May 24

May 24 Conventional Plastic Bag Alternative ft. HoldOn

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Over the years, I have rid our home of single use plastic in most capacities, but an area I have never been able to 100% kick is plastic bags. I was able to use containers and reusable bags a lot, but since having my twins it was a lot harder to reach for more eco-friendly containers. Today I am thrilled to share HoldOn with you - a better way and a better bag.

Keep reading to learn more about HoldOn, their mission, and how they are changing the game of plastic bags. Use my discount code ELLEMULENOS for a free order of sandwich bags when you buy the household staples kit. Just add the set of sandwich bags to the cart along with the household staples kit, then apply the discount code. You’ll then receive $15.25 off your order!

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What is HoldOn?

HoldOn plastic bag alternative company that is a company based in Santa Monica, California. They are committed to helping build a better planet.

What makes HoldOn bags different?

HoldOn bags are composed of a unique polymer mix of cornstarch, plant-based renewables and nontoxic materials. Though they are heavy duty, they are home compostable and break down easily after use without emitting any harmful toxins. The average plastic bag contains toxins (for example, #4 polyethylene plastic which is commonly used to make plastic zip bags contains BPA), takes centuries to decompose, and emits harmful greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere as they degrade.

How do you home compost your HoldOn bags?

Simply cut the zip closure off if applicable and toss them into your home compost bin. Yes, it is that easy!

If you don’t have access to a compost bin or compost in your own home, no sweat. Simply using HoldOn bags in general is a more sustainable way to take out the trash, regardless of which way you deal with waste. The bags meet the highest criteria of biodegradability so they will break down quicker in a landfill than a conventional bag. It is recommended to snip off the zipper for optimal composting as removing it helps to aerate the material, but it too will also breakdown so no fear if you don’t cut if off.

Why does buying products like HoldOn even matter?

Americans use over 100 billion plastic bags each year. Of those, less than 2% are recycled and the other 98(ish) % take between 500 – 1000 years to decompose.

A big part of plastic bag usage comes from trash bags. Based on a study of 50 million Americans (there are over 330 million people in the U.S. A.), the average household uses about 25 trash bags per month, which equates to at least 15 billion trash bags per year.

If you aren’t already aware, a lot of our waste, especially plastic, ends up in our ocean. If the above trends continue, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by the year 2050.

Buying compostable bags like HoldOn can help reduce your contribution to waste in the world and though it may seem like a small change, it can actually have a big impact.

What products does HoldOn carry?

HoldOn offers four items:

4 gallon trash bags
13 gallon trash bags
1 gallon zip bags
sandwich sized zip bags

How do HoldOn prices compare to conventional baggies?

4 gallon trash bags, 50 count $13.00 ( 26 cents per item)
13 gallon trash bags, 40 count $25.75( 64 cents per item)
1 gallon zip bags, 25 count $10.60 (42 cents per item)
sandwich sized zip bags, 100 count $15.25 (15 cents per item)

Compared at averages I found on Amazon:

4 gallon trash bags about 5 - 17 cents per bag
13 gallon trash bags about 5 - 29 cents per bag
1 gallon zip bags about 13 - 18 cents per bag
sandwich sized zip bags 2 - 7 cents per bag

The HoldOn bags do cost up to 2x more per product, but in the grand scheme of things it is a small price to pay for the impact it will have on future waste. Choose the subscription model and never be without your HoldOn bags all while bringing the price down to match more of the conventional pricing. You can also shop sets of bags which allows you to try the products you’d like and save some money without committing to a subscription yet.

As a family we go through so many bags. Between on-the-go messy snacks, to the trash bags we use to contain diapers (we go through about a trash bag per day since we have twins), it is a lot. I’m stoked to have an option like HoldOn where I can feel good about what we are using and the impact (or lack there of!) we are having on the earth. We just got back from our 10 flight with our twins and it was so nice to be able to use the sandwich bags on-the-go at the airport and know I’m not sacrificing convenience for the earth with a traditional disposable bag.

I think that when alternatives come on the market, it can be disappointing when they don’t actually work as well, but HoldOn bags are heavy duty and work just as well, if not better than your conventional options. It may seem like such a small thing to change, but it is the small changes that we are able to stick to and if we all do it together, we can help make a dent in this widespread waste issue.

P.S. don’t forget you can use my discount code ELLEMULENOS for a free order of sandwich bags when you buy the household staples kit. Just add the set of sandwich bags to the cart along with the household staples kit, then apply the discount code. You’ll then receive $15.25 off your order!