June 17, 2009 12:10 PM PDT

Bag dryer saves bucks on lunchtime disposables

by Jennifer Lowell
  • Font size
  • Print
  • 3 comments

Food storage bags have revolutionized how we store edibles for longer periods of time, divide bulk bags into healthy portions, and pack lunches for workdays. The problem is that we use millions of them every year, and many of them end up in oceans, rivers, and landfills. Since they're not biodegradable, they end up staying there for a long time.

I'm certainly guilty of using the bags: on any given day, I'll use at least one, whether it's in a packed lunch or to bag dinner leftovers. I try to limit my use of them, but when I do have to use them, this bag dryer will thankfully let me reuse them too.

The Bag-E-Wash is handmade in Canada, and dries up to eight bags at a time. After being washed with soap and water, the bags are dried on the rack, preparing them for their next use. This simple act could cumulatively do wonders for the environment: if you reuse your 25-pack of sandwich bags 5 times, you prevent 125 bags from going in the garbage, and save yourself the cost of 5 additional boxes of 25 bags.

Not a bad bargain for the $16 price tag, if you ask me.

Jenn Lowell is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET.
Recent posts from Appliances & Kitchen Gadgets
Capresso CoffeeTeam TS smoothes the daily grind
Slow cooker simmers comfort all season long
Eat enough vitamin C
Sous vide soon to be the next kitchen gadget to see
Automatic opener opens more than cans
Watch YouTube on your microwave
This vacuum knows how to rock
Online laundry
Add a Comment (Log in or register) (3 Comments)
  • prev
  • 1
  • next
by rickbroida June 17, 2009 12:22 PM PDT
Talk about a DIY project waiting to happen. :) Anyone handy with a drill could probably whip this up in about 10 minutes.
Reply to this comment
by Dan_DTC June 17, 2009 12:26 PM PDT
What about the damage to the evironment washing the bags with soap and water, especially hot water?
Reply to this comment
by 1greenproduct July 1, 2009 2:09 PM PDT
Actually, I never use plastic bags anymore.
One nice alternative is to wrap sandwiches in wax paper - just as butchers used to do.
But of course, since I work from home, I guess I'm lucky in that I rarely have to worry about carrying a sandwich around...

- Aaron Dalton, 1GreenProduct.com
Reply to this comment
(3 Comments)
  • prev
  • 1
  • next
advertisement

About Appliances & Kitchen Gadgets

Having transformed the den and the living room, technology is about to revolutionize the kitchen and even the laundry room. Manufacturers are increasingly cramming silicon into everything from refrigerators to spoons, and you can count on CNET's technology experience to follow and explain these trends. In this blog, you'll find the good, the bad, the priceless, the useless, and everything that fits in between, brought to you by a team of culinary professionals and technology experts from CNET and its network of bloggers.

Add this feed to your online news reader

Appliances & Kitchen Gadgets topics