Study
after study tells us that plastic grocery bags are better for the environment.
They take less energy to produce, transport, and recycle than paper grocery sacks.
The problem is that the vast majority of them do not get recycled, as many areas
do not accept plastic grocery bags for recycling. Additionally, the market for
recycled plastic is thus far underdeveloped. This “urban tumbleweed” clogs the
gutters, kills wildlife, makes the world less beautiful, and seems to reproduce
under the kitchen sink. According to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. runs through
100 billion plastic shopping bags every year. Though recycling should be the destination
of most plastic bags, reusing the bags before you recycle them, and avoiding
using plastic bags at all when possible, are the best ways to truly reduce the
number of plastic grocery bags out there. Here are 30 ways to do just that.
For Pet Lovers:
1.
Instead of buying special bags to clean up behind your dog, use used plastic grocery
bags.
2. Use them to scoop the cat’s
litter box.
3. Donate bags to your
local animal shelter.
4. Donate bags
to your local dog park – there is usually a dispenser there for those who forgot
to bring their own.
For the Crafty:
5. Cut the bags into loops and
knot them together into plastic “yarn.” This can be used to make braided rugs,
weave baskets, and crochet bigger, stronger bags that will last. Some people even
use plastic yarn to crochet sun hats. Knitting works too. It’s washable, but air
dry only.
6. Stuff Halloween dummies
with plastic bags instead of straw, using straw just around the cuffs.
7.
Protect your surfaces with plastic bags when doing messy crafts.
8.
Fuse bags into plastic fabric to sew with. Instructions for this are popping up
all over the internet.
Around the
House:
9. Line paint trays with
plastic bags before pouring the paint in, and cleanup becomes a breeze.
10.
Make a draft blocker: Sew a tube of recycled fabric and stuff it with the plastic
bags, then sew up the ends. Placed at the bottoms of drafty doors it will cut
down on the heating bills, saving even more energy.
11.
Use plastic bags as packing material instead of Styrofoam packing peanuts. It
reuses bags and prevents the production of more Styrofoam.
12.
Rather than using rope or plastic zip ties, loop together as many bags as needed
to make plastic rope. In the Kitchen:
13.
Wrap homemade bread in a clean plastic grocery bag. It will stay fresher but still
be able to breathe.
14. Use them to
pack lunches.
15. Use a plastic bag
as a cutting board when cutting up particularly messy items, like meat, or to
collect vegetable shavings.
16. Use
a clean bag as a non-stick surface for rolling out dough.
Out
of the House:
17. Keep a small
stash of bags in the truck of the car – they are great for all kinds of emergencies.
18. Use plastic grocery bags as camping
trip garbage bags.
19. Pick up bags
you see at the park or in the street and use them to collect any garbage and recyclable
litter.
20. Keep a few in the diaper
bag – these can be very handy when confronted with a very messy diaper, or when
the mess has spread to baby’s clothes, to protect the rest of the bag’s contents.
21. Donate them to your child’s daycare
center.
22. When traveling, wrap a
plastic bag around your toiletry bag to prevent any spills from spreading.
23.
Tie a couple over your feet and keep your shoes clean when you have to walk through
a muddy area.
24. Donate them to the
local library – many use them for sending home big stacks of books with patrons
who did not bring their own bag.
25.
Donate them to your local thrift store.
Reduce
the Number of Plastic Bags You Get:
26.
Bring the plastic bags you already have to the store to reuse them.
27.
Bring your own cloth or crocheted plastic bags to the store.
28.
Go through the self-checkout so you can add more items to each bag than checkers
normally do.
29. When buying just one
or two items, just throw them in your purse or briefcase, or carry them to the
car bag-less.
And Lastly:
30.
Support companies that use recycled plastic, from handmade African crafts to designer
chairs to composite decking.
1. Use a few to pack for an overnight trip. Voila! Your first set of matching luggage.
2. Use a plastic bag to store your hairpiece or hair weave when not wearing it. (If you’re not wearing it, make sure it’s put away ‘cuz we don’t want to see it).
3. If you can still afford to fly, use them as a vomit bag on an airplane. They can hold Way more than the ones the airlines now sell you for $1. (I made that part up…the airlines don’t actually charge you for the vomit bags…yet)
4. With the economic downturn, more people are opting to spend free time with friends and family…because they can’t afford to go out. With all these deadbeat houseguests, one of them is bound to peek in your medicine cabinet while using the bathroom. Make sure all those embarrassing ointments are carefully wrapped in plastic bags if you even hope of keeping any personal secrets. Even the ones stored out of sight are more likely to remain your little secret if they are covered in plastic. Should your Ben Gay, Jock-Itch, or nasty foot fungus cream leaks out of its tube, it’s easier to contain the mess and smell when it’s in a plastic bag.
Because I have many nosy relatives and friends stopping by, I have chosen to occasionally put marbles in my medicine cabinet. When a nosy visitor makes the mistake of peeking in the cabinet under the pretense of looking for an aspirin while using the bathroom, they get a surprise. As the medicine cabinet door opens, the marbles drop out en masse onto the bathroom counter and sink making a ton of noise for everyone in the house to hear.
Cost of the marbles? $20.00.
Cost of the grocery bags to store my marbles when not in use? Free.
Hearing your nosey mother-in-law’s lame excuses for opening the medicine cabinet while she was in the bathroom? Priceless.
5. Go to Neiman Marcus and treat yourself to something expensive. Personally, I recommend buying a nice new pair of shoes. Neiman Marcus will put that brand new box of shoes in big pretty plastic bag with their name on it. Walk out to your car, put the plastic bag in the trunk and then go back inside the store and return the shoes.
Keep that bag handy so that no matter what cheap crap you buy or where you shop, you can put your purchases in an obnoxious Neiman Marcus bag. When you bump into your friends at the mall, you won’t look like the broke slob that you actually have become. If you love going to the mall but don’t have a penny to buy anything to put in that Neiman Marcus bag, then pack your lunch in it before you head over there in the first place. You may not realize this, but your friends have been doing it for months.
(Please Note: This idea can be used with any bag that has the name of an over priced retail store on it)
6. Used wisely, a plastic bag could save your life! When traveling in the car with as a passenger, it’s good to keep a plastic bag readily available if you are riding with a hot headed driver. The next time he/she raises that hand to flip off another driver, slip that bag over their hand before someone else sees it and then runs you off the highway.
7. If you are so cheap that you carefully unwrap gifts so you can re-use the wrapping paper, you probably don’t need me to suggest storing that in a plastic shopping bag.
I have a few recommendations on what NOT to do with old grocery bags
1. Do NOT drop a padlock in it and then use it to bean the head of that lying cheating husband. You are better off divorcing him. Hitting him in the wallet hurts way more than a fast moving padlock to the side of the head.
If the padlock in the bag idea is too violent for you and you are still upset with that lying husband, you might try filling up a few of those bags with his personal items and then launching them out an open window. Fortunately, the TV doesn’t fit in a grocery bag. A few hours from now, you might regret throwing the TV out a window. Throwing out his clothes, toothbrush, and cologne? Throwing that stuff out today will still feel good tomorrow or the next day…even after making up.
In spite of this being a great momentary stress reliever, you still should NOT do it.
3. While visiting a retail establishment, do NOT blow up a plastic shopping bag like a balloon, yell “omigod, he’s got a gun!” then clap your hands together to make the blown-up bag make a loud “pop” sound. You’ll probably get arrested.
4. NEVER put a plastic bag over someone’s head as it could kill them! I have heard a few crude guys make jokes about putting a PAPER bag over the head of an unattractive female. That is wrong on so many levels. If you are one of those guys who think that’s funny, before you put a bag on anyone else’s head, I suggest you put the first bag over your own head.
In your case, feel free to use a plastic one.
In addition to our audio podcast show, we provide our audience with a companion page of resources, all with easy-to-use links. This is where we have highlighted your article "30 Uses for Plastic Grocery Bags" on rusticgirls.com as a resource to our listeners.
Please visit us and share this interview and our site with anyone interested in helping to change the world, one gift at a time, so you can enjoy What Really Matters!
Enjoy the show and please let us know if you have any questions.
Simply,
Jen
Jen Rehberger
Executive Producer / Host
http://vickyandjen.com/
jen@vickyandjen.com