Ziploc Bags for $.33! Use, Re-Use then Recycle at Walmart!

I make seven lunches every day and go through a TON of Ziploc brand bags. Just because school is over doesn’t mean that we aren’t making lunches almost everyday. The kids have camps, we go to the YMCA and we are always trying to do fun things around the city and that requires a lunch at our house. We typically use them for sandwiches, chips and fruit in every meal. That would be a ton of bags if we just threw them out each day. I am not exactly what you would call a ‘tree-hugger,’ but I do think that every person has a duty not to be wasteful and to do their part to keep things clean.

I have tried alternatives to Ziploc bags but they get just as dirty and are not very practical to keep clean all the time. I applaud all of you with more patience and better time management skills than I have, but I just can’t do it. I also happen to think that using Ziploc bags can be MORE eco-friendly if you take a little time.

We do love using the Ziploc containers for things like pudding or fruit that can be easily squished. My kids like raspberries but they don’t want extra jam to put on the PB&J’s!

Here is what I do-

1. My kids bring home their Ziploc bags every day. I wash them out and let them dry overnight.

2. We reuse the bags, I try to get the full week out of them. I usually get 4-5 days out sandwich and crackers. The fruit bags we get 2-3, depending on the heat and how long the lunch bags got left in the car 🙂

3. Recycle?!?! Did you know that you can recycle Ziploc bags? I didn’t really either, I guess I never thought much about it. If you have a recycle can like we do here in Houston you can put washed out bags in there. Walmart is also helping to make it way easier and to get the word out. Starting in now you should be able to find a plastic bag drop-off bin, where Ziploc bags can be recycled, in your local Walmart store. If you don’t see it, you can ask your manager about it and I bet they will be able to find it for you.

  My 14 year old even takes a Gallon Size Ziploc Bag as her “lunchbox” and collects all the trash from her table then dumps it out in a can then washes her bag each day when she comes home from school. Love that girl!  We aren’t perfect and I can’t say that we don’t ever throw bags away before they have reached their full usage, but we do give it a really good effort. At the end of the day, if everyone puts in a real effort we can make a huge difference in the amount of plastic bags that end up in a landfill!

You know I can’t just give you info, I have to give you a deal to score! There is a $1.00/2 Any Ziploc Brand Bags Coupon and Ibotta deal that will score you a box of Ziploc Bags for only $.33!