I have to confess that back in the day I was a prolific user of plastic snack bags. Every day I would make lunch for my three kids and I would drop in a plastic bag with a sandwich in it, another holding grapes or pretzels, a plastic cup of apple sauce, and maybe even a plastic bottle of water. I am embarrassed thinking back at all that plastic waste. What was I thinking??
You know what I was thinking? I was thinking I’ve got to make lunch for three kids as quickly as possible, and I’ve got to make it something they will eat. That meant no soggy or stale sandwich, no grapes that might seem like they touched the side of the lunchbox, and all before the popularity of the reusable water bottle. Like most working moms, I was looking for the quick & easy solution!
There were lots of other uses of plastic snack bags too. One mom started the trend of providing individual servings of organge slices in plastic snack bags for half time at soccer games games–that could be 12-20 plastic snack bags used for 5 minutes and then tossed into the trash. Ugh! They were also great for sorting and storing Lego pieces, carrying crayons to restaurants, and keeping game pieces together. That meant that we were going through lots of plastic bags.
I needed a plastic-free alternative to all these bags!
Fun and Plastic-Free!
I did try the wax paper bags when I could find them in the store (which was only occasionally), but those did not hold up well. If they became the slightest bit wet, they would disintegrate and tear. They did not seal shut so Goldfish or pretzels would fall out all over.
These Lunchskins paper sandwich bags solve all of those problems! I have to admit that the first thing that attracted me to these bags was the sharks. Who knows why, but the blue sharks make me happy. They also have other designs–apples, stripes, etc…–but I love the sharks. And there are other things that I love about these bags too.
The Basics–They Don’t Fall Apart
When I first found these bags I thought I would use them for just a few things like taking snacks on the road, but I actually use them all the time. I no longer have kids in elementary school or middle school, so I am not sending sandwiches too many places any more. But I have used them for sandwiches. I find that they are sturdier than the old wax bags, and can stand up to a little bit of moisture. So if, say, some juice from a tomato leaks out of your sandwich, the bag won’t disintegrate.
They Stay Shut
The feature that makes these bags a great substitute for plastic snack bags is the adhesive strip that seals them shut. This allows you to fold over the top and seal the bag so that even small pieces don’t fall out. This means I can use these for small snacks like nuts or Goldfish, or to store small things like Lego’s. The adhesive is strong so you can feel confident that it won’t unseal in, say, a lunchbox or backpack. But the strength of the adhesive means the bag is damaged when you open it up, and these bags are not really reusable.
Compostable Option
I love that these bags shut tight, but that feature may be the reason that the white bags with the seal strip are not compostable. They are recyclable, however, so I simply put them in with my paper recycling, and feel fine about the plastic waste that I have avoided.
For those who want to go the one step further, Lunchskins does offer compostable bags, made from unbleached paper. The compostable bags still have fun designs (sadly, not sharks) and they come with a sticker that you can use to keep them shut. The stickers are almost as good as the adhesive strip, but not quite.
The bags come in several sizes, making them great for all kinds of on-the-go and storage uses!
Things I Love:
- The sharks!
- These bags are plastic free!
- These are strong enough for most uses
- These have an adhesive strip to seal the bags
Things I Don’t Love:
- Nothing!
- These bags don’t do everything that plastic snack bags do, but that’s ok! There are other containers to do those jobs.
Product Info:
- Available at various grocery stores, Walmart, Target, and Whole Foods
- White and unbleached (compostable) bags, various sizes and various designs
- www.lunchskins.com
Lunchskins Paper Sandwich Bags Rating
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