Amazon Fresh allows customers to order groceries and home essentials from Amazon to be delivered or picked up at their local store in just two hours. The groceries are packaged in large tote bags, and you might be wondering: Can I keep Amazon Fresh totes?
Can I Keep Amazon Fresh Totes?
You can absolutely keep Amazon Fresh totes! The large insulated bags are great for shopping, camping, picnics, or really anything else you might need a big green tote for. If you find you have too many, you can return them or recycle them, but you don’t have to.
To learn a bit more about Amazon Fresh totes, including why you can keep them, how to get rid of them, and even what to do with the ice packs inside, keep reading! We have everything you need to know.
Why Does Amazon Allow You to Keep Amazon Fresh Totes?
Amazon has received a bit of bad press over the years for its lack of environmental awareness. To combat this reputation, Amazon has taken The Climate Pledge, which commits them to being a net-zero carbon emissions company by 2040.
While it may seem like delivering millions of bags of groceries in bags is not helping them reach their target, the truth is that the bags themselves are completely recyclable and made from recycled paper.
Essentially, Amazon allows you to keep Amazon Fresh totes because picking them up is more effort, less cost-effective, and they are not alienating any customers as most people are happily recycling the bags or using them for other things.
What Can I Use Amazon Fresh Bags For?
Amazon Fresh bags are a great item to have in your home!
You can use them for picnics, camping, vacation, grocery shopping, retail shopping, organizing your home, and so much more.
The totes are fairly large and can fit a lot; plus, they can hold a significant amount of weight and are easy to carry!
Is It Better to Return Amazon Fresh Bags, Keep Them, or Throw Them Out?
Amazon hasn’t officially reported that they will use the Fresh bags again if you return them; however, many customers are opting to return the bags in the hope that they do get reused and that more don’t need to be made.
Keeping your Amazon Fresh bags and repurposing them is undoubtedly the most environmentally conscious way to deal with the bags. By doing so, you will ensure that you don’t use and waste more bags, and it can even make an impact by not purchasing new carrier bags over the next few years.
It’s important to remember that if you do not opt to get your Amazon Fresh bags picked up and you don’t want to keep them, they can and should go in the recycling bin.
How to Get Rid of Amazon Fresh Bags
As you now know, Amazon Fresh bags are made from recycled material and are 100% recyclable.
However, these totes are fairly large, and if you simply put them all in your recycling, you are going to fill the bin in seconds.
In order to efficiently get rid of Amazon Fresh tote bags and ensure you are doing so in the most environmentally friendly way, here’s what you need to do:
- Take out any plastic bags or ice packs (you need to dispose of these differently.)
- Break down the totes.
- Place as many folded bags as you can into one bag.
- Put that bag in your recycling bin.
How to Return Amazon Fresh Totes
If you are sick of filling up your recycling, even with the method listed above, and don’t need any more Amazon Fresh bags in your home, you can return them.
To return Amazon Fresh totes, there is technically no pick-up option you can select. However, if you make a new Amazon Fresh order, you should leave the bags at the front door. When the delivery person arrives, they will drop off your new order and take the old bags away!
Are There Any Amazon Fresh Tote Pickup Points?
Unfortunately, there are no Amazon Fresh tote pickup points.
But as we just learned, you can simply leave your totes on the doorstep of your home if you have a new Amazon Fresh delivery on the way, and they will be collected.
Secret Tip: In order to not leave multiple big green totes on your front doorstep, you can use the tactic from the video to condense all your Amazon Fresh totes into one bag!
What Should I Do With the Amazon Fresh Ice Packs?
Depending on what kind of food you ordered and where you ordered it from, your Amazon Fresh totes may come with a few different types of ice packs inside.
Amazon has reported that while some of the ice packs are recyclable, others are not. The ice pack in your bag should come with a set of instructions for disposable clarifying if they should be placed in the trash or recycling. However, if there are no instructions, Amazon recommends you place them in the trash.
Conclusion
You can and are encouraged to keep Amazon Fresh totes. They can be useful and will help reduce your carbon footprint, as you will not need to buy new bags! If you have enough totes, you can recycle them or have them picked up by the Amazon Fresh delivery staff.