Ziploc bags were invented in 1968 by Dow Chemical Company and today they are produced by S.C. Johnson and Son. Ziploc bags and similar bags made by Glad and Hefty are made from Polypropylene.
The Ziploc slogan is:
"Life Needs Plastic."
Polypropylene is a thermoplastic polymer derived from the monomer propylene. Polypropylene is classified by the Environmental Working Group as a low to moderate hazard. Polypropylene is considered a "safe" plastic but can leach, especially when exposed to heat. As with all plastics, it is a known endocrine disruptor.
Ziploc bags are designed to be reusable. Unless the bag has been in contact with raw meat, greasy items, or moldy food, they can be washed with soap and water and propped open to dry. You can even buy a bag dryer from a number of retailers just for this purpose.
If you bring your used, clean, and dry bags to a local retailer that accepts plastic film, they can be recycled. If you don't know where you can bring them, you can look at PlasticFilmRecycling.org to find a location near you.
The average American family uses 500 Ziploc or other brand plastic bags per year. According to Design Life Cycle, that's a total of 58,164,139 or just over 58 million bags used in the United States in one year. Considering the average American family also uses 500 plastic shopping bags per year, that's over 160 million in just two products that we use day to day.
You can avoid using Ziploc bags by substituting sustainable products instead. Try using a glass container, a mason jar, beeswax wraps, wax paper bags, or silicone bags.
My two cents: I think Ziploc bags are bad for the planet and bad for our health. We use them because we think we need them. There are so many alternatives that are better for both our health and the planet, we just don't realize it because we are so used to using what is the societal norm. I wasn't aware they are designed to be washed and reused until I started reading about them for this post. I also didn't know that they can be recycled. Just because they say they can be reused and they can be recycled, doesn't mean that they should be. Washing and reusing unstable plastic just isn't a good idea. Recycling is better than not recycling, but recycling everything is a pipe dream. The amount of energy and resources that go into recycling should be saved for things like glass and aluminum because they are a closed loop material, unlike plastic bags that can only be downcycled before ending up in a landfill or water system. Using any of the aforementioned reusable products you save money in the long run.
Rating: I give Ziploc bags and plastic storage bags made by competitors three out of five possible slow claps. Life needs less plastic, not more.
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