Salad bags lock in freshness and a win for the environment

Marnee Stinton with her green salad bags made from wood pupl and corn starch.

Owner of Salads@palmwoods, Marnee Stinton, says she thought about what she would want as a consumer when deciding how to package her lettuce and herb range.

Now her Palmwoods farm has launched a range of plastic-free salad bags that are proving to be a hit with environmentally conscious consumers.

Marnee says many shoppers are frustrated with the huge amounts of plastic-wrapped produce in supermarkets.

Her compostable bags are made from wood pulp and cornstarch, then heat sealed to keep freshness in.

“From the day we took over this business we’ve been searching for ways to reduce the amount of plastic we use for our lush local lettuce,” Marnee said.

“As a farmer and a human being, living on this beautiful planet, we wanted to be as healthy as possible. This means living by green principles of recycling, reusing and reducing plastic waste.”

The switch from plastic was  only possible because the farm employed people to do the packing, not machines. The bags are packed by hand, by some of the 20 staff who work on site at Salads@palmwoods.

Marnee believes Salads@palmwoods, which follows the United Nation’s 17 principles of sustainable living, was one of the few lettuce and herb farms in Australia to use compostable bags. 

They’re being used to package the farm’s 100 gram salad range, as well as their packaged herbs.

“Customers are loving the products and making the switch from plastic,” Marnee says.

The Salads@palmwoods lettuce and herb range in compostable bags is available at selected IGA and Spar stores across the Sunshine Coast.

• www.saladsatpalmwoods.com.au. www.facebook.com/saladsatpalmwoods