Ask Lemmy

That depends on what’s in it. Wet food (eg: a sandwich) absolutely do not reuse, throw that shit out. Dry food (eg: pretzels) can be used a couple of times or until visible wear is on the bag. Hardware: screws, nails, other nonsense, etc you can reuse until you’ve got holes.

I don't like using ziploc bags because they're intended to be disposed afterwards, generating lots of garbage. Instead I reuse hard containers. For example, my freezer is full of ice cream pots with tomato paste, cat food, lime juice, sauce, things like this. It's still plastic but it fits better the two first R's (reduce, reuse).

Ziploc full of Lincoln Logs gets infinity uses. Ziploc full of mashed potatoes gets one use.

Yup! I use them till they break and I just add a bit of ✨️packing tape✨️ and they're good again for about a year or so

once the zipper frays and the tape starts peeling then I replace them

I think they last for about 4+ years?

btw I think I got this idea from GamersNexus, not sure if that attribution is right tho

Yes for dry products where there is little risk of contamination e.g. nuts and dried fruits, or whole fruit and vegetables

I'd reuse as long as the bag was in good condition and clean, maybe up to 5 times

Absolutely. I wash them in the sink with my dishes. I throw them when they tear and can't properly seal. They're not hard to wash if you just invert them and treat them like a dish.

I bulk buy them from Costco so the cost isn't a factor. I just don't like throwing out plastics after one use. Also when I DO dispose of them; I tear the sides open so they're not likely to trap anything in landfill. Probably not important but it's a habit I picked up when cutting six pack rings and fingers off of torn dish gloves.

Very dependent on what it is, same as vacuum seal bags.

Anything raw? One use.

Wet? Not likely but in a pinch as long as it’s been washed and was only used recently.

Dry? Yeah, sure. Though I’d be more inclined to grab a new one.

Not exactly the best for the environment, which is why we use glass over plastic as often as possible.

Depends on what I use it for... dry goods like cookies, beans pasta I'll reuse them till they wear out...

Human remains though... that's a one time use.

(This is a joke)

Ew.

No.

But, I do own silicon Ziploc bags which are intended for cleaning and reuse.

I wouldn't reuse regular Ziploc bags if they had food in them: I'd usually put food in Saran wrap, a container or a reusable silicon locking bag. The latter two you can at least wash out easily.

IKEA ziplock bags. I wash and reuse them until they fall apart. The ones I carry around with dog treats I reinforce with clear wrapping tape because otherwise they split open in the bottom. The bottom is the only weak point, otherwise they can take any kind of beating.

I avoid ziplock bags now. I only keep them around now for travel (to store liquids for flying). Otherwise, they only create more waste and generate microplastics during use. You should especially avoid using them to store food due to potential microplastic contamination.

I used to. Once our twice. If the bag got dirty I'd trash them.

My wife pointed out they're super cheap and now I use them once and toss them.

No dawg

I wash out the 2 gallon ones

Nop, when we want to reuse, we use containers, bags are for one-time use.

There is an exception, we have special treathed bags for storage of vegetables and fruits. The coating slows down ripening and the bags can be wased about 20x before the coating is gone. They usually don't last that long. Alas, the store that had them stopped with them, as most people just threw them away after a singele usage. (So we try to extend their lifespan, even without coating they're useful)

Ziplog bags are used for items where we want to use a few at a time of, instead of all at once, like storing carrots for us or the guniea pigs.

Yes to store edibles in less than amazing bags/wrappers after they are opened.

I use ziplock bags for a load of purposes. Some are temporary, some are long-term, there are cheap thin ones and more pricy, but more robust thick ones.

For non-food items, I use them as long as they work out. I've got some boxes where I collect bags of different size classes for reuse as temporary storage.

For food items, I only use them once (but very rarely, anyway, usually to pack up food or drink when I travel), as they are not easy to clean properly.

I have bags I've been using for a year now for my weed. Reuse until it leaks.

Meh, I reuse everything multiple times. More to the question, I don't buy ziploc bags, or plastic wrap for that matter. I get plenty of stuff online that comes in resealable bags, so I keep those. Small bags go in a cigar box on top of the fridge, larger bags in the drawer. Just wrapped a tomato and onion in pieces of plastic from other goods.

Ex-MIL had a fit about me using store bags to wrap leftovers. "OMG! You don't know what kind of rats were in that factory!" Yeah. Rats are notorious for eating long-chain polymers. Plastic factories are overrun with vermin!

Seriously y'all, plastic is easily cleaned and reusable. And it's not like bacteria are chowing down on dry plastic. LOL, my Greatest Gen grandma used to turn Ziploc bags inside out and clean them with soap! Why not?

Pro tip: Take plastic grocery bags, mash 'em flat, roll tight and throw a rubber band on. Portable trash bags the size of a lipstick, uh, stick, thing.

I've only reused bags if they hold trinkets, like my marble collection. Food and messy bags are only used once.

I have silicone reusable bags I found at Goodwill. I use them for leftovers and sous vide. They're great.

I use Ziploc bags for food mostly (or toiletries when I'm traveling), so they're typically a one-time use only thing for me. But anything non-perishable or anything that doesn't go in my mouth/on my body can reuse the same bag until it breaks.