Zip Lock Bags: Handy Helpers or Environmental Villains?

Posted on February 20, 2025

These plastic pouches have become a staple in British households – you’ll find them stuffed with half-eaten biscuits in kitchen cupboards or organising holiday essentials in carry-ons. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves – are these trusty pouches as perfect as they seem? Let’s have a proper chinwag about their drawbacks and whether they’re worth the cupboard space.

The Not-So-Brilliant Bits

1. The Plastic Predicament

Here’s the rub: these bags are proper plastic nightmares. While you might pop them in your recycling with good intentions, most end up clogging landfill sites for centuries. In the UK alone, an estimated 100 billion single-use plastic bags are discarded annually – enough to wrap the M25 nearly 800 times! Even the “recyclable” ones often get rejected at sorting facilities due to that pesky zip mechanism.

2. Built Like a Cheap Umbrella

Let’s be honest – they’re about as sturdy as a Tesco Value carrier bag. Try packing a cheese ploughman’s for a picnic or storing loose change from your last Spanish holiday, and you’ll likely end up with crumbs in your rucksack or euros scattered through your handbag. That “airtight” seal? More like a polite suggestion when it comes to liquids – one wrong move and your shampoo’s leaked all over your best jumper.

3. Seal of Disapproval

We’ve all been there – that infuriating moment when the zip track refuses to align properly, leaving your carefully packed sarnies exposed. The seals tend to give up the ghost after a few uses too, going all floppy like a weak cuppa. Not exactly ideal for keeping your PG Tips fresh, are they?

4. Chemical Cocktails

While most UK supermarkets now stock BPA-free versions, these bags still contain enough questionable compounds to make a chemistry teacher wince. Heat them up (accidentally left on the radiator, perhaps?) and you might as well be marinating your meal in plastic particles. Not exactly the secret ingredient you want in your homemade marmalade.

Why We Can’t Quit Them

1. Proper Handy, Innit?

Let’s give credit where it’s due – they’re brilliant for those “Oh blimey, the in-laws are arriving in 20 minutes!” moments. Need to quickly stash loose buttons or organise your kid’s felt tips? Job done. The see-through design means you’re not playing guessing games with freezer contents either.

2. Tuppence a Dozen

At pennies per bag from your local Home Bargains, they’re cheaper than a Greggs sausage roll. Even the posh reusable versions from Lakeland won’t break the bank compared to fancy Tupperware.

3. Freezer Saviour

When properly sealed (and let’s face it, that’s a big IF), they’re decent for preventing freezer burn on your batch-cooked cottage pies. The flat storage means you’re not playing Jenga with plastic containers every time you fancy fish fingers.

The Verdict

Are they perfect? Not by a long chalk. Environmentally speaking, they’re about as green as a black cab. But until someone invents a truly airtight, childproof, and eco-friendly alternative that doesn’t cost the earth, most Brits will keep reaching for them. The trick is using them wisely – wash and reuse where possible, choose recycled versions, and for heaven’s sake don’t microwave them!

Next time you’re packing your meal deal or organising the Christmas decs, ask yourself: “Is this a job for a proper container, or will a zip bag do?” Your conscience (and possibly your cheese sandwiches) will thank you later.

Bonus Tips

1.Repurpose old bags for storing loose teabags or keeping your Oyster card dry
2.Use washed bags to protect phone from rain at football matches
3.Perfect for separating wet swimming costumes after holiday dips
4.Great for keeping biscuit tins crisp (ironically)