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48 pounds of bananas: How much you could buy if you reuse your plastic bags

According to the State of California, a plastic bag’s lifespan should be at least 125 uses. So, if we’re making PreZero plastic bags last so long, there must be—with apologies to Paul Simon—50 125 ways to reuse a plastic bag:

You can pack up your lunch a bunch.

Carry beach magazines, Jean.

Take a towel to your swim, Jim.

You get the idea.

You can’t keep a good bag down.

Unlike Mr. Simon, who only made two or three comebacks with Art Garfunkel, a reusable plastic bag can make 124 comebacks after its first hit performance. Whether you use them to contain spillable toiletries in your luggage while traveling, to collect seashells on the beach, or for a use unique to your needs, the plastic bag lifespan has big longevity potential.

Here are some more ideas to get as much use as possible out of your plastic bags:

  • Protect items when packing for a move.
  • Put shoes in them when packing a suitcase.
  • Use them for garage sale customers.
  • Keep wet bathing suits in them, away from dry stuff.
  • Fill them with ice and use them as cooler packs.
  • Donate them to a local food pantry.

How much cash can a plastic bag save you?

Numbers vary on just how many bags people use, but according to one local area study in Minnesota (hey, Stillwater, plastic bags are a great choice, too!), a family can average 8 plastic bags per week. In California, 8 bags would cost a minimum of 80 cents per week or $41.60 per year. What could you do with an extra $41.60 in California, if you kept on reusing those 8 bags, allowing them to live out their full plastic bag lifespan? Here are just a few ideas:

  • 48 pounds of bananas
  • 25 pounds of potatoes
  • 10 loaves of bread
  • 9 gallons of milk
  • 2 bottles of decent wine
  • 2 movie tickets (and maybe a small popcorn)

And the list doesn’t end there! You know better than anyone what $41.60 could mean for your household budget.

Whatever the cost benefit may be for you, or however many uses you find for your plastic bags, please remember to bring them to your store drop-off for recycling when your bags finally wear out.