The one-year Ziploc challenge

I moved into my apartment a little over a year ago, in mid-September 2008. My move has been a convenient way for me to keep track of how much stuff I use. I've realized what a good deal Mrs. Meyer's concentrated all-purpose cleaner is because I still have the same 32-ounce bottle I bought a year ago for $8 (it's about two-thirds gone, although I probably would have gone through it by now if I was better about washing my floors). But I'm most proud of my Ziploc bag habit. I've had the same two boxes of sandwich and freezer bags since I moved in and they are nowhere near being empty. I've used 18 out of the 54 freezer bags. Of the 125-count sandwich bag box, I've gone through probably 30 or so (don't feel like counting all of those).

How have I cut back? Well, about a year ago I wrote a post about an article I read that mentioned a family that used the same sandwich bag for a year by washing it every time. I knew that was too drastic for me but I did start washing and reusing bags more than I had before. My co-worker, who had told me about the article, said that as my New Year's resolution I should try to limit myself to one box (not one bag for god's sake) for one year. Instead of waiting until New Year's, I decided to keep track of how many bags I went through in my first year of living in my apartment.

I don't use plastic produce bags that often -- only when I'm buying loose items like green beans but never for things like apples or broccoli (I don't understand people who put their bananas in a plastic bag. Is that supposed to keep them fresher or something? Seems like such an obvious waste to me). But I usually have a few on hand so I use those instead of sandwich bags and I reuse them as much as I can. I also re-use bread bags several times before they eventually get a little too worn and then I recycle them. I've also been using more plastic containers to hold things like nuts I take to work or half an avocado that I stick in the fridge. Now my most common use of Ziplocs is for raw chicken that I store in the freezer. It icks me out to think of reusing a bag that held raw chicken so those are one-time-only bags.

I feel good that I've cut back because I remember how often we'd run out of sandwich bags when I lived with roommates. Even though we were recycling most of them, it felt like such a waste. And it's really not that hard. The only annoyance is the cluster of wet bags littering my counter as they dry. I now see the reason for the bare-tree looking bag drying rack that I saw in a Gaiam catalog. At the time I thought it was a ridiculous and unnecessary invention. Now I admit, I kinda want one. Convenient that Christmas is coming up. I think it would make an excellent stocking stuffer. Anyone, anyone?