by Beth Terry
In my November 7 post about Evert Fresh bags, I expressed my frustration that people seeking to go plastic-free were buying these bags, believing that the bags were not made from petroleum-based plastic. I explained that this mistaken belief came from misleading or missing information on various web sites.
I’m now happy to report that after many emails and phone calls to these companies, at least three web sites have been updated with the correct information. Greenfeet was the first to fix their listing on Amazon.com, rewording the description to state that the “bags are made from a low-density polyethylene plastic (#4) impregnated with a natural clay based mineral that absorbs ethylene.” Now, it appears that while Greenfeet still sells the bags on its own site, it is no longer selling them through Amazon.com.
Amazon seller 877MYJUICER also changed the product description to say that the “bags are made from low-density polyethylene plastic materials….”
And after my persistent e-mails and phone calls to Reusablebags.com, they have updated their Evert Fresh description to read, “Evert Fresh bags are made from low density polyethylene that is coated with a fine layer of natural clay containing high levels of a mineral proven to absorb ethylene gas.” I am particularly happy about the change to the Reusablebags.com site since it caters to people looking for plastic-free options.
The changes to the Evert Fresh bag descriptions on these sites gives people the information they need to make decisions about whether or not to purchase the bags. So I’m glad for that. I personally won’t be buying them, as I stated in my earlier post, because I don’t like the idea of using a petroleum-based non-biodegradable plastic bag to keep food fresh a little bit longer.
Wouldn’t it be great if someone came up with a compostable bag using the same natural clay technology as Evert Fresh that would keep food fresh until then end of the bag’s useful life and then be composted with other green materials? Wouldn’t it be great if everyone composted, if even a little bit? Or stopped to think before buying too much food in the first place? These are a few things on my holiday wish list.
So this issue isn’t finished for me. There are still a few sites giving somewhat misleading information about the bags. But more importantly, it seems like there is an opportunity here for someone to come up with a truly “green” competing product. I’d love to find the person or company with the knowledge and desire to make something like that happen.
