The “waste” is negligible; doing some napkin math, a 20 minute car ride accounts for 300 times higher carbon footprint than a plastic produce bag (can elaborate if you want). A reused mesh bag is going to be less hygienic and less convenient, and factoring in the higher footprint of production and distribution (produce bags come in packs of thousands) you would need to get a lot of reuse out of it to even be worth it. Considering impact of disposal, as long as you live somewhere that has sane waste disposal and doesn’t empty their trash into the ocean it’s not going to be significant either.
People need to get some perspective on plastic waste. I’ve seen no end of complaints about how my 3d printing hobby is responsible for climate change… In my country, we produce >200 kg of plastic per capita. My 1kg spool of vegetable-derived plastic is not to blame for passing 3°.
I think it’s just since it is a visible thing, and because alternatives are products you can buy and be seen using, it becomes a prime target for scolding and virtue signalling.
It’s like complaining about a phone charger being left in the socket when the windows are open with the AC on.
Those produce bags weigh like 1/4 of a gram. Those produce reusable bags weigh like 30 grams. Most people lose or break, or toss the reusable produce bags before using them 120 times. It’s feel good bullshit for high consuming Whole Foods shoppers. And it’s a distraction.
To be clear, I’m all for reusable grocery bags, and generally against single use items. But the produce bags are so thin and light, they’re probably the least problematic.
