Ziplock Bag Alternative – Plastic Free-Ish Challenge #6

Ciao! I’m back again with another plastic free-ish update. This month I’m recapping June where I gave up single-use plastic ziplock bags. Well, mostly because there’s one situation you’ll read about where I have a firm stance on using the single-use plastic ziplock bags for now. Here’s my look at the single-use plastic ziplock bag alternative I chose, as well as some other options and how it all went.

Ziplock Bag Alternative – Plastic Free-Ish Challenge #6

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How I usually use ziplock bags

As with all the other changes this year, I have started each challenge by figuring out how I use the item first. This helps direct me on how to ditch and replace it.

For ziplock bags, this is how they are used in our house:

• Food storage – for food in the fridge, e.g. if I use half an onion, I’ll put the other half in a ziplock bag in the fridge.
• Some food in my husband’s lunches – e.g. snack foods.
• I travel with a gallon size bag to protect my camera and valuables in the rain.

If you plan to give up using single-use plastic ziplock bags, the change might look different for you depending on how you use them in the first place.

Thoughts on Stasher Bags

I bought a set of Stasher Bags to replace my single-use plastic ziplock bags.

You can get Stasher Bags from Amazon or through their website.

When it comes to the Stasher Bags, I love the product. The quality is fantastic, the colors are very cute, and the range of sizes is convenient. You can put them in the microwave and dishwasher so, as a product, they’re amazing. But, I don’t think it’s a viable alternative for single-use plastic ziplock bags.

The reason is the cost. If you have more leeway in your budget then they might be great for you. However, I think for the average person on a budget, they’re too expensive to be the solution on their own.

The 4 pack of bags was $50. What if I wanted to do meal prep for smoothie bags or dinners? I would need to spend so much money just to have enough for the prep, and then I would still need to have extra for food storage on top of that.

I think the Stasher Bags are a great thing to buy, but I don’t think it’s practical for people on a budget as a solution on its own.

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Another use for Stasher Bags – I used reusable makeup wipes and soaked them with makeup remover to use them as no waste makeup remover wipes during travel.

Other ziplock bag alternatives

I still think it’s great to get one set of the Stasher Bags because the product is so good. But, unless you have a lot of money you’re probably going to need to find additional alternatives.

I have seen other silicone bags at my local department store which were much cheaper. I didn’t buy any of these so I cannot speak to the quality, but I’m sure they would sell other bag options near you as well. It may be an option to get some of these for bulk uses like meal prep. You can also find a lot of others like these on Amazon if you prefer to shop online.

I have also noticed that since I decided to stop using single-use plastic ziplock bags, I have been using Tupperware containers and jars more. Mostly for food storage leftovers, like the half an onion example. Perhaps this was because I only had the 4 Stasher Bags so I had limited options, but it’s a pattern I’ve noticed and is another alternative.

I think that’s another reminder that if you are looking to make plastic free-ish changes, but have a limited budget, just get started. Even if you can’t buy fancy alternatives, you’ll start finding other things to use and creating new habits.

Buy a local ziplock bag alternative for dry food

I also want to mention something I had bought previously. I found a couple of custom made food pouches from a local business near me called Da Zero Boutique. They are awesome for dry food snacks to take on day trips, outings or to work.

You could check for a local store near you or look on Etsy for someone making something similar.

The exception

The only firm ‘no’ I have for making this change is the bags I pack with me to protect my cameras.

I always have a gallon size one in my day backpack when I travel and keep it there in case it rains or snows so that I can protect my camera, spare lenses, and passport.

I keep the same one in my bag each trip and only replace it if it got a hole in it or something. So far, I haven’t found anything that is as light, compact, and waterproof as single-use ziplock bags so I will continue to keep one in my bag.

I don’t have the money to replace my camera gear so this is a hard line I have for changing my plastic use. Since I might only use a couple each year for this, it’s pretty insignificant as far as plastic use is concerned.

Budget progress

The Stasher Bags I bought cost $53.96, which is $3.96 over my monthly budget.

I’m still under budget overall in terms of the progress for the year. In the yearly budget, I have $365.21 remaining for the last 6 months.

Since I was over budget for the month, I didn’t buy any other alternatives but I probably will over time.

Overall thoughts

To be honest, overall it was fairly easy to stop using single-use plastic ziplock bags.

The Stasher Bags were amazing in terms of quality but, not practical enough, in my opinion, to be the solution on their own. That’s simply because of the cost. However, if you didn’t use many single-use ziplock bags in the first place, perhaps it would work. For me, I used too many to have 4 Stasher Bags replace them.

I think it’s a great idea to get a set of the Stasher Bags because the quality and durability is awesome. Then, I’d recommend supplementing them with some cheaper silicone bags, use Tupperware containers, or another alternative depending on what you need them for.

I hope this can help you make your own plastic-free changes and find new ziplock bag alternative options.

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