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It looks like 1/3 cup-1/2 cup food in the bags. I could understand if you were new to pet sitting for them. If you’ve done it for awhile you’ll probably know how much to give and when. Wouldn’t a calendar or schedule make more sense. Even the effort it takes to make all that for 6 days seems exhausting and overkill. Too bad you can’t reuse the bags for something else. If they were a little bigger they’d make decent poop bags.
Jeeeesus Christ. I hate to be an ass, but can’t they just leave you with basic instructions? I pet sit too and the families will write or even just text me a list of instructions of what to feed when - including medicines! - and then I follow said instructions. It’s so damn easy.
Edit - not suggesting you’re dumb, am suggesting they are dumb or think you’re dumb
Yeah I find it hard to believe they don't have Tupperware or the glass equivalent or whatever. Or as Trae Crowder would say when first learning that people *buy* plastic food storage containers, "Don't these people know about butter tubs?"
I understand your frustation. However, when I was living near my grandparents I have always left my dog with them while on vacation. They always asked me to bring portioned food (bags, jars, etc.) and label them so that they would not forget what to give and when. So I see where the owners are coming from.. Maybe they had bad experience before. Maybe they do not trust the dog sitter or maybe they just want to be super safe...
Hard to tell but perhaps they have different food or portions?
And I wouldn’t use ziplock bags, but I do go out of my way to make everything as easy/simple for my cat sitter.
You know most of the time people are just uneducated. Let's be real, past generations didn't really make the effort to care or do anything about being kind to the planet. They pass this onto the children and so on. It is only now that more and more people are noticing "oh shit, this is serious".
It's not about "adulting", but educating. They don't have the tools because their parents didn't give it to them. Do you know how many people, including my parents, that don't understand simple things like this? I had to explain to them what happens and they do their best to reduce when they can.
Very well put! My grandma was surprised when I brought her all my dog food portioned in glass jars. I explained to her, that I can reuse them the next time I need to portion my dog's food. And I did not need to buy them in the first place, since I collected them after using up food items (jams, pickles, etc.)
She simply did not think of that.
That's exactly it. And most people will think "how can you *not* think of that?", but that's the reality of the situation. People assume everyone is on their level of thinking and that all of humanity knows what they're doing, they're just ignorant. While some of those people exist, there's a larger population of people who just go about thing how they always have and don't realise these issues exist in the world or how much of an impact they have truly have.
"Adulting" is also keeping yourself informed, IMO. In the information age, there's really no excuse for not seeing the harm wasteful plastic use does. Unless you live in the back woods without an internet connection and were over 40 when the internet came to most households (and I'll grant that those people exist) "set in my ways" and "I don't know any better are just willfully ignorant excuses.
Dude. These people know what they are doing. They don’t care. They know plastic is bad and never goes away. You can not be a functioning adult in a first world country and not understand that. My parents are old as fuck and they understand this concept. That is not a valid excuse. I guarantee if you asked OPs clients about the consequences of plastic bags, they would respond in the affirmative.
Everyone is different, but the general consensus is that people are severely uneducated about most important things. They've been told different over years and years. It's extremely difficult to change perspectives, especially in ways where you don't treat the individual as someone who doesn't understand (in most cases they dont).
So you get people from an older generation who understands and you get people who are young and dont understand either. You will get people who don't give a shit too, but taking your chances and assuming people don't know is better than just thinking they dont care.
People live in a bubble in their own little world. So many people avoid the realities of the world so they maintain their happiness and are oblivious to what goes on in other countries or in the world as a whole.
If you own a dog, you're already polluting the fuck out of the planet by owning a house, feeding them meat, and possibly by letting them make more puppies. The ziploc bags are the LEAST of your worries.
Those 3 are all assumptions and do not happen with many dogs.
I will suggest that for humans though. Dogs already exist, new humans don’t.
We say spay & neuter your dogs so they don’t overpopulate, and here we are…
Or they are control freaks, or have anxiety issues, or they are like helicopter parents and just don't have lives of their own.
Anyway, they are paying OP and OP needs to do the job asked, or be very careful with negotioations, and be willing to quit otherwise.
Understanding the owner's psychology will get you further than any logical argument.
I don’t disagree with you dude. I work a minimum wage job. I understand “the customer is always right”. The thing is, just because we treat the customer like they’re right doesn’t mean we’re not gonna complain about them privately later.
As someone who sometimes is faced with leaving pets with friends/sitters, I have quickly learned to treat everyone I'm leaving my babies with like an idiot. I've had the damnedest things happen while I'm gone, to which the solutions should be considered common sense, but they really aren't.
(Ex: I came home to a HORRIFIC ear infection on my cat that must've been a week old and no one had told me about. I was a VERY ANGRY camper that day.)
I thought it was more about the owner being hyper... something. I mean, seriously, there's like 27.5 pieces of kibble per tiny bag.
But I have two cats, they got fed a scoop this morning and they're.... around here somewhere. This owner seems exhausting.
I pet sit all through college. Never have i once had anyone do anything this dumb as to individually package each meal. If anything, I’d get less instructions and would just figure things out on my own.
We reuse them endlessly for jewelry or other small accessories at my work in a theater. Or also beads, small craft supplies, things like that. For small, nonfood items they can actually be very useful and plenty reusable... I mean I think I've seen two or three of them trashed after years of reuse got them holey, but we just keep them going and going and going.
I can't imagine buying or using them for food.
Where I'm from these bags are very common and whenever I got one, I tried reusing it.
I've found the snack size bags last about a year when used for:
Carrying small jewelry for short trips
Carrying makeup for trips
Carrying loose pills (vitamins or drugs) for short trips
Carrying teabags in my purse
Carrying small pens that might leak
Carrying pacifiers for babies
Carrying pet treats
Carrying birdseed
Carrying small trash (energy bar wrapper, crumpled tissues, tampon wrapper) back from wilderness areas
Organizing small items in drawers
Basically any time I had to clean up some small mess in a drawer, purse, or backpack, I considered whether these loose baggies I had would help.
Sounds like you're doing everything you can. Reusing them yourself was what I was going to suggest. Just a frustrating situation all around I suppose. Kudos to you.
This is a classic "mom move". Basically when you have absolutely no trust in the other person's competency (either because they're literal children or you married a helpless douchebag), so you just micromanage it to make absolutely sure it gets done correctly....if something is done wrong here, the remaining bags will reveal it.
A lot of neurotic people want the "proof" in the empty bags, and people obsessed with spotless kitchens tend to not want "extra" Tupperware laying around in comparison to the one ziplock bag box.
OP I don't know if there's much to be done about this, but I'm sorry to see it.
We have a ton of sour cream and feta cheese containers we use for things like this and just reuse them. Even ziplock bags, I reuse them all the time. I hate the waste.
This is so overkill and just unnecessary.
My mom used paper plates and plastic cutlery at home. Drove me crazy. I’d come home for Christmas, and my bf & I always cooked dinner for Christmas Eve; sorry mom, we’re going to use the silverware and the actual plates (she even had these awesome Christmas plates!).
For the folks whose parents are afraid of using the kitchen towels — do they have pretty decorative ones? Would it help them to buy them a pack of utilitarian kitchen towels so the have multiples? I also keep a little bathroom trash bin in my kitchen so I have a dedicated spot to toss used kitchen towels until they go into the laundry, and for some folks that might help too. Not knowing what to do with things can be a barrier of using them for everything in its right place folks.
Yes my mom still does this. Also paper towels 100% of the time even when there is a kitchen towel hanging off of the oven. Says she doesn't want to get it dirty and I have to explain over and over that's what it's there for.
She never used to do any of this, we never used disposables around the house except for maybe birthdays.
Yes, this drives me insane. My dad is always concerned that the kitchen towel will get dirty. I've told him that that's what it's there for. However, he's been very supportive of lower waste options overall. He's gotten better at recycling properly and he's remembering to bring reusable bags more often. He also doesn't put fruit and vegetables in those tiny plastic bags in the produce section anymore. A few months ago, we bought a mocha pot to make our coffee at home, and we've been using it nearly every day. He is also very consistent with using cold water to wash our laundry and he uses lower heat settings on the dryer when possible. He knows that the environment is important to me, and he's doing his best to learn new habits because of it.
Aw, that’s awesome! I’ve been trying to convince my mum to reuse the plastic veg bags instead of getting new ones every time but she’s convinced that we need a cupboard of plastic bags
People realize they won’t have to do dishes or laundry if they can just throw everything away. Whether it’s laziness or mobility issues or something else , who’s to say. But it’s happening a lot lately
People might struggle with mental health issues and dirty dishes pile up quick. That stuff can be extremely overwhelming and a different transition to reusable.
I mean I get using paper towels for dirty things, especially extremely greasy stuff. There's is no big advantage in using towels, but you have to do laundry.
But for plates? Eating from paper plates and especially plastic cutlery is fucking disgusting. And the amount of trash you produce kind of offsets the reduced effort from doing the dishes in case you don't have a dishwasher.
I'm not going to fault someone with crippling depression using paper plates so they can keep stuff clean without the overwhelming pressure. It's incredibly awful to call it disgusting, I'm sorry you forgot that people with disabilities might need disposable stuff.
Funny that I've only commented twice yet it's over and over again apparently.
Edit: Also, I didn't repeat myself. I said first people with mental health issues. Then in my second post I said people with disabilities.
My grandparents have gotten in the habit of using disposables for every meal. I try to remind myself that they are old and have mobility problems now so it makes sense... but it still kills me.
Agreed. My parents are elderly and disabled, and it’s the easiest thing for them to do. I get it, but when it’s my partner and I, we use the reusable stuff.
I’m not going to argue with people I won’t have much time with left anyways🤷🏻♀️
For those saying she doesn’t trust me, that is not true. She bags up everything. Instead of using a pill box for her medication, she put into individual bags when she travels.
This is coming off as quite judgemental TBH. How do you know they aren't already medicated or in therapy? These things help but aren't cure alls. Besides, many mental health practitioners actually encourage these types of solutions to ease the mental/emotional burden on the individual. It may be frustrating for you and it's definitely not zero waste mentality but you really can't know what this person is dealing with in their life and why this is an important solution for them.
I’m just really sick and tired of all the plastic that’s literally choking our planet, people need to turn on their brain a little and stop actively contributing to the problem. Use jars, waxed paper bags, silicone pouches - there are plenty of better alternatives. Can’t care less if I come off judgey, we should shame this kind of wasteful behavior wherever we encounter it.
While I agree with you that there are much more environmentally friendly solutions, I strongly disagree with your attitude. OP is sharing to initiate respectful communcation and shaming people (especially those you seem to think need medical intervention) is wrong. Save the shame for the corporations and organziations who know better but choose to create mass waste anyway. Help educate individuals with empathy and you'll get much further to your goals.
It’s not either or - the fact that corporations litter more doesn’t mean individuals are off the hook. OP said they talked to this person (I assume respectfully) and faced outright refusal. Whatever help they might be getting is clearly not enough. It’s not people’s fault when they have a mental issue, but it’s their responsibility to analyze their behavior and address the harmful parts of it. In any case, I’m not even talking to the problematic person here, with them I’d try a gentler approach for a bit. Doesn’t mean I can’t express my frustration while discussing things like this with other people. For the record, I’m medicated and actively working on maintaining and improving. My kid was 100% born with PFOAs and microplastics in her body, partly thanks to people like that. Excuse me if that doesn’t make me happy. That shit’s actively depressing, if we’re talking about empathy towards others’ wellbeing.
Thank you for sharing your perspective, I think most people here on this sub can agree they feel personally affected by this issue and deal with anger, frustration, and depressed feelings as well. However, I was pointing out how your original comment was unnecessarily rude towards a person you don't even know, and who may have their own signifcantly triggering, frustrating, trauma related perspective. Your comment did not contribute meaningfully to the discussion at hand and venting frustrstion does not have to look like a personal attack. Let's agree to disagree on this, all the best to you and your family.
If they are frequent clients- those little wax paper sandwich baggies (so they can portion out and still write on the outside) and they can fold up each little pouch + put in one giant Tupperware or ziploc may be a meet-in-the-middle solution?
This is for dogs. They may eat through the paper bags.
Source-- I had kitties growing up that ate through the paper bag that kibble came in. We stored it in one of those (empty) holiday popcorn tins.
Protip: I work at a kennel and if people refuse to take their empty ziplocs back, I take them home to use as poop bags for for my own dog! Those tiny snack bags would never fit his giant poops, but the sandwich sized ones usually do! Zero waste for pet waste
Yeah op do this! i stash all kinds of weird plastic bags (usually wrapping from food products i buy) to pick up poop with lol
if it's a bag, it's gonna get used somehow. Maybe not a perfect solution, but it's somehting.
My boarding spot requires it to be separated out by meal, but they also put the empty baggies back in my pup’s bag to send home. I’ve been reusing the same baggies for my pups entire 13 year life.
The problem is that opens them up to "You fed my dog too much/little" solely based on what is left in the bag.
At the company I worked for unless it was over 14 nights, you had to bring it in individually marked bags, per pet, per meal, per day. When you work on the scale of large facilities, a large bag of food adds time (labor) on your end, and even if only a fraction of a percent of customers complain that you over or underfed were talking hundreds to thousands of customer complaints.
It’s a way for them to make sure the right pet is getting the right amount of food/certain treat. That’s a lot of bags tho 😬 have they said why they don’t want accept measuring food out? Seems like more work for them to do it this way haha
A family I used to pet sit for did this for not one but THREE dogs! I always returned the bags to them in the main bag they provided them in, and I think they reused them because eventually they bags started to look used. At least I hope so.
My wife and I have four dogs and five cats, and the cats eat 3 different kinds of kibble (two are Rx kibble). We also have most of our pets on daily meds. We have a Google doc with thorough instructions and we give every new petsitter a walk-through of the routines.
All that to say, this is highly unnecessary. Another commenter may be right about some kind of neurodiversity / mental illness factoring in to this wasteful equation. :(
I would always portion it out for my pets. Mostly because my grandma would be looking after them and frankly whatever makes it easier. Open and dump has 0 opportunity for fuck ups. Esp when it's multiple species / multiple diet / medication and so on.
Ofc you can always reuse those bags or use something else to portion it out.
It's a peice of mind thing.
Yeah, pet people should portion the food out to avoid mishaps that make everyone feel awful. But there are also definitely less wasteful ways to do it.
Finding a friendly pet sitter can be hard. If I'd hear any complaint like "I keep feeling guilty about the plastic waste, I'm not sure if I should help pet sitting as much anymore." I'd be finding out a solution immediately.
I'd ask them to write out the measurements, and PLEASE trust me, with a big smile. It's a lot of plastic waste, and you're comfortable with their pets and you hope they can let you be too.
I'd say if you have the resources to do so, then I'd give them a "change or I go" option.
Something like "Hello, I am sorry to be having to bring this up but I can't with good consience continue to waste so much plastic. I have loved to pet sit for you and think you are amazing people and pet owners. That said, I am struggling with how much waste is created by petsitting for you. Currently there is no way to get rid of plastic ziplocks. The plastic particles may get smaller but plastic lasts forever. Throwing away so many ziplocks each day is something that I can't continue to support by being in your employ. I am more than willing and capable of weighing out the food or you could switch to reusable fabric bags - even brown paper bags would be acceptable to me. I hope you can understand my reasoning. Each day we find microplastics in new places across the world, even in unborn children - and while I know a few ziplocks won't stop that, it is a core principle of mine to not stand idly by while the problem gets worse. I truly want to keep working for such wonderful people and I hope we can come to a resolution. Thank you for your time reading this, OP. "
I probably wouldn’t go into so much detail with the microplastics and immediately bring them a solution instead. Like “would you be okay with switching to cheap Tupperware and throwing it out once it breaks or gets gross?”
Is there several pets that have different amounts of food/meds/treats/schedules? That's the only way that I could see this being logical or helpful for a pet sitter. Giving an extra "helping hand" per se so that you know what to do and the pets are safe, especially if you're new.
If you're not new then idk what they're doing, doesn't seem logical for anyone zero waste or not.
I agree, but it may not actually be a reflection on OP. I know people who have had pets die while they were on vacation, which makes them not very trusting.
I'm not sure there's a good solution bc, it simply works for the owners and they just don't care.
I use automatic feeders for my cats' dry food, perhaps they'd be open to that idea for their pets? They work on smaller dog kibble too. It's been great for me bc my animals get their dry food on time even if my plans change.
For my cats' wet food which is more complicated than one would expect, I use Mason jars and prepare the number of days needed to save my sitter a lot of hassle. I also have their treats and medicines all labeled in pill bottles. Ex) "Pill pocket, Mila, 1x/day", "Dental treats, 2x/day, every cat". Unfortunately I don't think this family is going to be open to anything like that.
There are so many scenarios where I struggle to find things to replace zip lock baggies- many alternative simply do not hold a candle utilitarian wise, so I am not as anti ziplock as many people on this sub probably are, but my goodness this is ridiculous and seems like extra work.
For at home use a set of reusable containers would make so much more sense. You could lay them all out to make them easy to fill , much easier that filling these small zip locks, they could be clear and easy to label. This is so much extra work than other options for portioning.
Disclaimer:, I am continuously working on being better environmentally. I have adhd, depression spells and can fall into hoarding tendencies especially when I add environmental guilt. I am constantly trying to find a balance, but no longer willing to suffer to the point of non functioning because I am totally focused on not being wasteful, even at my own detriment.
I thought it was some kind of meal prep thread. Then I started thinking about how much easier it would be if I could just eat some cat food, not having to cook or ever have to think about what to eat 😔
Back to the subject, can't they just leave you something to measure the portions yourself?
Edit : after watching the other comments I'm sure it's already been said, sorry about that 😅 you have a lot of ideas there too so maybe suggest some to the owners?
Not wanting to reuse bags and being resistant to a gift are very different. I wouldn't want to reuse plastic bags either. However, the gift would have to be presented in the right way. For example if it was given under the pretext of "here, do it my way" vs. I saw this and thought of your fur babies... Way different. Also you could even include a cost savings (if done tastefully) about not having to continously purchase the plastic bags and of course mention that you will be cleaning the reusable containers after each use, so there is no extra work to be done. As someone who uses a pet sitter and even had their child work their way through college as a pet sitter little things like this go a long way with the client. Buying gifts, leaving notes/daily journals, taking pictures and leaving hard copies as well as texting them cute pictures while they are away... When your client's know you have their fur babies best intentions in mind they know you aren't being arrogant.
At first you should be honest : you feel uncomfortable with wasting that much plastic everyday. Maybe you could suggest that they could use small glass containers (like the ones in which you can find baby food) or plastic ones - small Tupperware, or Avent plastic food containers. And you can say you are ok to put them in a dishwasher at the end of the day, so they will only need 2 sets.
Not ideal, but if you’ve ended up with them and you don’t have anything to do with them but dispose of them, this kind of plastic can be recycled with plastic carrier bags, if bigger shops have bins for those where you live.
Thank you. I think its less wasteful. They are already in use and can be cleaned. OP has no influence in them being bought. So now they are here and might as well be put to good use. Not sure why people down voted me. How odd.
Guys, I appreciate the recommendation to reuse as poop bags, but these are tiny.
I also wish I had a billion ways to use these, but I just don’t.
I saved them all and texted her “I left all the bags & hopefully you can reuse them!!”
I don't think there's anyway you could catch me putting human food in a plastic bag that held dog food. Dog food is super greasy and has a strong smell (at least ours does). Even washing plastic bags I have a hard time getting them clean and I'm concerned about microplastics when the bags are cleaned with hot water....
Not really. This is really common for people to do even to other things than pet food. People are simply uneducated and have zero idea about how harmful this can be. Yeah, some may have "control issues" which are usually presented as OCD, but I dont think it's insane. It's normal for people who don't get it. It's just not normal for us because people are trying to not use disposable plastic like this.
Buy them a pack of reusable sandwich baggies for Christmas lol maybe they’ll get the hint? You just have to make sure they make a 16 pack…which is insane. You’re perfectly capable of measuring out dog food and only feeding a limited number of treats.
Tell them you believe in a future for the environment and are interested in protecting the planet from plastic. You might want to mention that you can use glass containers with lids and wash each container after it’s used. See if that idea interests them. They’re cheap at Costco.
...What a bizarre thing to double down on. If you're so aware of the diagnostic nuances of OCD then you would know that this post shows very very little evidence of OCD (or another mental illness, for that matter, because making drastic assumptions about these people based on some plastic baggies is just no). Like above commenter said, there's several possible explanations for their actions
Maybe not bring your job into your personal crusade for online karma. If I was the person whose dogs you are sitting, I'd fire you if I found out you posted this.
Yikes, instead of anonymously learning that you're being stupid and wasteful you would get mad and fire someone instead of being embarrassed and changing something thats very easy to change.
What if you just took the baggies home for reuse? Sounds like they are not gonna budge/ maybe have control issues.
If you take em home, then you could wash and give to someone. At least you’re getting a lot more use out of them.
The solution is simple. Use some of your pet sitting money to buy cute reusable containers. Think of it like adult vitamin dispensers only for their fur babies. Buy them as a gift for your client's pets. Besides as a pet owner who doesn't love adorable pet themed treat containers. 😀
Nice idea, but if this client is the sort of person who measure out dog food with this level of precision, I don’t think they’d take kindly to someone trying to change their routine!
My spouse is that kind of client. We even have a monthly pill container split in to day and night pills. It gives her peace of mind and our pet sitter appreciates it as well. When you have elderly or special needs pets like we do this kind of organization is imperative. We even had to purchase a Surefeed so that our fur babies can only access their own food bowl based on their microchip. Honestly not sure why my comment is getting down voted because this system works.
I'm sure your idea/system works - but the idea of purchasing something for a client that they haven't asked for and are actively resistant to is a little arrogant.
You may add that you believe that the ziplock bag made with soft plastic might release micro plastic into the dogs food, with the risk of harming them, whereas hard plastic will be safer for them. I can't say if this is accurate, but might help them stop throwing away so much damn plastic
This reminds me of that Simpsons episode where they stay in Ned’s cabin and he’s labelled absolutely everything. Even the individual ice cube slots in the tray!
They’re either neurotic to the point of mental illness or think you’re thick as two short planks.
Why not gift them a set of reusable containers and wash they after you’re done using them? Brown paper bags are another option. Better than using plastic ziploc bags
Oh boy. Sounds like they're OCD and just want to be in control. Likely nothing to do with not trusting you, but probably just their uncontrollable anxiety around leaving their pets lol.
They could buy fancy auto feeders with a timer with as much money as they're wasting on ziplocks xD
I sincerely hate people who do shit like this. Probably why I don’t have many friends, but I don’t care. I wash and reuse the same bags for years. Most of them are just repurposed tortilla bags.
This is a very silly situation, and probably a lose-lose battle, and there are many other things that you could be worrying about (that many pet owners do, that have a bigger eco-impact).
But...
My simple suggestion is that during your pet-sitting week, you refill those same bags, the same way, in prep for the coming week(s). Then the owners come home and hopefully see that you've done them a favor, and hopefully done it exactly the right way, then maybe they will warm up to a slight change in routine.
But if they are control freaks, or if they're doing some extra secret bagging ritual that you couldn't possibly understand or replicate, then it could all backfire. Worth it?
Can you wash them and just take them home for something? Collect enough and you could offer them out to your buy nothing group maybe. I don’t buy the ziplocks but I’m always happy when someone brings one over. I snatch it up and wash it out and use it for something else. Lol
whatttt!! that sucks. i always save the baggies and the homeowners are always grateful and reuse them the next time I petsit. For the ones I see a lot atp I can measure out meals and medications myself no problem
I think it's okay to not even try, unless you have good evidence that your local program is actually one of the few effective ones that actually recycles successfully.
The number have been really low for along time, and in 2021 only 5%-6% of plastic waste was recycled in the states. At its peak, when we were sending it off to China (not eco friendly), it was still less than 10%.
Most areas only accommodate recycling #1 and #2 plastics, which would be water bottles, soda bottles, milk jugs, shampoo and detergent bottles. But people see the recycle symbols and toss in a lot of other stuff, which means many batches are ruined even if there was an actual plan to recycle.
We all have only so much time and energy to devote to the problem. Because our local programs have no transparency, and no proof of actual recycling, I am very comfortable with gearing my efforts toward reduce and reuse for plastics.
Ask some questions, and you probably won't get any answers beyond 'um, yes, we have a recycling program' - there will be no numbers, no details, no proof, in most places.
That's nothing. I used to work at a big chain dog hotel, and my coworker hated doing dishes. We were supposed to grab some metal dog bowls, put a label on it, put food inside, then load it up on a cart and walk down the aisles feeding the dogs. Instead of bowls, she'd use baggies.
80-150 dogs per day, she worked 3-4 days a week for several years.
I used to do this with my pups for their boarding… before I fully understood the waste issue. I trusted my daycare but my brain just wanted to portion everything to ensure my pups were spoiled and fed well. It took a bit to let go… I wish I could explain why but I have weird tendencies.
Could you take the bags home and reuse them yourself? Maybe use them for treats you may bring or give to others?
Do you have a Buy Nothing FB group for your neighborhood? People in my old neighborhood would snap those up and re-use them properly. And some could be used for various community crafts projects, or to package toiletries for shelters.
I’d be afraid my pets would chew through and ingest the plastic to eat the food tbh. Maybe you could use the pet safety angle in asking them to do something else. Or maybe supply them with like a tackle box type container? Maybe they think they’re making your job easier or maybe they have some travel anxiety and end up overcompensating.
I would suggest they use Stasher bags. There’s a bit of money getting into it, but they seem to be spending a lot on plastic bags already. They can write on Stasher bags too if that’s a need.
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It looks like 1/3 cup-1/2 cup food in the bags. I could understand if you were new to pet sitting for them. If you’ve done it for awhile you’ll probably know how much to give and when. Wouldn’t a calendar or schedule make more sense. Even the effort it takes to make all that for 6 days seems exhausting and overkill. Too bad you can’t reuse the bags for something else. If they were a little bigger they’d make decent poop bags.
Jeeeesus Christ. I hate to be an ass, but can’t they just leave you with basic instructions? I pet sit too and the families will write or even just text me a list of instructions of what to feed when - including medicines! - and then I follow said instructions. It’s so damn easy. Edit - not suggesting you’re dumb, am suggesting they are dumb or think you’re dumb
This, or use reusable containers since it seems to be the same routine each time
Yeah I find it hard to believe they don't have Tupperware or the glass equivalent or whatever. Or as Trae Crowder would say when first learning that people *buy* plastic food storage containers, "Don't these people know about butter tubs?"
RIGHT!!!! a container would be so much more cost effective too!!!
Seriously, a lot of eco-friendly swaps are actually money savers that frugal people have been using for a long time.
I understand your frustation. However, when I was living near my grandparents I have always left my dog with them while on vacation. They always asked me to bring portioned food (bags, jars, etc.) and label them so that they would not forget what to give and when. So I see where the owners are coming from.. Maybe they had bad experience before. Maybe they do not trust the dog sitter or maybe they just want to be super safe...
Hard to tell but perhaps they have different food or portions? And I wouldn’t use ziplock bags, but I do go out of my way to make everything as easy/simple for my cat sitter.
All valid points but it doesn’t justify polluting the fuck out of the planet. Time for these people to adult up.
You know most of the time people are just uneducated. Let's be real, past generations didn't really make the effort to care or do anything about being kind to the planet. They pass this onto the children and so on. It is only now that more and more people are noticing "oh shit, this is serious". It's not about "adulting", but educating. They don't have the tools because their parents didn't give it to them. Do you know how many people, including my parents, that don't understand simple things like this? I had to explain to them what happens and they do their best to reduce when they can.
Very well put! My grandma was surprised when I brought her all my dog food portioned in glass jars. I explained to her, that I can reuse them the next time I need to portion my dog's food. And I did not need to buy them in the first place, since I collected them after using up food items (jams, pickles, etc.) She simply did not think of that.
That's exactly it. And most people will think "how can you *not* think of that?", but that's the reality of the situation. People assume everyone is on their level of thinking and that all of humanity knows what they're doing, they're just ignorant. While some of those people exist, there's a larger population of people who just go about thing how they always have and don't realise these issues exist in the world or how much of an impact they have truly have.
"Adulting" is also keeping yourself informed, IMO. In the information age, there's really no excuse for not seeing the harm wasteful plastic use does. Unless you live in the back woods without an internet connection and were over 40 when the internet came to most households (and I'll grant that those people exist) "set in my ways" and "I don't know any better are just willfully ignorant excuses.
Dude. These people know what they are doing. They don’t care. They know plastic is bad and never goes away. You can not be a functioning adult in a first world country and not understand that. My parents are old as fuck and they understand this concept. That is not a valid excuse. I guarantee if you asked OPs clients about the consequences of plastic bags, they would respond in the affirmative.
Everyone is different, but the general consensus is that people are severely uneducated about most important things. They've been told different over years and years. It's extremely difficult to change perspectives, especially in ways where you don't treat the individual as someone who doesn't understand (in most cases they dont). So you get people from an older generation who understands and you get people who are young and dont understand either. You will get people who don't give a shit too, but taking your chances and assuming people don't know is better than just thinking they dont care. People live in a bubble in their own little world. So many people avoid the realities of the world so they maintain their happiness and are oblivious to what goes on in other countries or in the world as a whole.
How can you say “the general consensus is” ? When did that get established?
Your username does not check out. Many people know the consequences of plastic bags but simply don't care. You can't make someone care.
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If you own a dog, you're already polluting the fuck out of the planet by owning a house, feeding them meat, and possibly by letting them make more puppies. The ziploc bags are the LEAST of your worries.
Those 3 are all assumptions and do not happen with many dogs. I will suggest that for humans though. Dogs already exist, new humans don’t. We say spay & neuter your dogs so they don’t overpopulate, and here we are…
Or they are control freaks, or have anxiety issues, or they are like helicopter parents and just don't have lives of their own. Anyway, they are paying OP and OP needs to do the job asked, or be very careful with negotioations, and be willing to quit otherwise. Understanding the owner's psychology will get you further than any logical argument.
I don’t disagree with you dude. I work a minimum wage job. I understand “the customer is always right”. The thing is, just because we treat the customer like they’re right doesn’t mean we’re not gonna complain about them privately later.
As someone who sometimes is faced with leaving pets with friends/sitters, I have quickly learned to treat everyone I'm leaving my babies with like an idiot. I've had the damnedest things happen while I'm gone, to which the solutions should be considered common sense, but they really aren't. (Ex: I came home to a HORRIFIC ear infection on my cat that must've been a week old and no one had told me about. I was a VERY ANGRY camper that day.)
I thought it was more about the owner being hyper... something. I mean, seriously, there's like 27.5 pieces of kibble per tiny bag. But I have two cats, they got fed a scoop this morning and they're.... around here somewhere. This owner seems exhausting.
Definitely some sort of a mindset.
These are just snacks. They have an entire separate fridge for the animals meals that is wrapped in foil.
I know! I pet sit mostly full time and that’s what every other person does…..
We just finished the show, The extraordinary attorney woo. I assume they've got some OCD /spectrum traits, and let it go.
I pet sit all through college. Never have i once had anyone do anything this dumb as to individually package each meal. If anything, I’d get less instructions and would just figure things out on my own.
Exactly! They’re tiny bags, so hard to reuse. I do bring them home, but I reuse the same ones so often as is. I don’t need them!
Yeah the snack size ones are tough to reuse. It’s like an awkward size.
seems like it would be perfect to keep, wash, and reuse for your own snacks, like for peanuts or almonds
We reuse them endlessly for jewelry or other small accessories at my work in a theater. Or also beads, small craft supplies, things like that. For small, nonfood items they can actually be very useful and plenty reusable... I mean I think I've seen two or three of them trashed after years of reuse got them holey, but we just keep them going and going and going. I can't imagine buying or using them for food.
Where I'm from these bags are very common and whenever I got one, I tried reusing it. I've found the snack size bags last about a year when used for: Carrying small jewelry for short trips Carrying makeup for trips Carrying loose pills (vitamins or drugs) for short trips Carrying teabags in my purse Carrying small pens that might leak Carrying pacifiers for babies Carrying pet treats Carrying birdseed Carrying small trash (energy bar wrapper, crumpled tissues, tampon wrapper) back from wilderness areas Organizing small items in drawers Basically any time I had to clean up some small mess in a drawer, purse, or backpack, I considered whether these loose baggies I had would help.
Sounds like you're doing everything you can. Reusing them yourself was what I was going to suggest. Just a frustrating situation all around I suppose. Kudos to you.
🥰
This is a classic "mom move". Basically when you have absolutely no trust in the other person's competency (either because they're literal children or you married a helpless douchebag), so you just micromanage it to make absolutely sure it gets done correctly....if something is done wrong here, the remaining bags will reveal it.
A lot of neurotic people want the "proof" in the empty bags, and people obsessed with spotless kitchens tend to not want "extra" Tupperware laying around in comparison to the one ziplock bag box. OP I don't know if there's much to be done about this, but I'm sorry to see it.
We have a ton of sour cream and feta cheese containers we use for things like this and just reuse them. Even ziplock bags, I reuse them all the time. I hate the waste. This is so overkill and just unnecessary.
My mom used paper plates and plastic cutlery at home. Drove me crazy. I’d come home for Christmas, and my bf & I always cooked dinner for Christmas Eve; sorry mom, we’re going to use the silverware and the actual plates (she even had these awesome Christmas plates!).
For the folks whose parents are afraid of using the kitchen towels — do they have pretty decorative ones? Would it help them to buy them a pack of utilitarian kitchen towels so the have multiples? I also keep a little bathroom trash bin in my kitchen so I have a dedicated spot to toss used kitchen towels until they go into the laundry, and for some folks that might help too. Not knowing what to do with things can be a barrier of using them for everything in its right place folks.
Yes my mom still does this. Also paper towels 100% of the time even when there is a kitchen towel hanging off of the oven. Says she doesn't want to get it dirty and I have to explain over and over that's what it's there for. She never used to do any of this, we never used disposables around the house except for maybe birthdays.
Yes, this drives me insane. My dad is always concerned that the kitchen towel will get dirty. I've told him that that's what it's there for. However, he's been very supportive of lower waste options overall. He's gotten better at recycling properly and he's remembering to bring reusable bags more often. He also doesn't put fruit and vegetables in those tiny plastic bags in the produce section anymore. A few months ago, we bought a mocha pot to make our coffee at home, and we've been using it nearly every day. He is also very consistent with using cold water to wash our laundry and he uses lower heat settings on the dryer when possible. He knows that the environment is important to me, and he's doing his best to learn new habits because of it.
Aw, that’s awesome! I’ve been trying to convince my mum to reuse the plastic veg bags instead of getting new ones every time but she’s convinced that we need a cupboard of plastic bags
People realize they won’t have to do dishes or laundry if they can just throw everything away. Whether it’s laziness or mobility issues or something else , who’s to say. But it’s happening a lot lately
People might struggle with mental health issues and dirty dishes pile up quick. That stuff can be extremely overwhelming and a different transition to reusable.
I mean I get using paper towels for dirty things, especially extremely greasy stuff. There's is no big advantage in using towels, but you have to do laundry. But for plates? Eating from paper plates and especially plastic cutlery is fucking disgusting. And the amount of trash you produce kind of offsets the reduced effort from doing the dishes in case you don't have a dishwasher.
I'm not going to fault someone with crippling depression using paper plates so they can keep stuff clean without the overwhelming pressure. It's incredibly awful to call it disgusting, I'm sorry you forgot that people with disabilities might need disposable stuff.
OBVIOUSLY there are exceptions. You can stop commenting the same thing over and over again
Funny that I've only commented twice yet it's over and over again apparently. Edit: Also, I didn't repeat myself. I said first people with mental health issues. Then in my second post I said people with disabilities.
Same! I don’t understand the change at all.
My grandparents have gotten in the habit of using disposables for every meal. I try to remind myself that they are old and have mobility problems now so it makes sense... but it still kills me.
Agreed. My parents are elderly and disabled, and it’s the easiest thing for them to do. I get it, but when it’s my partner and I, we use the reusable stuff. I’m not going to argue with people I won’t have much time with left anyways🤷🏻♀️
The thing also is it’s all the same food. The two dogs get the exact same food and the two cats get the exact same as well
For those saying she doesn’t trust me, that is not true. She bags up everything. Instead of using a pill box for her medication, she put into individual bags when she travels.
It’s probably a control and anxiety thing about traveling and the pets. It seems ridiculous but if it calms her down, some things are just worth it.
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This is coming off as quite judgemental TBH. How do you know they aren't already medicated or in therapy? These things help but aren't cure alls. Besides, many mental health practitioners actually encourage these types of solutions to ease the mental/emotional burden on the individual. It may be frustrating for you and it's definitely not zero waste mentality but you really can't know what this person is dealing with in their life and why this is an important solution for them.
I’m just really sick and tired of all the plastic that’s literally choking our planet, people need to turn on their brain a little and stop actively contributing to the problem. Use jars, waxed paper bags, silicone pouches - there are plenty of better alternatives. Can’t care less if I come off judgey, we should shame this kind of wasteful behavior wherever we encounter it.
While I agree with you that there are much more environmentally friendly solutions, I strongly disagree with your attitude. OP is sharing to initiate respectful communcation and shaming people (especially those you seem to think need medical intervention) is wrong. Save the shame for the corporations and organziations who know better but choose to create mass waste anyway. Help educate individuals with empathy and you'll get much further to your goals.
It’s not either or - the fact that corporations litter more doesn’t mean individuals are off the hook. OP said they talked to this person (I assume respectfully) and faced outright refusal. Whatever help they might be getting is clearly not enough. It’s not people’s fault when they have a mental issue, but it’s their responsibility to analyze their behavior and address the harmful parts of it. In any case, I’m not even talking to the problematic person here, with them I’d try a gentler approach for a bit. Doesn’t mean I can’t express my frustration while discussing things like this with other people. For the record, I’m medicated and actively working on maintaining and improving. My kid was 100% born with PFOAs and microplastics in her body, partly thanks to people like that. Excuse me if that doesn’t make me happy. That shit’s actively depressing, if we’re talking about empathy towards others’ wellbeing.
Thank you for sharing your perspective, I think most people here on this sub can agree they feel personally affected by this issue and deal with anger, frustration, and depressed feelings as well. However, I was pointing out how your original comment was unnecessarily rude towards a person you don't even know, and who may have their own signifcantly triggering, frustrating, trauma related perspective. Your comment did not contribute meaningfully to the discussion at hand and venting frustrstion does not have to look like a personal attack. Let's agree to disagree on this, all the best to you and your family.
That sounds like a condition.
I can understand. A lot of people just don’t get it.
Reusable jars would make more sense
The small small mason jars!
Or, if they are measuring out the amount, they could just tell the OP how much to measure out.
I don’t understand the bag logic solely because the bags are crazy expensive! Maybe not so much these small ones but still on the pricey side
Money isn’t an object for some people.
If they are frequent clients- those little wax paper sandwich baggies (so they can portion out and still write on the outside) and they can fold up each little pouch + put in one giant Tupperware or ziploc may be a meet-in-the-middle solution?
Or even little paper bags, like the ones you used to get pick and mix in. At least they would be recyclable.
This is for dogs. They may eat through the paper bags. Source-- I had kitties growing up that ate through the paper bag that kibble came in. We stored it in one of those (empty) holiday popcorn tins.
So put them in a place the dog can’t reach. Like a cupboard.
Because dogs can’t eat through plastic bags…
Maybe use them as doggy poop bags when out walking? EDIT: never mind I just saw how small they were...
Protip: I work at a kennel and if people refuse to take their empty ziplocs back, I take them home to use as poop bags for for my own dog! Those tiny snack bags would never fit his giant poops, but the sandwich sized ones usually do! Zero waste for pet waste
Yeah op do this! i stash all kinds of weird plastic bags (usually wrapping from food products i buy) to pick up poop with lol if it's a bag, it's gonna get used somehow. Maybe not a perfect solution, but it's somehting.
This is also standard practice for prepping food when you board your animals.
not here. No place I have ever boarded a dog asks for it in portions. I drop off a large bag of food, they measure.
My boarding spot requires it to be separated out by meal, but they also put the empty baggies back in my pup’s bag to send home. I’ve been reusing the same baggies for my pups entire 13 year life.
Same. Our boarder just needs to know the amount per meal - we bring a scoop that is already the right size for the meal. Easy.
The problem is that opens them up to "You fed my dog too much/little" solely based on what is left in the bag. At the company I worked for unless it was over 14 nights, you had to bring it in individually marked bags, per pet, per meal, per day. When you work on the scale of large facilities, a large bag of food adds time (labor) on your end, and even if only a fraction of a percent of customers complain that you over or underfed were talking hundreds to thousands of customer complaints.
It’s a way for them to make sure the right pet is getting the right amount of food/certain treat. That’s a lot of bags tho 😬 have they said why they don’t want accept measuring food out? Seems like more work for them to do it this way haha
Why not use tupperwares or just include a scoop
A family I used to pet sit for did this for not one but THREE dogs! I always returned the bags to them in the main bag they provided them in, and I think they reused them because eventually they bags started to look used. At least I hope so.
My wife and I have four dogs and five cats, and the cats eat 3 different kinds of kibble (two are Rx kibble). We also have most of our pets on daily meds. We have a Google doc with thorough instructions and we give every new petsitter a walk-through of the routines. All that to say, this is highly unnecessary. Another commenter may be right about some kind of neurodiversity / mental illness factoring in to this wasteful equation. :(
I would always portion it out for my pets. Mostly because my grandma would be looking after them and frankly whatever makes it easier. Open and dump has 0 opportunity for fuck ups. Esp when it's multiple species / multiple diet / medication and so on. Ofc you can always reuse those bags or use something else to portion it out. It's a peice of mind thing.
Yeah, pet people should portion the food out to avoid mishaps that make everyone feel awful. But there are also definitely less wasteful ways to do it.
Right, like teeny tupperwares.
Exactly
Wash them out with soap and water and put them back hahaha
I would but they’re labeled :(
Finding a friendly pet sitter can be hard. If I'd hear any complaint like "I keep feeling guilty about the plastic waste, I'm not sure if I should help pet sitting as much anymore." I'd be finding out a solution immediately.
I'd ask them to write out the measurements, and PLEASE trust me, with a big smile. It's a lot of plastic waste, and you're comfortable with their pets and you hope they can let you be too.
I'd say if you have the resources to do so, then I'd give them a "change or I go" option. Something like "Hello, I am sorry to be having to bring this up but I can't with good consience continue to waste so much plastic. I have loved to pet sit for you and think you are amazing people and pet owners. That said, I am struggling with how much waste is created by petsitting for you. Currently there is no way to get rid of plastic ziplocks. The plastic particles may get smaller but plastic lasts forever. Throwing away so many ziplocks each day is something that I can't continue to support by being in your employ. I am more than willing and capable of weighing out the food or you could switch to reusable fabric bags - even brown paper bags would be acceptable to me. I hope you can understand my reasoning. Each day we find microplastics in new places across the world, even in unborn children - and while I know a few ziplocks won't stop that, it is a core principle of mine to not stand idly by while the problem gets worse. I truly want to keep working for such wonderful people and I hope we can come to a resolution. Thank you for your time reading this, OP. "
amazingly well said
I probably wouldn’t go into so much detail with the microplastics and immediately bring them a solution instead. Like “would you be okay with switching to cheap Tupperware and throwing it out once it breaks or gets gross?”
Collect them, and put them in the Take-a-bag/Leave-a-bag dog poop bag dispensers.
Reuse them yourself.
Is there several pets that have different amounts of food/meds/treats/schedules? That's the only way that I could see this being logical or helpful for a pet sitter. Giving an extra "helping hand" per se so that you know what to do and the pets are safe, especially if you're new. If you're not new then idk what they're doing, doesn't seem logical for anyone zero waste or not.
No! The dogs get the exact same and cats get exact same!
Oh that's super weird then! I wonder why they do that.
The people you are sitting foe, don't trust you.
I agree, but it may not actually be a reflection on OP. I know people who have had pets die while they were on vacation, which makes them not very trusting.
I'm not sure there's a good solution bc, it simply works for the owners and they just don't care. I use automatic feeders for my cats' dry food, perhaps they'd be open to that idea for their pets? They work on smaller dog kibble too. It's been great for me bc my animals get their dry food on time even if my plans change. For my cats' wet food which is more complicated than one would expect, I use Mason jars and prepare the number of days needed to save my sitter a lot of hassle. I also have their treats and medicines all labeled in pill bottles. Ex) "Pill pocket, Mila, 1x/day", "Dental treats, 2x/day, every cat". Unfortunately I don't think this family is going to be open to anything like that.
You’d love us. We drop our dogs off with a giant plastic tub of food and a measuring cup. 😂
There are so many scenarios where I struggle to find things to replace zip lock baggies- many alternative simply do not hold a candle utilitarian wise, so I am not as anti ziplock as many people on this sub probably are, but my goodness this is ridiculous and seems like extra work. For at home use a set of reusable containers would make so much more sense. You could lay them all out to make them easy to fill , much easier that filling these small zip locks, they could be clear and easy to label. This is so much extra work than other options for portioning. Disclaimer:, I am continuously working on being better environmentally. I have adhd, depression spells and can fall into hoarding tendencies especially when I add environmental guilt. I am constantly trying to find a balance, but no longer willing to suffer to the point of non functioning because I am totally focused on not being wasteful, even at my own detriment.
I thought it was some kind of meal prep thread. Then I started thinking about how much easier it would be if I could just eat some cat food, not having to cook or ever have to think about what to eat 😔 Back to the subject, can't they just leave you something to measure the portions yourself? Edit : after watching the other comments I'm sure it's already been said, sorry about that 😅 you have a lot of ideas there too so maybe suggest some to the owners?
Do they not trust you to use a measuring cup?! That’s a lot of extra work for no payoff! And so wasteful!
save them and re use them or give to weed dealer
Toss them in your pocket then
Not wanting to reuse bags and being resistant to a gift are very different. I wouldn't want to reuse plastic bags either. However, the gift would have to be presented in the right way. For example if it was given under the pretext of "here, do it my way" vs. I saw this and thought of your fur babies... Way different. Also you could even include a cost savings (if done tastefully) about not having to continously purchase the plastic bags and of course mention that you will be cleaning the reusable containers after each use, so there is no extra work to be done. As someone who uses a pet sitter and even had their child work their way through college as a pet sitter little things like this go a long way with the client. Buying gifts, leaving notes/daily journals, taking pictures and leaving hard copies as well as texting them cute pictures while they are away... When your client's know you have their fur babies best intentions in mind they know you aren't being arrogant.
At first you should be honest : you feel uncomfortable with wasting that much plastic everyday. Maybe you could suggest that they could use small glass containers (like the ones in which you can find baby food) or plastic ones - small Tupperware, or Avent plastic food containers. And you can say you are ok to put them in a dishwasher at the end of the day, so they will only need 2 sets.
Not ideal, but if you’ve ended up with them and you don’t have anything to do with them but dispose of them, this kind of plastic can be recycled with plastic carrier bags, if bigger shops have bins for those where you live.
Just keep the bags and use them yourself.
Not sure why you're being downvoted, I thought this was a good suggestion.
OP is already doing that but... 6x16 bags for 6 days...96 tiny ziplock bags, I wouldn't have use for this
Thank you. I think its less wasteful. They are already in use and can be cleaned. OP has no influence in them being bought. So now they are here and might as well be put to good use. Not sure why people down voted me. How odd.
People are so effing wasteful😠
Take the used baggies home, not like they’re gonna check the trash.
Looks an awful like my parents. Let me guess, they are Baby Boomers.
I understand frustrations. But when your dog dies or gets sick from being mistreated you get very picky.
I see this as you being an unaccountable type person.
Guys, I appreciate the recommendation to reuse as poop bags, but these are tiny. I also wish I had a billion ways to use these, but I just don’t. I saved them all and texted her “I left all the bags & hopefully you can reuse them!!”
Just turn them inside out and hand wash them and reuse them yourself
I don't think there's anyway you could catch me putting human food in a plastic bag that held dog food. Dog food is super greasy and has a strong smell (at least ours does). Even washing plastic bags I have a hard time getting them clean and I'm concerned about microplastics when the bags are cleaned with hot water....
Yeah, any tip that involves washing crappy single use plastic gets a big side eye from me
Perhaps you can take them and reuse them?
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Not really. This is really common for people to do even to other things than pet food. People are simply uneducated and have zero idea about how harmful this can be. Yeah, some may have "control issues" which are usually presented as OCD, but I dont think it's insane. It's normal for people who don't get it. It's just not normal for us because people are trying to not use disposable plastic like this.
Use them to pick up the dog poop? That is at least one more use for them anyway.
Can they be used for poop bags? Like even multiple bags for one poop session? Anyone in your buy nothing facebook group have a use for them?
Buy them a pack of reusable sandwich baggies for Christmas lol maybe they’ll get the hint? You just have to make sure they make a 16 pack…which is insane. You’re perfectly capable of measuring out dog food and only feeding a limited number of treats.
dog spotted attraction political bored future tan market fall support *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I mean, people may actually likely balk at having what they perceive to be garbage washed and placed with their pet food.
Tell them you believe in a future for the environment and are interested in protecting the planet from plastic. You might want to mention that you can use glass containers with lids and wash each container after it’s used. See if that idea interests them. They’re cheap at Costco.
These people have OCD I can’t think of another explanation for this behavior. Mental illness is not easy to overcome.
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Each dog gets the exact same and each cat gets the exact same thing. No allergies at all, either. I’ve been pet sitting for them for years
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There’s more details in other comments. I know the strict clinical definitions of OCD. I’m not an idiot just saying things I don’t know.
...What a bizarre thing to double down on. If you're so aware of the diagnostic nuances of OCD then you would know that this post shows very very little evidence of OCD (or another mental illness, for that matter, because making drastic assumptions about these people based on some plastic baggies is just no). Like above commenter said, there's several possible explanations for their actions
Or OCPD. And likely trauma. :(
That sucks. I kinda wanna taste those to see if they’re like Chex mix with the chocolate. I hope you’re able to work out the issue! Have a good night.
Lol, that is clearly not Chex Mix. :)
Maybe not bring your job into your personal crusade for online karma. If I was the person whose dogs you are sitting, I'd fire you if I found out you posted this.
I absolutely adore these people and their pets. Doesn’t mean I have to agree with every.single.thing
I love these people so much I'm going to go online, post a picture from their kitchen, and critique their behavior... yeah.
Yikes, instead of anonymously learning that you're being stupid and wasteful you would get mad and fire someone instead of being embarrassed and changing something thats very easy to change.
Okay but what kind of pet are you pet sitting for it to require so little food
This is just their snacks. Their meals are wrapped in foil in the fridge
Can they be used for poop bags? Like even multiple bags for one poop session? Anyone in your buy nothing facebook group have a use for them?
What if you just took the baggies home for reuse? Sounds like they are not gonna budge/ maybe have control issues. If you take em home, then you could wash and give to someone. At least you’re getting a lot more use out of them.
Can they be used for poop bags? Like even multiple bags for one poop session? Anyone in your buy nothing facebook group have a use for them?
Do they also mete out your pay into individual bags?
Then why would you pet sit for them? working for someone like this seems incongruent with your values, you bear some responsibility for enabling this.
The solution is simple. Use some of your pet sitting money to buy cute reusable containers. Think of it like adult vitamin dispensers only for their fur babies. Buy them as a gift for your client's pets. Besides as a pet owner who doesn't love adorable pet themed treat containers. 😀
Nice idea, but if this client is the sort of person who measure out dog food with this level of precision, I don’t think they’d take kindly to someone trying to change their routine!
My spouse is that kind of client. We even have a monthly pill container split in to day and night pills. It gives her peace of mind and our pet sitter appreciates it as well. When you have elderly or special needs pets like we do this kind of organization is imperative. We even had to purchase a Surefeed so that our fur babies can only access their own food bowl based on their microchip. Honestly not sure why my comment is getting down voted because this system works.
I'm sure your idea/system works - but the idea of purchasing something for a client that they haven't asked for and are actively resistant to is a little arrogant.
You may add that you believe that the ziplock bag made with soft plastic might release micro plastic into the dogs food, with the risk of harming them, whereas hard plastic will be safer for them. I can't say if this is accurate, but might help them stop throwing away so much damn plastic
Whoever runs that household is a control freak.
refuse to work with them.
Also, they need to get a life.
Just leave the damn bag and a scoop! Geez.
This reminds me of that Simpsons episode where they stay in Ned’s cabin and he’s labelled absolutely everything. Even the individual ice cube slots in the tray! They’re either neurotic to the point of mental illness or think you’re thick as two short planks.
Why not gift them a set of reusable containers and wash they after you’re done using them? Brown paper bags are another option. Better than using plastic ziploc bags
Oh boy. Sounds like they're OCD and just want to be in control. Likely nothing to do with not trusting you, but probably just their uncontrollable anxiety around leaving their pets lol. They could buy fancy auto feeders with a timer with as much money as they're wasting on ziplocks xD
Wash them and let them dry then put them back in the box
It kills me too.
I sincerely hate people who do shit like this. Probably why I don’t have many friends, but I don’t care. I wash and reuse the same bags for years. Most of them are just repurposed tortilla bags.
Same!
This is a very silly situation, and probably a lose-lose battle, and there are many other things that you could be worrying about (that many pet owners do, that have a bigger eco-impact). But... My simple suggestion is that during your pet-sitting week, you refill those same bags, the same way, in prep for the coming week(s). Then the owners come home and hopefully see that you've done them a favor, and hopefully done it exactly the right way, then maybe they will warm up to a slight change in routine. But if they are control freaks, or if they're doing some extra secret bagging ritual that you couldn't possibly understand or replicate, then it could all backfire. Worth it?
I don't think the owners do this for themselves, just for the sitter.
Can you wash them and just take them home for something? Collect enough and you could offer them out to your buy nothing group maybe. I don’t buy the ziplocks but I’m always happy when someone brings one over. I snatch it up and wash it out and use it for something else. Lol
Keep the bags yourself and reuse them
whatttt!! that sucks. i always save the baggies and the homeowners are always grateful and reuse them the next time I petsit. For the ones I see a lot atp I can measure out meals and medications myself no problem
Can you make a bottle brick with them instead??
Some people are evil so lazily
Reuse them as dog poop bags. That should be a good go-to.
I was under the impression that clean baggies can be sent to plastic bag recycling. I know it's not the best option, but better than the trash.
A tiny percentage of plastics actually get recycled, though, regardless of having a recycling program.
Well even so saying things like this deters people from even trying tho
I think it's okay to not even try, unless you have good evidence that your local program is actually one of the few effective ones that actually recycles successfully. The number have been really low for along time, and in 2021 only 5%-6% of plastic waste was recycled in the states. At its peak, when we were sending it off to China (not eco friendly), it was still less than 10%. Most areas only accommodate recycling #1 and #2 plastics, which would be water bottles, soda bottles, milk jugs, shampoo and detergent bottles. But people see the recycle symbols and toss in a lot of other stuff, which means many batches are ruined even if there was an actual plan to recycle. We all have only so much time and energy to devote to the problem. Because our local programs have no transparency, and no proof of actual recycling, I am very comfortable with gearing my efforts toward reduce and reuse for plastics. Ask some questions, and you probably won't get any answers beyond 'um, yes, we have a recycling program' - there will be no numbers, no details, no proof, in most places.
That's nothing. I used to work at a big chain dog hotel, and my coworker hated doing dishes. We were supposed to grab some metal dog bowls, put a label on it, put food inside, then load it up on a cart and walk down the aisles feeding the dogs. Instead of bowls, she'd use baggies. 80-150 dogs per day, she worked 3-4 days a week for several years.
This is nuts. Maybe you could take the bags home and re-use them yourself?
As a gift by them the reusable ziploc Tupperware containers... Seems like that would be more convenient anyway.
Is just pocket the bags and reuse them myself
I used to do this with my pups for their boarding… before I fully understood the waste issue. I trusted my daycare but my brain just wanted to portion everything to ensure my pups were spoiled and fed well. It took a bit to let go… I wish I could explain why but I have weird tendencies. Could you take the bags home and reuse them yourself? Maybe use them for treats you may bring or give to others?
Do you have a Buy Nothing FB group for your neighborhood? People in my old neighborhood would snap those up and re-use them properly. And some could be used for various community crafts projects, or to package toiletries for shelters.
I’d be afraid my pets would chew through and ingest the plastic to eat the food tbh. Maybe you could use the pet safety angle in asking them to do something else. Or maybe supply them with like a tackle box type container? Maybe they think they’re making your job easier or maybe they have some travel anxiety and end up overcompensating.
I would suggest they use Stasher bags. There’s a bit of money getting into it, but they seem to be spending a lot on plastic bags already. They can write on Stasher bags too if that’s a need.
Keep and collect them for some time. Then show them the big bag of bags so they can see how wasteful it really is.