Reusable Food Storage Bags – Zero Waste Eco-Friendly Food Storing

Whether you’re hiking or you’re just trying to be as environmentally-friendly as possible, you might want to consider using reusable food storage bags. Except for being eco-friendly, reusable storage bags will also spare you space in the fridge. I use them all the time since I don’t have enough space to put every item in a separate glass container. Obviously, you won’t use a whole container for half an onion, right?

To be clear – you won’t be able to get rid of all the plastic you’ve been using, and that’s probably not the point of buying reusable food storage bags. It’s more like why making all that waste if you don’t have to.

There are few available options when it comes to reusable food storage bags, and each of them has its pros but downsides, too.

In short, the choice is narrowed down to reusable plastic bags, beeswax wraps, and silicone bags.
Now let’s discuss each of these available options.

1. Beeswax Food Wraps

The beeswax wraps work well for cheeses and sandwiches and in general for things that aren’t wet. For example, you can put the bacon in it and keep it in the freezer, but you can’t put raw meat. Also, they are great as covers for bowls or containers of leftover foods. But like I said, they do not seem to be suitable for every food.

When it comes to cleaning, all you need is cold soapy water. When it comes to maintaining they need rewaxing from time to time. You can use them for about a year before doing it – that’s what I was doing while I was using them. Another interesting thing when it comes to beeswax wraps is that they are compostable.

I must say they don’t work for everyone – some might find them hard to clean.
There is one consideration that also keeps me from using them more often. You know, it’s hard to tell what’s inside the wrap. That way you’re risking some good and expensive food going to waste. Actually, that happened to me a few times.

2. Food-Grade Silicone Storage Bags

Food-Grade silicone storage bags are certainly environmentally friendlier than classic plastic bags. On the other side, they might seem a bit pricey to some.

First of all, they are more than a decent replacement for classic disposable zipper-lock storage bags. There is one important thing you must have in mind that is often overlooked – the brand.

You must be pretty careful what brand of silicone bags you’re buying since the quality of the bag depends a lot on a manufacturer. Some are not of the high-quality so you might note that they are hard to wash and that the food gets some “fabric” or “soapy” scent after you put it in there. Also, if you’re washing them in the dishwasher, make sure you have eco-friendly unscented detergent. That’s actually a must.

Food-grade silicone storage bags – like Stasher which is pretty popular lately – are dishwasher safe and can be put even in the bottom rack without getting melted. They might seem a bit pricey, but you’ll save yourself the hassle of having to hand wash them.

One more important thing is that they are leakproof. Actually, they stick together inside so tight that you might even find them hard to peel apart when using them for the first time. So do it slowly and gently.

Another very useful feature is a seal zipper.

3. BPA FREE / PEVA Reusable Food Storage Bags ( Zipper storage bags )

Most of the time they are simply called ziplock bags. Now, I don’t want to be a party-breaker so I’m going to use the term too, but the proper term would be zipper storage bags. Ziplock is one of the brands or the manufacturers that produce zipper storage bags.

So, ziplock bags are almost a classic way of storing food. They are reusable and resealable. If you’re living in a smaller area you’ll find that there are no silicone recycling options available. Silicone recycling options are very rare options available. Plastic recycling is much more widespread than silicone recycling. Classic zip-lock bags can be recycled along with other soft plastic. That’s why some of us might find plastic reusable bags a more convenient way for making this planet a cleaner place for living.

You can use a classic BPA free of classic zip-lock bags until they spring a leak, which is, actually for a very long time. I’ve been using one set for about the last two years.

I must notice that they are great for saving veggies scraps. Also, when used properly they are leakproof ( but the same goes for silicone food bags ).

Reusable Food Storage Bags – A Few But Important Tips

• You’re getting a durable item that will last for a long time, which is, even when it comes to money, way better than single-use items.
• Always take care of what you are storing in reusable storage bags. Even when you’re storing food leftovers wait until they completely cool down, and then put them in the bag, and after that in a freezer.
• Storing hot liquid is not recommended practice. Even the products labeled as „BPA free“ can release some chemicals when it comes to hot liquid.

In the end, if you’re still not convinced when it comes to using reusable food storage bags in your household, you can always go back to using glass containers or Tupperware and cheesecloth as a liner. It will do the job when saving the food leftovers.

Last update on 2024-04-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API