I assume you’re trying not to use plastic bags since you are looking for reusable straws as well. A friend of mine is a handy up-cycler sort, and she made her own veggie bags out of repurposed sheer curtains. She threaded a shoelace through the hem since it’s already reinforced, she just sewed up the cut end after she cut them in different lengths. The dry really quickly and they weigh virtually nothing at the farmers’ markets and even the grocery store. If you’re not the handy type, you could use regular veggie bags or use zippered lingerie bags (we got some in different sizes and use them for bras, athletic wristbands and socks. They dry quickly too, and you can just swirl them in whatever you use to wash veggies. We usually use a large pot, make a solution of baking soda & water, and wash a bunch of stuff in sequence. As we rinse, we place the produce in the top rack of the dishwasher and let stuff drip onto the open dishwasher door (easy to drain when done). We start with stuff that’s not grown in the dirt (berries, tree fruits) and progress to things more likely to be dirty, like potatoes and carrots. If there’s a bunch of dirt on the bottom of the pot, we drain, rinse and make another solution.
I’m so happy to hear of so many people who understand the risks of single use plastics, from straws to plastic bags and plastic containers. That floating sea of plastic in the Pacific alarms me no end – fish are eating that stuff, and then people are eating those fish! Yuk! I’m blown away by every container of berries or tomatoes in the supermarket, and all that plastic that (at best) is recycled or (at worst) is tossed in people’s trash. I’m still using a bag of plastic straws I bought years ago – I don’t know any way to recycle them so I just clean them with a thin brush. I have some from Camelback (sold with the water bottles with the thick straws included) and I have other brushes I found in the baby aisle. I use hot soapy water and squeeze a sponge of it into the straw, and then stand the straws up in a glass to let gravity do the job. Then I rinse with hot soapy water. My nephew just ordered stainless steel straws that come with a brush but can also be put in the dishwasher. I’ll either do that or I’ll try the folding ones friends have bought that come with a brush as well as a carrying case you can attach to a key ring or backpack. Another friend contributed to a start-up company making these, and they are sending her free straws when they start production. I haven’t fully investigated that one, but you might look around.
I’ll be interested to read the rest of the responses you get!
