REVIEW: ReUsies™ Sandwich and Snack bags

At one point or another, we've seen a report or an article about the detrimental impact of plastics on the economy, environment, and humans. If you haven't, the Environmental Protection Agency provides a good overview of marine debris impact. According to the EPA, 13 million tons of plastics were produced to make containers and packaging in 2009, and only 9% (which includes bags, sacks, and wraps) were recycled(1). In the last few years, a rise in companies providing alternatives to plastic bags have helped consumers reduce the negative impact of plastic bags, including mompreneurs. One such company is ReUsies™. 

PRODUCT 
Manufacturer

ReUsies™ manufactures reusable sandwich and snack bags. Check out their website for more plastic bag information. 

Founder
Karen Whorton and Becky Harper, Seattle moms who wanted to reduce the amount of plastic bags they were going to use for school and work lunches.

Social Networking
Blog, Facebook, Twitter

Products

Chugga Choo Sandwich bag (7.5”w/6”h) 

Chugga Choo Snack bag (6”w/5”h)

Materials

100% cotton, 100% nylon (BPA, Lead and Phthalate free)

Made in
Seattle, WA

Price 
Chugga Choo Sandwich bag $8.95
Chugga Choo Snack bag $6.95

MY THOUGHTS 
Design
My family has been using these bags for a couple of months now. They are awesome. Besides the obvious benefit of not spending money on snack and sandwich bags, and not adding to the plastic waste in landfills, I love that ReUsies™ has Velcro® on the front and back. I have often used the sandwich bag as a snack bag when the other one is already in use. I just fold it over twice, and instant snack bag. The Velcro® used creates a strong bond, but easy enough for my son to pull apart. Both bags are generous in size and allow for a large volume of food to keep. They also have a variety of cute cloths to choose from for both kids and adults.

Durability
After many, many hand washing, they still look like new, well, at least the outside does. Food was left in the sandwich bag which made a permanent stain on the nylon lining, and it hasn't come out. I have not washed them in the machine or dishwasher because it's actually very easy, and more convenient for me, to wash them by hand. I also have not dried them in the dryer and can't attest to shrinkage. They dry quickly enough being hung dried overnight. Despite using them for a variety of foods, I have not noticed any lingering odor from foods after washing. 

Functionality
I highly recommend ReUsies™ for dry items. The times that I put juicy fruits (cut melons, pineapples, and mangoes) in them, the juice soaked through to the cotton cover. I have put other fruits (grapes and strawberries) in them without problems, but I will probably not put food that could potentially leak if squeezed. These bags are soft. They will not prevent crackers or fruit from being crushed. They will, however, prevent anything (dry) inside them from spilling or scattering.

Price 
Price is comparable to other reusable bags sold.

Safety

We have not encountered any safety issues with these products. The nylon lining is BPA, lead and phthalate free.  
 

(1) epa.gov

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post. I won the products in this review from a blog giveaway and not the actual company. The opinions expressed in this post are solely mine. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review. I received permission from the company to use their trademarked brand/logo on my blog.