View Full Version : Recycling Ziplock bags
treadwayal
01-03-2008, 02:51
Ok I haven't seen this yet and if there is a thread already I'm sorry.
When cooking I know you can use the ziplock baggies but does anyone reuse these baggies?? I mean is that a good idea?? I would hate to use once and it still be good to use later. and also wondering about anything else you might could reuse?
kayak karl
01-03-2008, 04:55
Ok I haven't seen this yet and if there is a thread already I'm sorry.
When cooking I know you can use the ziplock baggies but does anyone reuse these baggies?? I mean is that a good idea?? I would hate to use once and it still be good to use later. and also wondering about anything else you might could reuse?
its hard enough to clean utencils and pots on trail let alone zip-locks. i re-use bags that i stored powders in, but never cooked food.
re-use of can seems to be the favorite, for: cooking pots, stoves, candle lanterns, wood stoves, pot stands etc.
plastic bottles for: fuel container, extra water, storage, cup, cap to measure fuel, funnel, pee bottle etc.
cardboard for: hoke in shoe repair, fire starter, good insulator for sleeping under 34th st. bridge:D
after awhile you start looking at everything in a different light, WHAT can i make out of this!:-?. housewrap is a tarp, gutter spikes are tent stakes, wood is kindling, shop with a tape measure to get the right size can, screening and insulation are parts of stoves, trash picking for aluminum pipe, duct tape is your best friend and when you see a hill or woods in the distance, you think "Is there a trail there".
my friends think i'm crazy (strangers always did), but it's a medical condition. i got......AT A.D.D.:D
Todd Heyn
01-03-2008, 07:41
We do reuse the new Reynold's vacuum seal bags when at home. They are pretty durable and will withstand a number of hand washing before they lose the ability to hold a seal. My wife is really frugal that way.
When on the trail, Ziploc bags are a one time use item.
Lone Wolf
01-03-2008, 07:44
Ok I haven't seen this yet and if there is a thread already I'm sorry.
When cooking I know you can use the ziplock baggies but does anyone reuse these baggies?? I mean is that a good idea?? I would hate to use once and it still be good to use later. and also wondering about anything else you might could reuse?
hikers don't recycle and are lazy in general. carry a pot and cook from it. using all those zips for one cooking ain't being green. making plastic uses oil. al gore told me
hikers don't recycle and are lazy in general. carry a pot and cook from it. using all those zips for one cooking ain't being green. making plastic uses oil. al gore told me
Yeah, but even if you cook in a pot, each meal is still going to come in some sort of packaging, which you'll have to throw out. I don't think freezer bag cooking is any more wasteful than cooking in your pot--it's just a matter of what kind of trash you create.
That said, I throw out all my ziplocs when I'm done cooking with them, and I don't feel guilty about it. I figure when I'm on the trail, I'm not using any gas or electricity, and I'm not creating any waste except for my freezer bags and food wrappers. Compared to the average American, that's pretty damned good.
If you have recycling in your area you can rinse them out when you get home and recycle them. Having said that, on a thru hike that wouldn't be so easy. Unless you carry your food in containers or fabric sacks you will have garbage.....just try to make your imprint small (which you still can do using bags).
Pedaling Fool
01-03-2008, 12:23
Ok I haven't seen this yet and if there is a thread already I'm sorry.
When cooking I know you can use the ziplock baggies but does anyone reuse these baggies?? I mean is that a good idea?? I would hate to use once and it still be good to use later. and also wondering about anything else you might could reuse?
I'm still using ziplocks from my '06 thru-hike. I used them again in '07 from Springer to Damascus, and I'm now filling them with dehydrated foods for this year's hike: Springer - Harper's Ferry. Some have holes, but isn't that why we have Duct-tape.;)
Pedaling Fool
01-03-2008, 12:26
hikers don't recycle and are lazy in general....
That's been my experience, which also makes many of them hypocrites.
That's been my experience, which also makes many of them hypocrites.
I would disagree with that, but that would be in my case (and maybe not everyone). My recycle bins are twice as big as my garbage can at my house. We put out very little garbage (this week we filled our can half way. Our can is the smallest they offer.) I attempt to recycle as much as I can. We are fortunate that we get yard waste as well (and can toss in pizza boxes, wet paper towels, shredded paper...etc).
But then again I also attempt to make up for being a lazy American by driving a biodiesel vehicle that is 14 years old.
So I don't feel too guilty over bags.
Critterman
01-03-2008, 18:18
That's been my experience, which also makes many of them hypocrites.
Like me. I put all compact fluoresecent bulbs in my house and I think Al Gore is full of &*(&%$#@. :eek:
kayak karl
01-03-2008, 18:57
Ok I haven't seen this yet and if there is a thread already I'm sorry.
When cooking I know you can use the ziplock baggies but does anyone reuse these baggies?? I mean is that a good idea?? I would hate to use once and it still be good to use later. and also wondering about anything else you might could reuse?
are we talking about re-using or re-cycling. i never re-use any plastic. dont trust it on the trail. i eat out of metal pot, THAT i can clean well.
A not too messy ziplock can become your newest trash bag. Just toss it at the next trash can near a road crossing. Some areas it is easy to get rid of your trash every other day if not every day.
Yeah, but even if you cook in a pot, each meal is still going to come in some sort of packaging, which you'll have to throw out. I don't think freezer bag cooking is any more wasteful than cooking in your pot--it's just a matter of what kind of trash you create.
That said, I throw out all my ziplocs when I'm done cooking with them, and I don't feel guilty about it. I figure when I'm on the trail, I'm not using any gas or electricity, and I'm not creating any waste except for my freezer bags and food wrappers. Compared to the average American, that's pretty damned good.You can rationalize anything you want. People rationalize gas gussleers if they commute, SUVs as reducing the load on hostiptals, smoking as an aid to the ecomony because people who smoke die younger and don't collect social security, but the simple fact is that throwing away ZipLocs, one per meal, generates more trash than using a pot.
No need to feel guilty, but no need to pretend, either.
Pedaling Fool
01-04-2008, 22:40
You can rationalize anything you want. People rationalize gas gussleers if they commute, SUVs as reducing the load on hostiptals, smoking as an aid to the ecomony because people who smoke die younger and don't collect social security, but the simple fact is that throwing away ZipLocs, one per meal, generates more trash than using a pot.
No need to feel guilty, but no need to pretend, either.
Yeah, the easiest person to lie to is in the mirror.
the simple fact is that throwing away ZipLocs, one per meal, generates more trash than using a pot.
Well, that would be true IF you somehow carried all your food in fabric or paper bags and never used ANY plastic to carry your meals in. No matter what, most hikers nowdays use plastic bags wether or not they use a pot to cook in. If not plastic then often it is foil lined paper or foil packets. It is still garbage in the end.
We all generate garbage on the trail.
Two Speed
01-05-2008, 02:48
Interesting question. Generating an additional ziploc every day puts FBC at a disadvantage in terms of volume of trash generated on the trail, but could very easily allow an advantage if the FBC chef bought in bulk at home.
I think FBC is better adapted for overnight trips or section hikers. Thru hikers and long distance hikers are going to run into problems with keeping sufficient quantities of ziplocs and ingredients handy, not to mention the problems with carrying the used ziplocs. I suspect it'd tend to crank up the total pack weight, too.
Sarbar, please don't take this as a wholesale attack on FBC or your work in particular. I've tried a some of your recipes and have added a couple of them to my menu. They taste every bit as good if they're cooked in a pot. ;)
...ain't being green. making plastic uses oil. al gore told me
Nuf said.:D
We all generate garbage on the trail.
We all generate garbage everywhere.:(
I've posted this previous
http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=29611550&memberId=12500226&storeId=226&catalogId=40000000226&langId=-1
and had it pointed out to me of the weight penalty paid. But, buy putting your meal in here, add boiling water, you can eliminate, "freezer bags and sometimes a cozy" somewhat.
I also, suggest that you bring your "freezer type meals" in reusable containers[another weight penalty], but, then you are enabled to switch to smaller sandwich baggies for each separate "meal". Bigger containers can store all your meals, drink mixes, etc. in one water resistant, hangable container.
To each his own and HYOH. But, there are plenty ways to become greener.
Again, we all generate garbage everywhere. Probably, more so at home than on the trail, generally. I like recycle/reuse.:sun
Bulldawg
01-05-2008, 09:53
Like me. I put all compact fluoresecent bulbs in my house and I think Al Gore is full of &*(&%$#@. :eek:
Ya know I put about 20 of them things in my house and my power bill hasn't dropped a dollar. Ya think Gore is on the payroll of the company that makes those things???
Ya know I put about 20 of them things in my house and my power bill hasn't dropped a dollar. Ya think Gore is on the payroll of the company that makes those things???
Ya think?:eek: Most zealots are on somebodys payroll!
Two words, "skeptical reasoning".:sun
atraildreamer
01-05-2008, 14:28
But then again I also attempt to make up for being a lazy American by driving a biodiesel vehicle that is 14 years old.
I don't want to get off topic here, but have you seen the mis-adventures of the owner of the biodiesel Volvo in the movie "Unaccompanied Minors" ?
Too funny... LMAO! :D
When's the next book coming out Sarah?
Pedaling Fool
01-05-2008, 15:01
I would disagree with that, but that would be in my case (and maybe not everyone). My recycle bins are twice as big as my garbage can at my house. We put out very little garbage (this week we filled our can half way. Our can is the smallest they offer.) I attempt to recycle as much as I can. We are fortunate that we get yard waste as well (and can toss in pizza boxes, wet paper towels, shredded paper...etc).
But then again I also attempt to make up for being a lazy American by driving a biodiesel vehicle that is 14 years old.
So I don't feel too guilty over bags.
Yeah, I do the same, only because the city provides the recycle bins. I also don't throw food waste away, I compost. However, recycling is not all it's cracked-up to be (metals are an exception), especially when it comes with plastics it's not very effective and it's very costly and uses a good amount of energy, but it makes people feel good. I re-use them, it's because I don't like being part of a consumer based throw away society. It's just plain laziness and leads to total reliance on big business, but many just can't see that.
That's also why I don't drive a vehicle that much, I ride a bicycle everywhere, I'm not scared of Global Warming nor am I anti-technology, I don't like the power we Americans are giving the oil industry.
Our counties yard waste is composted then sold. Not a bad deal overall! (I have a compost bin in my back yard, but in winter I send it to the county. It works well for big stuff like branches as well.)
Now as for that pesky oil industry....run a diesel on WVO! It costs about $1500 to do the conversion. We are doing ours soon. At that point we can run our Benz on either dino diesel, biodiesel or WVO :) Not a bad deal overall.
take-a-knee
01-05-2008, 22:39
Yeah, I do the same, only because the city provides the recycle bins. I also don't throw food waste away, I compost. However, recycling is not all it's cracked-up to be (metals are an exception), especially when it comes with plastics it's not very effective and it's very costly and uses a good amount of energy, but it makes people feel good. I re-use them, it's because I don't like being part of a consumer based throw away society. It's just plain laziness and leads to total reliance on big business, but many just can't see that.
That's also why I don't drive a vehicle that much, I ride a bicycle everywhere, I'm not scared of Global Warming nor am I anti-technology, I don't like the power we Americans are giving the oil industry.
Very well said JohnGault. I wholly agree. We are in an oil war and everybody is still flying up and down the interstate in suburbans...alone.
treadwayal
01-07-2008, 12:53
wow lots of info!! lol Thanks guys ... I'll try and decifer and go from there lol.
Pedaling Fool
01-07-2008, 12:59
wow lots of info!! lol Thanks guys ... I'll try and decifer and go from there lol.
I understand your concern, it just boggles the mind how much we Americans waste, that's why I re-use plastic bags (I even duct tape ones w/ holes), most of them that go into the recycle bin end up in the dump. And for good reason, too expensive to recycle.