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Plastic Sandwich Bags

BOTTOM LINE: Both are very poor alternatives to reusable containers, but if you’re in a bind, the energy savings give plastic sandwich bags a slight edge over waxed paper, as long as you reuse them frequently and recycle them if you can.

What they are: The type of plastic depends on the manufacturer. No bags are labeled, so consumers have to sleuth. Glad uses safer LDPE (#4 plastic) for food bags, as do Ziploc and Best Yet. Raw material source: oil Energy used in production: In addition to the thousands of gallons of oil used to produce plastic, experts estimate the energy requirements for the production of plastic at 1. 4 k Wh per pound.

Health: #4 is considered one of the safest plastics, but some bags use #3 polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which contains plasticizers you don’t want near your food. Disposal: Plastic bags aren’t easily recycled but can be easily cleaned and reused over and over again. General environmental impact: Plastic doesn’t break down in nature, and plastic bags have been found in the stomachs of birds and other wildlife.