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| A Clean Galley Is A Happy Galley! |
Onboard my RV I use
a lot of plastic bags. Most of the time I end up with lots of those cheap shopping bags from large chain stores. They are OK, but not all that durable. Many times I wished I had a better quality bag in a bunch of sizes that could be used where a small garbage bag would be overkill. I stumbled across this nifty gadget. It's a self-contained dispenser that allows you choose the length of your bag and then simply cut it to fit. Seemed like a pretty good idea and might fit the bill nicely in my case. So I bought one. At only 5.00 for the loaded dispenser and one refill it was worth the experiment.
Each bag refill has 32.5 feet (10 M) worth of bag material. They open out to 2 Feet around. So not all that big, but great for small uses. How many bags you can get out of a roll of bag material is really based on the size (length) of bags you make. Did I mention that the name is really cute? "Knot-A-Bag" Get it? It's NOT a bag until you tie a knot at one end. To use it, you simply flip the cap open (it's attached so you don't lose it) pull out the amount of bag material you want, cut it using the attached to the dispenser lip cutting blade, tie a knot in one end and use. Sounds like MUCH more work than it actually is!
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| Note The Small, Angled Razor Cutter |
Refills are available after the one that is included, but I found that just buying another set is actually cheaper. Refilling the dispenser is pretty easy. Unscrew the cap, drop in the refill, pull the loose end through the cap and screw it back on. Ready for use. So what's it good for? The bags aren't huge, but for leftover food, wet bathing suits, long skinny objects like wet umbrellas, pet waste, you see where this is going...if you can fit it in the width of the bag it works great. I wish they would make several versions in different widths. That would be great. The whole device is about the size of a larger pill bottle and has a plastic hook on the back side. Looks like it was designed to be used with a strap or clipped on to your belt. Mine clipped on nicely to my back-of-seat pocket, so it's out of the way.
I have been using it to toss out nasty stuff, like
hair from the drains or
squashed bugs in paper towels/tissues. It's nice to have a bag handy that isn't wasteful, like throwing out a larger bag just to get something out of the RV. Fish entrails? Smelly food garbage from dinner. You could use it to extend your regular garbage storage by only putting dry items in that one and wet/nasty ones in a smaller bag. After tying they do seem pretty water and air tight. Of course, you can double knot if you like and be sure to pull the knot snug. You can use a twist tie on the top, but I've just been tying another knot. I'm getting pretty good at it by now. Very little wasted bag material on both knots.
I will try this out for the RV trip season and see what develops.
Be Seeing You...Down The Road,
Rich "
The Wanderman"
www.thewanderman.com
I'm actually trying to cut down on my use of plastic bags and am not sure we need more plastic bags in our lives. Mother Earth Day notwithstanding. Just saying.
ReplyDeleterailsaul,
DeleteBeing green is an admirable trait! As long as they are disposed of/recycled properly plastic bags are not evil.
Rich "The Wanderman"
I have to agree with Rich here -- NY just banned plastic bans (yes, that's as stupid as it sounds...), despite the science saying doing so will be a TERRIBLE harm to the planet. Logging paper is bad in production and transport, and sturdier reusable bags are an environmental blasphemy in manufacturing (1 reusable pollutes as bad as 526 standard bags... which most people DO reuse at stores and at home, so multiply that). Then there's the "leaky meat" hygeine conundrum in those bags. The result will be more even more pollution at the checkout line, PLUS buying *extra* plastic bags for dogpoo, wet suits, garbage, etc. where folks WOULD have just used the existing grocery bags. This is why ignorant feel-good laws end up harming worse. Remember how we got plastic bags because folks didn't like the paper bags? The problem is the disposable psychology, not environmental science.
DeleteI assume 2 feet around means about 8" across when flat? Pi and all that?
ReplyDeleteI'll have to research the source for you, but I've seen exactly this concept with larger/smaller bags in manufacturing setups... parts are often sleaved for friction protection during shipping, so the "bags" are just tubes that workers often don't even bother knotting. We used to have one with a heat-seal press (a giant FoodSaver for hardware... LOL). I'm sure you could buy just the plastic roll and put it in your own small plastic bucket of choice.
Wolfe,
ReplyDeleteMath! Yes....correct size. The small size, easily and cheaply obtainable refills and the cutter make this a useful gadget that's easy to find space for on board. I may end up hating it...but right now, with all the rain...it's been a boon!
Rich "The Wanderman"