Composting is a sustainable solution for better managing our waste, reducing the amount of garbage that ends up in landfills while at the same time providing a flood of nutrients and valuable resources for gardens and agriculture.
Trader Joe’s has always been a forward thinking company, particularly when it comes to environmental responsibility. It should come as no surprise to anyone that has done a decent amount of shopping at Trader Joe’s that they would be out on the forefront of introducing things like compostable bags.
While the overwhelming majority of retail organizations are still using plastic bags that are a nightmare for the environment (taking hundreds and hundreds of years to break down “naturally” while adding to the overall plastic pollution problem the world is already struggling with), Trader Joe’s decided to be proactive.
The new compostable shopping bags (shopping bags made from organic materials that can be added to any compost pile) have been a huge hit with Trader Joe customers – and for good reason.
Compostable Bags at Trader Joe’s
As we mentioned a moment ago, Trader Joe’s has (somewhat recently) started to make a companywide shift away from traditional plastic and disposable shopping bags to reusable, renewable, and compostable/biodegradable shopping bags.
These shopping bags are currently available to customers as an alternative option at almost all Trader Joe’s. But it’s not going to be long until these are the only shopping bag option available (outside of renewable and reusable bags that customers bring themselves, for course).
One of the things that makes these Trader Joe’s compostable bags so special is that they are made from 100% biodegradable materials.
We are talking about cornstarch and other plant-based ingredients that have been combined together to produce bags that are strong, reliable, and dependable when toting your groceries home – but can also be added to any compost pile or compost facility without headache or hassle.
You won’t have to worry about introducing any harmful toxins, you won’t have to worry about introducing dangerous chemicals, and you won’t have to worry about poisoning your local environment when you use these compostable bags.
Best of all, you reduce your environmental footprint and cutback on your dependence on petroleum products by switching from plastic shopping bags to these compostable options.
Adding these to your compost pile can help you grow your own food, too!
Advantages of Compostable Bags
There’s a lot to love when it comes to the compostable shopping bags available from Trader Joe’s.
Environmental Benefits
For starters, compostable bags made from 100% biodegradable and compostable materials are always going to be less harmful to the environment than shopping bags made from petroleum.
Plastic takes multiple lifetimes to fully break down and degrade, and even then it isn’t going to rejoin the earth or the soil as compost. Instead it’s going to leave micro plastic traces in the environment, poisoning and tainting our world (as well as the food we eat, the water we drink, and even the air we breathe) along the way.
It’s not unusual for tons and tons of plastic to end up in our oceans and natural spaces, killing wildlife and poisoning these valuable resources. The greenhouse gas emissions needed to produce these petroleum-based plastic bags are dangerous for our world, too.
You’ll not have to worry about any of those problems by switching to Trader Joe’s compostable shopping bags.
Cost Benefits
One of the coolest things about the compostable bags from Trader Joe’s – and probably a big part of why Trader Joe’s made such a big shift to these kinds of bags recently – is that they do not cost much more than plastic bags do.
This low price point allows major companies like Trader Joe’s to do the right thing from an environmental standpoint without having to cripple their bottom line or pass along increased expenses to their customers through higher prices.
Convenience for Customers
Finally, you’ll be glad to know that the compostable bags from Trader Joe’s are just as useful, just as strong, and just as reliable as the plastic bags that Trader Joe’s customers are used to.
Just because these bags are made from compostable materials doesn’t mean they are going to fall apart every time you fill them with your groceries. Nothing could be further from the truth!
To check the current price and availability of Trader Joe’s Reusable Bags, click here to view the selection on Amazon.
Challenges of Composting Trader Joe’s Bags
At the same time, we aren’t suggesting that everything is sunshine and roses when it comes to Trader Joe’s compostable shopping bags.
Limited Infrastructure for Composting
For starters, if you live in a particularly urban or developed area you may not have quite as many resources for composting as those in more rural or agricultural focused environments would.
If you don’t have a yard or garden to use your compostable bags you’ll have to find a compost facility, and sometimes that’s more challenging than most people realize.
Lack of Public Education on Composting
Secondly, there are lots of people out there that do not know Trader Joe’s shopping bags are compostable and can be used in an environmentally friendly way.
This is a huge public education issue and one that Trader Joe’s is working to rectify. Next time you go to Trader Joe’s and they offer compostable shopping bags pay attention to the signage they have highlighting the benefits and explaining how to use them best.
Challenges in Composting Compostable Bags
Finally, there is some chatter out there that Trader Joe’s compostable shopping bags take a little while longer to degrade in break down (especially in commercial composting facilities) compared to other options.
If these bags start to gum up the composting machinery it’s not impossible to think that composting organizations would stop accepting these bags, and that negates a lot of their environmental benefits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Trader Joe’s Produce Bags Really Compostable?
You bet! Trader Joe’s compostable bags are easily able to be composted since they are made from biodegradable materials and are designed to break down and return to the earth without any negative impact.
What Are Trader Joe’s Compostable Bags Made Of?
Trader Joe’s compostable bags are made up of a variety of proprietary biodegradable materials including cornstarch and other plant-based ingredients.
Final Thoughts
When you get right down to it, there are a number of things you can do to lower your environmental footprint – especially when you are shopping with environmentally focused grocery stores like Trader Joe’s.
Take advantage of compostable shopping bags when you can.
They are a fantastic alternative to plastic. They work well in your garden and will help you improve your local environment, the environment we all have the biggest impact on.
You can’t go wrong with these bags!
