hmmm
I can make that!

Now we're talking. That's truly green - I wish Whole Foods and such would not leave out those little paper bags near the bulk section as though paper is eco-friendly. It's not. Only reuseable bags are. I will definetly buy these.

I don't especially like most tea towels as they are not absorbant.

(Meant to add - I buy regular dish towels instead of paper towels and sometimes cut them in half. Works perfectly).

I love the idea of bringing my own reusable bags to the bulk bins. Unfortunately, those bags weigh more than the plastic bags they provide at Whole Foods--and this means paying more. Right now, I just bring back the plastic bags from before.

The small bag is only .4 oz and the large one .9 oz, so the extra weight is neglible. Adorable and green. I love it!

If you know the weight of the bag, will the grocer tare it for you? Paying an extra .9 oz would add up if you were buying something expensive. That's about 60¢ if the item is $9.99/lb, which is not unheard of if you are buying nuts or dried fruit.

@ChicagoCook - Snack Taxi has nylon produce bags that I use. They are probably lighter than plastic and very easy to wash (they drip dry very fast - don't put them in the dryer in fact because the nylon heats up very fast).

@Megmosa - I was wondering that too, but I do not think it's an issue. If you're a regular customer at a health food store, who normally depends on each customer for their livelihood, I'm sure they would be willing to take the incredibly simple step of subtracting whatever you said the bag weighs. It would be an interesting social experiment and I'd love to hear the results.

Most stores I shop at give me a discount for a reuseable tote bag (5 cents per bag at one 15 cents per bag at another)! - why should it be any different for bulk bags? The store is still saving money on plastic bags, plus the ecosystem which gives them their livelihood in the first place.

I've asked before at Whole Foods if they'd tare a container you brought with you, but they said they're not able to do that. The tare amount is built in. I suppose it's not a big deal if your bag is light enough, but it would add up! It's likely offset by the 10 cents they give you for bringing your own bag, anyways.

But big, corporate stores like Whole Foods are always going to be fussier about that stuff than the smaller guys--despite their green efforts.

Thanks, @emmi! I might try to make some of my own ... they seem fairly simple to DIY. But if I fail at that ... :)

I just ordered some off of Amazon from Greenfeet. They bags I have are cotton string bags for produce and such. I haven't used them yet, but I'm looking forward to seeing how they work at the store. My bags already have the tare amount on the side of the bag.

You can also get produce bags and furoshiki at http://www.etsy.com/shop/thefabricsociety

They have the tare weight printed on the side...

@Chicagocook well that makes me mad. John Mackey is estimated at a net worth of $1 billion and he can't give us a few pennies break for making the effort to help the environment? What a jerk. It still drives me nuts to see the high-potential bulk bins and the wasteful plastic or paper bags sitting there next to them.

I use the snack taxi (also Chico) produce bags for everything. They keep my fridge from getting dirty because I keep loose produce (broccoli, corn, etc) inside the bags.

I suppose you could make your own if you could find nylon fabric, although Chico makes great bags for cheap and if they tear (which they never have for me) you can send them back and Chico will make rugs out of them.

Hey! Thanks for featuring our bags, Re-Nest!
Just wanted to mention that the weight is printed on each individual bag. We've never had a problem with the checkout person deducting the weight so there's no extra cost.
Just say no to plastic!

Meagan and Sasha
Wonder Thunder

I have these bags! I bought 4 of them (2 sm & 2 med) and they arrived last week; I'm so happy with them! And honestly, the minute cost of the extra fraction of an ounce is nothing to make a fuss about.

@ChicagoCook

I've actually had my containers tared at the local Whole Foods store without any trouble. Is it maybe something that varies from store to store?