh produce bags – and they are definitely machine washable.
If you do decide to buy something, just be sure that it is something that you will use. Reusables that sit in the back of the cupboard are not a good use of resources!
The best reusables are the ones you use often.
Now I’d love to hear from you! What reusable options do you use? Do you have one preference, or do you use a combination? If you sew, do you have fabric types you recommend and any to avoid? Are there any other alternatives or DIY hacks that you can suggest? Please share you thought in the comments below!
[leadpages_leadbox leadbox_id=140b48fcc5] [/leadpages_leadbox]
These multipurpose, durable bags seal securely and can hold everything from snacks to prepped ingredients to leftovers, and they can go from fridge to freezer.
Although you can wash and reuse disposable zip-top plastic bags, it’s not ideal to keep using them for food storage if you want to avoid eating microplastics. Instead, we recommend the Stasher Reusable Silicone Bag Multi-Pack.
They’re sturdy and dishwasher safe. These bags are durable and easy to clean, and can be put in the dishwasher. Our dishwasher successfully got rid of stains left by tomato sauce we’d stored in the bags over a weekend, which was not the case for all bags we tested. Stains remained on the re(zip) bags we tried, even after a trip through the dishwasher followed by a baking soda scrub.
LANTON PACK Product Page
The thick Stasher bags are also comfortable to hold and hand-wash because they aren’t as floppy as some thinner bags, and their wide seals were less likely to gum up with food. One of our staff members has been using their set of Stashers regularly for five years and they’re still going strong.
They’re versatile. We love that Stashers come in a wide range of sizes—pocket-size, 56-ounce capacity, and half-gallon. They come in flat versions that are useful for packing things like sandwiches, as well as bags that stand up, which are convenient for storing liquidy foods. And you have a choice of fun colors—’80s-inspired pastels, tie dye, and sea-glass green. According to a staff member who has used both the clear and colored Stashers for storing leftovers, the clear bags have the best visibility and make it easiest to take inventory of what’s in the fridge.
They’re compact. The Stasher bags stack neatly in a drawer or bin for quick access, and we’ve found it especially convenient that you don’t have to search for a matching lid as you would with a container. They’re thick enough that the bags won’t collapse if you stand them up, but they still have a slim profile.
They’re easier to stack in the fridge or freezer than plastic bags, and they take up less space than larger, rigid containers. “They are such space savers compared to Tupperware and the like,” said a staffer who likes them for food storage.
They tolerate extreme temperatures. Made from silicone, Stashers are freezer-safe, heatproof up to 400° F, and microwave- and oven-safe, so you can use them to store leftovers, reheat foods, or steam vegetables in the microwave. You can even cook sous vide in them: We made sous vide carrots with a Stasher bag and with a vacuum-sealed bag as a control. Though it was difficult to get most of the air out of the Stasher, the carrots tasted fine and were cooked through, just slightly firmer than the carrots cooked in the plastic bag.
They stay shut. The Stasher bags remained sealed as we shook them around. We wouldn’t put a bag filled with liquid in a backpack, but we would transport snacks or leftovers that way. And if you’re laying the bags flat or lining them up vertically in the fridge, you don’t have to worry about leaks; the seals popped open only when we applied pressure to the bags.
They’re great for all kinds of storage. The Stasher bags have many uses beyond food: You could use them for everything from packing toiletries in a carry-on to storing craft supplies.
They’re not cheap. At the time of writing, the Stasher bags cost about $55 for a bundle of five, and we know that’s expensive. But since we first published this guide, several staff members have been using their Stashers regularly for years, which makes us confident in recommending them as a worthy investment.
They can get schmutzy. The Stasher bags are made from silicone, which can attract dust and lint, and can retain smells and stains, especially from oily or acidic foods. Some Amazon reviewers complain that the bags also have a silicone smell, which we didn’t notice. But we did detect a slight silicone-like aftertaste to the broccoli that we steamed in a Stasher bag. When we cooked carrots sous vide at 183° F for an hour, however, they tasted fine. We recommend washing the bags before use to zap any lingering flavors.
We couldn’t remove all of the air. Despite trying to both roll out the air and to use the water-displacement method (the company’s recommendation) to get the air out of the Stashers in our sous vide tests, we still had to weigh the bag down with a metal utensil to prevent it from floating. A staff member who uses Stashers says that they also don't work well for freezing liquids (like stock) because of how difficult it is to get the air out and seal.
Washing them can be tricky. If you have a dishwasher, the Stashers are easier to clean than traditional plastic bags. But if you’re hand-washing the bags, it’s more difficult to get into every cranny, compared with a more-flexible plastic bag. Stasher advises against turning the bags inside out to clean them since this can put stress on their seams. It can also be challenging to reach into smaller Stasher bags and may require a bottle brush.
Some of our staff members who use Stashers regularly complain that you have to prop them open in the dishwasher for the insides to get fully cleaned, and must also prop them open to dry.
Tears can happen. Although these bags have received numerous positive ratings and reviews on Amazon, there are a fair number of complaints about their developing holes or tearing at the seams, mostly after foods have been cooked sous vide in them (and one after a buyer tried to turn the bag inside out to wash it). So far, none of the long term testers on our staff have experienced this with their Stashers. We also appreciate that the company has a repurposing program to reuse the silicone from damaged bags.
This set of cotton bags includes mesh and solid options for produce and bulk goods, and each bag has a cord lock and tare weights on its label.
For grocery shopping, the EcoRoots Premium Reusable Produce Bags come in the best variety of sizes and materials, and they have some extra features that make them more convenient to use than other bags we looked at.
They're convenient to use. Unlike most of the fabric bags we tested, the EcoRoots bags have a cord lock on their drawstrings, so you can cinch the bags shut.
They may be easier to use at checkout, too. Compared with other cloth bags we tested, these are the only ones that included three units for tare weights (pounds, ounces, and grams), listed in a large font on their tags. It’s a small detail, but this will help a cashier quickly ring you up if you use these bags for bulk or produce items.
They come in a variety of materials and sizes. We like that the set comes with both solid cloth and mesh bags, and the cotton mesh has a bit more stretch to it than synthetic materials do, allowing you to fit more in. The bags are machine-washable for easy cleaning, and they didn’t shrink too much in our tests. The EcoRoots bags are made from unbleached cotton and come in three sizes, with six cotton mesh bags and three solid cotton bags in a pack.
They can hold all kinds of foods. The largest size will fit a head of celery, a bunch of kale, a medium-size head of napa cabbage, or (just barely) an extremely large head of cauliflower. The mesh is fine enough to contain items like grapes, radishes, or snap peas, and it gives the bags a little more stretch so you can pack more inside them. The plain-woven bags can hold finer grains, smaller beans, nuts, or even flour.
They keep food fresh. In our tests, we didn’t notice much of a difference between cloth bags and a resealable plastic storage bag when it came to keeping foods like carrots, cilantro, and lettuce fresh for four days. But cloth bags won’t keep moisture inside like plastic will, so foods may dry out more over time. The only bag that kept foods noticeably fresher was the towel-like Vejibag, which you’re supposed to dampen before using. But the Vejibag is bulky and expensive, and we suspect you can just wrap foods in a damp towel to achieve the same effect.
Fabric is opaque. Cloth bags obscure what’s inside them and are not water resistant. If you prefer see-through storage that is better at repelling moisture, consider a set of Stashers.
The tare weights for all of the bags we tested were slightly off. But the worst-case scenario is you’ll pay a few more cents for your granola.
They shrink. The EcoRoots storage bags all shrank a little after washing and drying, which we expected since they’re cotton, but they were still usable.
The nylon drawstring bags in this set are well made and sturdy enough to transport produce or other items. They also look better than most produce bags.
The bags in the Junes Carry-All 3-Pack look nicer and feel sturdier than other mesh bags we’ve tried. They’re made from recycled plastic and have a thick, capped drawstring that won’t fray (though they don’t have a cord lock, like our pick from EcoRoots).
We like the quality and selection. The Carry-All set comes with a small, medium, and large bag (9.5 by 8.5 inches, 10 by 12.5 inches, and 11 by 16.5 inches, respectively), and you can choose from a few stylish colors.
The Junes are machine-washable and are sewn better than most produce bags we looked at.
They’re good for groceries and other uses. Although the Junes bags’ mesh is coarser than that of other synthetic mesh bags we tried, it’s much finer than that of the EcoRoots bags. So Junes bags can contain coarser bulk goods like dried beans or nuts, and items like loose green beans won’t poke out of the bag. The Junes bags will also work as ditty bags for smaller items you need to throw into luggage.
They’ll recycle your old bag. When you’re done with your June bag, the company will process it into new yarn, and give you a 20% coupon toward a new bag.
They’re expensive. The Junes bags are pricier than any other reusable bags we tried, but we think they’ll hold up better over time.
The mesh isn’t super-fine. The holes are about the size of those on a window screen, so the bags won’t be practical for storing finer bulk foods like flour or sugar (for that, you may prefer the solid EcoRoots cotton bags).
They don’t have cord locks or tare weights. But our produce didn’t tumble out during shopping, and you can easily knot the cord for extra security. You’ll either have to weigh the bags on your own to tell the cashier since they aren’t labeled with tare weights, or eat the cost of the weight of the bag when buying produce or bulk goods.
Our testing has evolved since we first published this guide in . We initially sifted through dozens of reusable kitchen items in our research, from bags to wraps to lids to reusable paper towels. More recently,, we’ve narrowed our scope to focus on the replacements we think have the most potential for daily and long-term use: bulk and produce bags, and food-storage bags.
To find good options, we searched the best-selling and best-reviewed items on Amazon, and we looked at the offerings from smaller online retailers like Life Without Plastic, Package Free, and Food52. We also visited Whole Foods, the Park Slope Food Coop in Brooklyn, and the New York City–based zero-waste stores Precycle and Package Free to see what reusable products they offered.
When picking resealable food storage bags, we paid attention to the sizes that they came in. We wanted bags that had obvious uses and would be in regular rotation, whether for packing sandwiches for lunch or storing leftovers after dinner. We also looked for bags that were dishwasher safe and easy to store.
Because most of these items are more expensive than their disposable cousins, we also considered value. We compared prices, varieties, and sizes for each product subset. And since the focus of this guide is on more sustainable gear, we also paid attention to the materials used to make each item, and the product’s longevity.
There are many useful reusable vessels for food storage that we were not able to cover here, but we do recommend in our other guides. For example, the Pyrex Simply Store 18-Piece Set and Snapware 18-Piece Total Solution Plastic Food Storage Set are excellent stackable options for food prep and storage. We like that the lidded dishes in the Pyrex Smart Essentials 8-Piece Mixing Bowl Set and the OXO Good Grips 3-Qt Glass Baking Dish with Lid make plastic wrap unnecessary. And the lightweight Standard Baggu tote is a go-to for carrying groceries, and it folds down to the size of an index card.
To test the produce bags, we stored leafy greens, herbs, and carrots in them for four days, then checked for freshness. We also put the same types of produce in a zip-top plastic bag as a control and compared the results. We then measured and weighed each produce bag to check its listed tare weights, and washed and dried them all several times to check for shrinkage. We also looked over the stitching and fabric to check for quality.
To test resealable bags, we filled them with tomato sauce and left them in the refrigerator over a weekend, then washed them in the dishwasher to see how much they stained. We also tried washing them by hand. We tested the bags for leaks by filling them with water, shaking them, and trying to pop them open by putting pressure on them with our hands. For the silicone bags, we steamed and cooked vegetables sous vide to see whether the bags imparted any flavor and whether they stayed watertight.
After making our picks, we continued to use them at home to see how they held up.
If you want to learn more, please visit our website roll stock labeled mesh bag.