Selfsufficientish.com

Yes we should use canvas bags when shopping but theres always that time we pop to the shop unprepared or we dont take enugh bags with us!

Round my way supermarkets are being pathetic and hiding the bags under the counter in a vain atempt to be "green" but still giving them away free. Im one of lifes pack rats and scavange lots and hoard it all. So what to do with my collection of plastic bags I wonder.....

1) Bin liners
2) Fill with soil to weight down weed proof matting on the allotment
3) Twist it up and lightly burn to make impromptu string
4) Use as a waterproof liner inside backpack
5) Fill with sand and tie to tent when camping on a beach.

You know I need to really find out how she did it, but my grandmother used to crochet them into balls and stuff them with one more bag and make cat toys out of them.

Nods vigorously.....

6 - Crochet with them!!

http://www.nezumiworld.com/crochet_029.htm
http://plasticbagbag.com/how.html

JulieSherris wrote:Nods vigorously.....

6 - Crochet with them!!

http://www.nezumiworld.com/crochet_029.htm
http://plasticbagbag.com/how.html

WOW thanks! This brings back many wonderful memories of my grandmother. She used to collect everyone's bags and crochet them into the cat toys and donate the toys to the RSPCA by the hundreds.

Her doormat was crotcheted plastic bags, too. Not my style, but she was a quirky one. Loved it.

7. Freezer bags
8. seperating the recycling before taking to the oh so (in) convenient 'household recycling centre'

They are not bad to crochet with, that's what I did with all mine. Turn in to easter baskets too!

http://luckyladybirdcraft.blogspot.com/ ... riend.html

you can also iron them together to make a plastic fabric but I'm not sure how safe that is....

Knit with them

I once crocheted about a dozen into a flip-flop sole. I stuck little rolls of baking paper into the gaps I wanted to use to thread the thongs in and stuck the sole between two sheets of baking paper before ironing. While it was still warm, I put my foot on it and pressed down hard to help it mould to my foot, before threading some plaited ribbons as a thong. It actually wasn't bad, and surprisingly was very non-slip (even on carpet) and about the right flexibility for a flip-flop sole ... unfortunately I never got around to making a second one and it ended up going in the recycling bin!!

9. Luggage... for inpromptu trips :)
10. Fill with used scoopable cat litter and throw in trash.

no idea what number we are on lol! all sorts of crafty stuff!

i stumbled upon this a while ago

http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles ... rafts.html

you can turn a carrier bag, into a new bag

love the rain coat idea though!

Milims wrote:Knit with them

I put my knitting IN them. Ihave many bags on the go with different wools in them.

We don't get them here, or at least very rarely, so I have a massive hoard saved over many years and it's quite interesting remembering the shops and what I bought there. Mostly from England!

I use mine for lining cat litter trays, and collecting ash from the fireplace.

Thinking about his though, I wonder if sometimes we would be better recycling them, than 're-using' them?

I am very unlikely to re-cycle a bag covered in cat litter , or one that is covered in soot. So they end up in landfill after all - it is just delayed.

Wheras if I kept them clean and in one place, I suppose I could just pop them into the recycling point next time I am passing.

Hmm...

Millymollymandy wrote:

Milims wrote:Knit with them

I put my knitting IN them. Ihave many bags on the go with different wools in them.

We don't get them here, or at least very rarely, so I have a massive hoard saved over many years and it's quite interesting remembering the shops and what I bought there. Mostly from England!

Post them to MMM!

Noooooooo cos I've got way more than I need and they don't get thrown away!

* Another use - I take the really big ones over to the orchard to pick up windfall apples in - sometimes use a couple of bags as one can be for apples straight off the tree for storing and the other for the windfalls to keep them separate. They're pretty sturdy those kind of bags and can be reused time and time again and they hold more than my trugs.

* I also have plastic bag bags. I.e. store the plastic bags inside another one.

* I have one that stores all the loo roll inners and every now and again I sit down and rip them up for the compost. They are handy because of the handles which can be hung on hooks.

* Take on holiday to put all your dirty laundry in so it doesn't get mixed up with the clean stuff.

* Ditto with a little one to put wet facecloth or sponge in so everything in your wash bag doesn't get wet.

* Put muddy boots inside when in the car.

So you see why I have hoarded them cos I find them very handy indeed!

Millymollymandy wrote:Noooooooo cos I've got way more than I need and they don't get thrown away!
:

Send them to me instead - supplies are getting very low here

One word of warning - do NOT use biodegradable ones to store stuff in on top of wardrobe. After a while little flakes of white stuff will start appearing on your floor and it'll take you ages to realise it is the bag, gently degrading and floating away