In our frontier area, we are a long way from town. My problem with plastic bags is that there are just too many of them. After lining all my garbage cans with them, I hang one bag on the door and stuff the other bags in it.
When I make the long trip into town, I grab that bag of bags and take it out the door. When in town, I drop it off at the thrift store, the library, the farmer's market or the recycle bin at whatever of those four I stop at. My point is why would anyone want to store them? They are just plain in the way after they are empty.
My second solution to reducing the clutter of bags that find their way home with me from the store is to not use them. When at some grocery stores you can request paper. This I do. I can use it to start fires, wrap packages to mail, and haul out the burnable trash.
I have found that using those reusable fiber grocery store bags is not only a good way to bring home my groceries, but I also save 50 cents when I use them. I make far fewer trips back and forth from the car, and I can sort the groceries in them as I pack them. I put them one inside another and store them in my car for my next shopping trip. Simplifying my life is the best way to avoid a clutter of extra plastic.
By Leila B. from Brookings, OR
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I use plastic bags to cover foods, instead of buying plastic wrap. I have instructions from our local newspaper about ironing layers of them to make a crafting square that feels like leather.
So difficult getting out the plastic bag habit, but it can and should be done whenever possible, for the earth's and our sake. Cloth bags are the best choice from groceries and any stores you plan to buy from.
Reserve a few cloth for strictly garbage and/or keep washable garbage containers, such as stainless steel. Compost vegetable trimmings and other compostable items if possible (no meats). Plastic can degrade to very small pieces but does Not decompose back to organic and usable life forms for thousands of years, if then. Thanks for reading,thinking and acting!
Many people use the plastic bags for used kitty litter and for when taking their dogs for walks. I send my out of town daughter care packages often and I use plastic bags for packing instead of tissue paper, newspaper or what ever.
Why store plastic bags? Well, at my house we use the carrier bags from the grocery instead of buying bin liners for rubbish.
I do understand the need to do as much as possible to protect the environment and had started using a cloth carrier bag for shopping. Then I read on our county recycling page that using a grocery carrier bag for rubbish actually saves more energy!
Purpose made bin liners made with recycled plastics actually need a lot more energy to produce than the original bag; most carrier bags now are made to biodegrade over a year. So using the free carrier bags from the grocery and other shops as a bin liner turns out to be a better way to 'save the planet' than buying bin liners.
One of these days the grocery carrier bags will be made from a 100% compostable material like corn waste pressings. Several stores now make their gift cards with it, I look forward to the day all plastic bags are made with it! We've just got back from our annual visit to close friends in Devon (we live in the UK) and the council there uses 100% compostable bags to collect kitchen waste-WOW were those little bags cool!
Don't rule out plastic bags for many things. I use my clear veggie/fruit ones to keep yarn in so I can see it. A lot of ladies cut them and crochet bags out of them, or rugs for the back porch. When they are dirty, they can be sprayed with a hose or simply rinsed under the faucet.
As for storing them, I once posted here that you can get four bags in a spice bottle and keep them in your bag, car, camper and more. But all the tips are good ones!
When my dd was a baby we used plastic bags to put dirty diapers in so we could dispose of them later. We would put a few of the plastic grocery bags in an empty prescription bottle and keep one in the car, a few in the diaper bag and other places. We always take our own canvas bags with us to the grocery store, but it's good to keep a few plastic grocery bags on hand because you never know when you are going to need them.
People save bags for all kinds of things! I just used reusable bags at the grocery store, then my mom asked me to collect plastic bags for her and my sister. My sister cleans houses so she uses them for trash, and to line bathroom waste cans, and my mom uses them to clean out the litter box for her cat. I am juicing now and use them to collect the pulp to carry out to the compost pile, and I can also store some in the vegetable garden so I can bag up tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, and zucchini to bring up to the house, or to share with friends. In my mother's community you have to pay 25 cents a bag if you don't bring your own so when you are elderly every quarter counts. 4 bags at the grocery store is $1. Having extra bags in your purse or car save money, and they can be used several times, before they need to be disposed. That is why I save bags.
I do have reusable shopping bags and I use them.
However, when I run out of plastic grocery bags I leave my reusable bags at home so I can get more plastic bags with my groceries.
I save a certain amount to clean out my cat's litter box and some for tying up messy garbage before I put it in my trash bin so it doesn't smell and leak.
I only have one bag dispenser and when it is full I switch back to reusable bags for grocery shopping.
you can make some nice rugs with them
right now i am useing store plastic bags .To make blankets for the homeless.It help them stay dry and warm.
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