Best Reusable or Compostable Sandwich Bags for a Zero Waste Lunch Or Picnic!
Say Goodbye to Plastic Sandwich Bags with These Fun Alternatives!
Let's find the best reusable sandwich bags on the market. A plus if they're also compostable, in a free from plastic way.
For Plastic Free Freezer Bags Go Here
Ah, the plastic lunch bag – a staple in the lunchtime routine of generations past and present. But have you ever stopped to think about the global impact of this trusty snack carrier?
Unfortunately, the convenience of plastic comes at a high cost to our environment. It's estimated that over a trillion plastic bags are used each year, with a significant portion ending up in our oceans and harming marine life.
No Plastic No More
The next time you pack your PB&J in a snack bag, consider investing in sustainable reusable sandwich bags as an alternative. Like silicone bags or beeswax wraps. If it must be disposable, there are compostable, plastic free reusable sandwich bags to choose from. Your planet (and your turkey club) will thank you.
Compostic
Sick plastic for your lunch? Well, you'll be happy to know that some of the best reusable sandwich bags today contain no plastic at all.
From beeswax paper, to reusable sandwich bags, to disposable - there is no shortage of plastic free eco-friendly sandwich bags available. Let's take a look at some of the fun and eco-friendly options out there for your next lunch or picnic!
The Colorful Craze Of Beeswax
The hottest new trend when it comes to packing lunches is beeswax paper. An eco-friendly alternative that can be reused over and over again. It’s waterproof, which makes it great for carrying liquids like soup or salad dressings. Comes in lots of colors and patterns, so you can make your lunchtime style stand out.
Going Zero Waste Doesn't Have To Be Hard
Sandwich bags: the little guys we don't give much thought to. They may appear to be harmless, but don't be fooled. The plastic ones have a global impact and not in a good way. They take hundreds of years to break down in landfills.
Simple plastic snack bags are guilty of some serious offenses. So next time you're packing your lunch, think twice before reaching for that convenient little bag.
Cool Patterns On Paper!
Grabbing that convenient little sandwich bag to pack our lunch or snack has a global impact. And it's not pretty. Those plastic bags often end up in landfills or worse, our oceans.
Packed Up Your Sandwiches Plastic-Free
EZGOODZ makes terrific reusable snack bags, made out of soy. However, as of this posting, are temporarily unavailable on Amazon. they'll be back. Made from non GMO organic cotton, soybeans, pineapple extract and coconut oil!
Zero Waste Sandwich Bags
Kraft makes a plain brown paper bag that is perfect for those who want an affordable way to pack their lunches without using plastic bags. As does If You Care brand.
The bags come in different sizes so you can fit whatever food storage item you need into them without hassle. They don’t have any color prints on them, but look pretty stylish nonetheless, in an old-fashioned, way-it-used-to-be, sort of way ;)
Waxed Versions to be found from MTproducts and FitMealPrep
Kraft Compare If You Care
New Bio-Polymers Look Much Like Plastic!
Even Ziplock, ounce the prime culprit of plastic sandwich bags, is becoming sustainable with its own colorful, sealable options.
Designed to be reusable sandwich bags, Lunchskins, is also resealable, Much like the old ziplock containers we've all used to storing sandwiches in. Just as cost effective, so why not give any one of these alternatives a try?
Not All Eco-plastics Are The Same
True bioplastics are just as strong and durable, by a brilliant use of plant-based materials like cornstarch, or resins derived other sustainable sources. These sustainable biopolymers naturally have a much lower carbon footprint than plastic. But many brands want to fool you, when actually still composed of plastic.
Serious Injury
Traditional plastic reusable snack bags are guilty of some serious offenses. So next time you're packing your lunch, and a non single use reusable container isn't an option, think twice before reaching for that convenient disposable little bag.
Mother nature will appreciate it, if you make sure it really is sustainable, containing no plastic. So will her creatures.
Compare Lunchskins and Ziplock
The Microplastic Madness
Have you heard of PBAT? Don't worry if you haven't, it's not a trendy new dance move. It actually stands for polybutylene adipate terephthalate, a biodegradable plastic used in packaging and products such as compostable bags. But wait, if it's biodegradable, what's the problem?
Cleanomic is new on the market of brands offering alternatives to microplastics
Hidden microplastics are the problem. Don't Be fooled by brands with names like Responsible or Compostable. Even certified, without clearly identifying the source materials, most probably contains some percentage of plastic.
Not enough to be plant based anymore. Brands like Wrapok and Kipulu, among others, are guilty of the same, giving eco-plastics a bad name.
Earth Natural Alternatives amazing what can be done with just cornstarch
Brands Committed To No Microplastic Residue
Compostic is a New Zealand company that's making waves in the zero waste world. Although their material is mistakenly listed as plastic, they are committed to no microplastic residue whatsoever.
Their.reusable sandwich bags are made from a clever blend of non-toxic, renewable plant-based materials that will keep your lunch fresh and mother earth happy.
Mythical PBAT Rants
Turns out that PBAT breaks down into tiny microplastic particles, very much contributing to the environmental crisis we're facing today. So, even though it may seem like a positive step towards sustainability, it isn't,
PBAT proponents will try to tell you that any plastic residues will be digested and returned to the planet's biomass by naturally occurring organisms in the environment.
But they don't tell you that these plastic eating microorganisms are highly specific. and not abundantly everywhere.
New Zealand Company Not Alone
Compostic bags, and others on the No Plastics List, are not only compostable, but can break down in a domestic compost bin (or landfill) within 3 to 6 months. That's right, folks – no more wondering whether your compostable items are actually biodegrading into toxic compounds.
Among some of the best reusable sandwich bags available today are non microplastic, compostable alternatives. Not just better for the environment, they also offer a range of benefits that you just won't find in your run-of-the-mill plastic baggies.
We Really Hate Those PBATs
Oh PBAT, not the most popular kid on the block. In fact, PBAT is is responsible for giving bioplastics a really bad name, and a big part of the microplastic problem.
Unni has likewise come to the rescue with their polyethylene-free sandwich bags!
These clever little bags, made solely from plant materials and are fully compostable. With Unni bags, your lunch just got a little bit greener (and tastier too!). You can use them for anything from storing leftovers to organizing your travel essentials.
Many With Closure Strips: Like The Old Ziplocks
Freezer And Microwave Safe
Lunchskins bags are made from sustainable materials, these bags come in a variety of fun patterns, so you can show off your style while saving the planet.
Freezer safe, they can be used in the microwave. Put plastic in the microwave, and what do you get? A toxic release of chemicals.
They come in a range of sizes so you can pack everything from a PB&J to a gourmet sandwich with ease. And let's not forget about the satisfaction of using a product that aligns with your zero-waste lifestyle.
Polyethylene Not Included
Polyethylene-free means no tiny plastic particles of any kind. Less than 5 millimeters in size, these particles come from a variety of sources, including the misleading PBAT.
And let me tell you, if we don't start paying attention to these mini menaces, we might be in for a rude awakening.
Once you've enclosed your food in your, now 100% biodegradable snack bags, you can pack them away in an equally biodegradable lunch sack! That is, of course, if you're not already using your favorite lunch box or picnic basket :)
Eco-Sacks for your Eco-Wrapped Snacks!
Great to find favorite reusable lunch bags, pails or baskets, but in case you don't have one yet, the traditional brown paper sack bas not gone out of style,
And fortunately for the planet, is 100% biodegradable. Normally you grab these from the dollar store, or wherever has the best bargain.
But did you know Amazon has bargains too? Can pick them up a 100 count for about $10. Plus these compostable but reusable lunch bags or picnic sacks even come in fun designs and colors.
Compostable Within Compostable
Bag Dream Lunch Sack has plain paper bags in traditional brown or polka dot! Steer away from their striped ones, though, that contain plastic :(
Lunch Notes has extra cute patterns, some in colors, for kids!
So now your lunch bags can disappear entirely, along with your food!
What About Silicone Lunch Bags?
Ah, silicone, the superhero of the kitchen! But how sustainable is this mighty material? Well...
...silicone is a synthetic rubber made from silicon, a widely abundant and accessible element found in quartz sand. It doesn't rely on rare natural resources and is, therefore, a more sustainable choice than other materials
Durable and long-lasting, silicone can withstand high temperatures without releasing toxins, and an excellent alternative to single-use plastics.
Silicone: Reusable Just Not Compostable
Companies like Stasher, Cokmart, and Homelux are making silicone reusable sandwich bags for storing food products.
Stasher 100% silicone
For non single use reusable sandwich bags, silicone is undoubtedly a more sustainable choice than plastics bags.
However, the only problem is that while it can be recycled, and should, most often it's not. There are currently very few facilities that handle silicone recycling.
Earth Friendly Lunch Or Picnic Is Here to Stay
In conclusion, folks, it's high time we stopped buying single-use plastic sandwich bags. The benefits of plastic free compostable zero waste alternatives are too great to ignore. There are even reusable sandwich bag options that are also compostable. So let's get packing and let the delicious, green-themed snack and compostable sandwich bags revolution begin!
Looking For Plastic Free Cling Wrap ? (yeah that's a thing) Go Here
FAQs
Are plastic sandwich bags really such a problem?
The short answer is yes, most definitely. Over 4 million tons, of sanwich bags alone, end up in growing landfills every year. And once there, are almost impossible to get rid of
Can't they be recycled?
Not really, no. Plastic sandwich bags fall under the category of “film plastic” made of ow-density polyethylene (or LDPE) or high-density polyethylene (or HDPE). Typically this type of plastic clogs machinery in recycling facilities.
Are plastic sandwich bags a danger to wildlife too?
Most definitely. Plastic sandwich bags are small enough to be swallowed by many animals, especially marine animals who often mistake them for something good to eat, like jellyfish.
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Noam ChomskyScholar, Linguist, Author
