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Comment by jacknews | Hacker News Reader

It's very interesting but just makes you realize how much we waste. There's probably more plastic in those tags than in the plastic bag the bread is in.

Perhaps manufacturers see them as a customer convenience, to 'reseal' the bag when removing slices of bread. But a more environmental option would be to heat-seal the bag with some excess length, so customers could just cut the seal off, and then use their own (metal, wood, designer, whatever) clips/pegs to seal the bag. Or just move the loaf to a bread bin.

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Weird, I wouldn't have recognised these a week ago, but I bought some bagels recently that had it. In the UK far more common is a tape seal that's not very effectively reusable - the bag's bunched up and pushed through a slot which wraps the tape around, taping it to itself in a tag end, and cuts it off at a short length. Typically then (IME anyway) resealed with something reusable as you describe. Or to be honest you can just twist/fold the bag over? That's all I do with the bread I bake.

With these things, excessive plastic aside, nothing tells you it hasn't already been opened in the shop which is a bit weird. People have probably touched your fruit and vegetables, but they're going to be washed at least, and not being bagged there's no expectation that they haven't been. Just seemed a bit odd because it's unusual to me I suppose.

IIRC these types of rigid plastic tags were banned in the UK because they created hazards for children, which included being swallowed and then pinching shut parts of the digestive tract.

It's strange how children in some countries seem to be so much more prone to ingesting unsuitable items than in others. We use these reusable plastic pieces for bread bags all the time in Norway and I can't remember ever hearing that anyone regarded them as a hazard.

Anything small (but not quite small enough) like that could be; I suppose it just takes a high profile case for something specific to be banned/everyone voluntarily stops using it - especially for something like this with no shortage of (frankly better?) alternatives.

Huh, the one I bought recently was in the UK fwiw (Waitrose), saw them again earlier, just the one brand using them.

> use their own (metal, wood, designer, whatever) clips/pegs to seal the bag

We've long used wooden clothespins and/or office-supply binder clips.

A few companies started using cardboard bread tags (made from recycled paper) these days. I guess compostable bread bags will be next.

I'm in Canada, and every loaf of bread I've bought in the last few months (Ontario and BC) has cardboard bread ties. The loaf currently in my cupboard is Dempster's brand (a major bread producer), but I'm don't know what the other brands were. The cardboard ties look exactly like the plastic ties, except they're made of cardboard; and they work just as well.

Milk bags still come with plastic ties, but that might be because milk is much heavier and condensation could potentially cause the cardboard ties to get soggy.

Please excuse my ignorance, but you can buy milk in a bag?

Yes, and it's way better than jugs and cartons. In eastern Canada, it's the primary way milk is sold. You can buy cartons if you only need a small amount, but 4L jugs are only available at a few convenience stores and are not sold in grocery stores.

A larger bag contains three 1.33 L sealed, transparent bags of milk (4L total). Pop the bag into a jug (special jugs are sold for this, but any old jug will work) and cut one corner off to pour it. Minimal waste, super easy to pour, no lid required, doesn't take up so much room in the fridge, doesn't take up so much room on the dinner table... what's not to love?

> what's not to love?

It's a single use plastic with no chance of reuse.

I don't know; they make great sandwich bags when they're rinsed out. Just roll the top and hold it with a spring clamp.

Yes, not all of Canada, but definitely in Ontario:

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTPgd4HUk4w

[1] https://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/2010/02/04/so_we_drink_...

And, as for the paper/cardboard thingies, the website is up on them too and is eagerly monitoring the developing situation:

[2] http://www.horg.com/horg/?page_id=2936

I've been saving my plastic ones as the cardboard ones are unusable if you don't eat all the bread at once and need to reclose the bag.

I recently bought a bag of English muffins that had a paper tag! I hope all manufacturers adopt this.

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