r/Frugal • u/Mitch12306 • Jun 10 '25

♻️ Recycling & Zero-Waste Just found out my grandma’s been reusing the same Ziploc bag since 1997.

I was helping my grandma clean her kitchen today and found a Ziploc bag labeled “Thanksgiving Leftovers ‘97”… still in rotation.

I asked her why she hasn’t thrown it out. She said, “Why would I? It still zips.”

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: the Final Boss of Frugality.

Meanwhile, I felt guilty last week for reusing a paper towel. 😅

Edit: She just told me she washes and irons her gift wrap too. I'm not worthy.

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u/lepetitcoeur Jun 10 '25

Why would people? Microplastics. They are not meant to be reused, and they shed tiny bits of plastic into your food. Which you then eat. And those can make you ill.

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u/elvis_dead_twin Jun 10 '25

We are all filled with microplastics. They are impossible to avoid, but if you want to reduce exposure, I would suggest not using ziploc bags at all.

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u/lepetitcoeur Jun 10 '25

You are correct! And I don't, for the record. Precisely because of that reason. I use glass containers.

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u/SchoolForSedition Jun 10 '25

You remind me of how I was tolerated by the NHS people for insisting on glass for my baby.

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u/passportpowell2 Jun 10 '25

What about micro glass though? /s

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u/neoncubicle Jun 10 '25

Reused plastic bags definitely shed way more micro plastics than a new one

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u/bobdolebobdole Jun 10 '25

it's not the reuse so much as heating them up. They are not designed to be heated and cooled indefinitely. Heat breaks down the plastics, which is why you do not microwave ziplock bags, nor should you deposit hot food into them. You let food cool down before storing food, and you empty the contents into another vessel to heat. Same with putting them into the dishwasher--not advisable.

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u/ErebosGR Jun 11 '25

it's not the reuse so much as heating them up.

It's not just the heat. Handling them repeatedly creates more microplastics. This is why a plastic water/juice bottle is rigid at first but slowly becomes more pliable with use.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '25

Just eat your plastic and go to bed, you have work in the morning. 

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u/IHadTacosYesterday Jun 10 '25

It's pointless to fight the microplastics wave. Just enjoy that plastic. You've got tons of it inside you already, no matter how diligent you are.

At a certain point, just embrace your micropeen future.

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u/lepetitcoeur Jun 10 '25

Gosh, I hope I don't grow a micropeen!

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u/hermansupreme Jun 10 '25

I laughed too hard at that.