Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Paper or Plastic?


I'm a pack-rat, no doubt about it, and my husband can't stand it. However, I try to save only items that are reusable, such as plastic shopping bags.

I use them to line small wastebaskets instead of buying the liners by the roll or box. This saves my family a lot of money because we make a lot of trash.

I also keep at least one in each vehicle, especially when traveling with the kids. In our van, I hang one between the driver and passenger seats - just slip a handle over each arm rest, and voila! instant trash receptacle.

When packing suitcases, I slip several in a side pocket to be used for dirty laundry, or muddy shoes, or wet swimsuits . . . you get the idea.

I keep them under the kitchen sink in a larger bag. When the bag is full, it's time to stop adding to the stash. Extras can be recycled. I have yet to deplete the stash, because each trip to the grocery store or Wal-Mart yields several new bags - free with every purchase.

I'm sure this isn't a novel idea, but it works for me!

11 comments:

Queen of Carrots said...

Despite my attempts to limit it, my plastic-bag stash keeps threatening to take over the universe.

I wish they made them kitchen-garbage-can sized!

boomama said...

Now, keeping one in the car for trash is a novel idea, one I will be implementing shortly. :-) And at Lowe's I found this thing that mounts on the wall of my pantry...you stick the plastic bags in at the top, and then you can pull them out from the bottom. It's magic. :-)

Anonymous said...

I save my bags too and use them for everything. I like to line my bathroom can with them and sometimes (when I remember) will stick one in the bottom of the can so that when I remove one there is one ready to go, thus saving a step.

Nettie said...

Another useful, if disgusting, use is to clean up after the dog. That is how we keep our bag supply at bay. :)

Glass Half Full said...

I use those bags for so much too. What a smart way to protect waste baskets and more!

Shhhhhhhh! said...

plastic bags are used almost everyday at my home. We have two pets to clean up after. We also use them in trash cans and cars. We use them to throw away the trash after each meal and take it out, since our dog loves to dig in the trash can and leaves garbage everywhere for us to pick up in the morning. I must also keep my bag collection safely hidden from my youngest child who has come up with the idea of making clothes out of them.

Toni said...

Oh, but the most important use of all: tying up poopy diapers before removing to trash outside the house. MUCH cheaper than those twisty, diaper disposal contraptions that I could never get to work quite right and filled up too quickly. But -- thank you Jesus and Tom Cruise! -- my poopy wrappin' days are over. (Though I still have to use a shovel from time to time, but that's another story.)

Brenda said...

LOL Toni.

PEZmama said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog. I am adding your suggestions to my list of verses!

Gina said...

I do all those things with them too!

My newest thing I do (well for 5 months now) is use them to pack and transport home my breast pump supplies to and from work each day. Keeps my pump bag clean and the supplies sealed so nothing gets dried on while waiting to get washed at home.

Gina Conroy said...

What would we do without those Wal-mart plastic bags?

Sometimes I stash a couple in the bottom of the trash can under the bag currently in use. Then when the top one is used up. Wallah! There's the replacement!