How many of you do this?? My friends came in this morning and asked me why I have baggies hanging around the place.. I only have 4.. Am i crazy?? I don't thing so.. I have'nt bought these for at least a 6 mnths.. I just think it's crazy to waste anything.. They said prtty soon you'll be washing your plastic forks & ect.. I looked at them like nooooooo way... But guess what I already doooooooo... Just something to laugh about today... Later Maureen

-- maureen (onemaur@yahoo.com), September 16, 2001

Answers

SORRY ABOUT MY SPELLING IN MY LAST POST.. IT'S EARLY SUN. MORNING...

-- maureen (onemaur@yahoo.com), September 16, 2001.

Maureen,if your crazy then I must be completely loonie. I have about a dozen standing up in the dish drainer now. I look at it this way, at almost 20 cents apiece to throw them away before their time is equal to throwing dimes in the trash,and I don't think anyone here would that.

-- TomK(mich) (tjk@cac.net), September 16, 2001.

You're not alone. I use zip-lock bags until they wear out. I have also retrieved plastic dinnerware from the trashcan after a party and washed it (including plastic cups). I don't see this as any different than metal dinnerware.

To recycle small pieces of soft plastic, I cram them into a milk jug until it is packed, then put it in the plastic recycling bin.

Reduce - Reuse - Recycle after all.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), September 16, 2001.

Count me as a loony too, then, Maureen!!! I buy the freezer zip locks cause they are even heaver and last even longer.

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), September 16, 2001.

Put me on the looney list as well.....if we're gonna use plastic at all, it is terribly important to reuse when possible, cuz the manufacturing process of it is so polluting.

-- Earthmama (earthmama@yahoo.com), September 16, 2001.

I'm another recycler. I have a "clothesline" over the washer and dryer where I hang my plastic bags by the corners until they dry. Then I roll them up and put them into the box they came in. When they get a tiny hole and are no long air tight them I use them for storing other things. I also reuse the liners from ceral boxes. I cut them into squares and use them between hamburger patties before freezing.

-- Grannytoo (jacres40@hotmail.com), September 16, 2001.

Add me to that list. not only do i do the above things mentioned, but i also will reuse my foil if it isn't too messed up. i'll just wipe it with a wet rag & lay it out to dry.

-- Buk Buk (bukabuk@hotmail.com), September 16, 2001.

Well, you've got company in your "craziness". I reuse them. Depends on what was IN them, though. We reuse all kinds of things, like foil wrap if it hasn't had anything "goopie" on it that can't be washed off. Up here in Canada our milk comes in bags, one-litre heavy duty clear bags, 3 in a large bag. My sis-in-law's sister was washing a couple of these out, I asked what she uses them for, she says they make the best freezer bags. You can't even buy freezer bags with that heavy plastic. I'm forever saving plastic containers to put leftovers in the fridge or nails in the garage or whatever. I even saw a show on t.v. where this one lady saves all her plastic bags, cuts them into 2 inch strips and crochets all kinds of things out of them.

-- Chelsea (rmbehr@istar.ca), September 16, 2001.

I began saving freezer bags when we lived in Korea. Hard to get things in the military commissary sometimes, unless you were going after the black market hot sellers, then they were well stocked! Went to the ER to get sutures in my hand last night, and told the doc I wanted to save the large syringe he was using to irrigate the gash on my hand, and he looked at me like I was nuts, and went ahead and tossed it in the trash can. Needless to say, when he left the room, I salvaged it! I save plastic utinsils, too, and rewash them. We wash the metal ones, so why not? Jan

-- Jan in CO (Janice12@aol.com), September 16, 2001.

Maureen, I thought the folks that ask me what I was doing were the loonies that they don't save-wash-reuse???I thought every one did this! Ha. Neat idea for reuse of cereal bags, but when I do buy cereal I buy it in the generic big bag.

Just love this forum and learning from ya'll !!!

I do have a question that I can't answer when I'm asked though. Why am I saving ALL these plastic soda pop bottles???, the 20 ozs. the 2/ 3 liters??? I know they must have a use, but can any one out there tell me what I can do with 'em? I am drowing in them!! but just can't toss them out. Loonie and Love it! Debb

-- Debb LA./MS. (fly45@bellsouth.net), September 16, 2001.

Hi Maureen yep me to on the baggies. but on the foil and plastic pop bottles. i roll the foil i balls about the size of a marble enough to cover the bottom. then when the neighbor hood dogs wake me up at nite i cover it with toilet bowle cleaner screw the lid on tite and set it on a fence post by their pen. let me tell you when that baby goes off a few mins later the lights come on next door and the dogs shut up. lol Bon se,ks.

-- Bobco (bobco@kans.com), September 16, 2001.

I buy freezer bags and wash and reuse them until they bust. Also save plastic cups from church meetings, etc and use for seed saving. If anyone questions saving plastic bags, remind them that plastic is a petroleum product and not renewable!

-- Cindy in NY (cjpopeck@worldnet.att.net), September 16, 2001.

Maureen-Oh, yes by all means I re-use baggies. Another thing I use are those rigid plastic boxes put out by Ziploc, Glad etc I bought a package of three two years ago and use one everyday to pack sandwich for lunch, then wash them out at night. I have a few one cup yoghurt containers that I use all the time-they are great for packing snacks in lunch boxes and they have held up really well. Debb-those plastic bottles are great for gardens or container plant-you punch tiny holes in the bottom, then bury them up to thier necks next to your tomato plant(or what ever) then fill the bottle, and it gradually waters the plant-uses much less water and that water gets to the plant's roots. you can crochet attractive rugs out of those plastic grocery bags- here, some stores will take them back, others won't, I try to use re- usable canvas bags at the store-Anyone else do this? I get a lot of wierd looks! anyway, it seems like I manage to accumulate these bags anyway so I'm currently making a plastic mat to put under the Dog's dish.

-- kelly (markelly@scrtc.com), September 16, 2001.

Best idea I think about the accumulating soda pop bottles probem (although Bobco's was quite amusing!) is: Don't buy any more! That stuff is poison anywho! :)

-- Earthmama (earthmama@yahoo.com), September 16, 2001.

Kelly, can you give us the direction on crocheting with plastic bags or tell us where to find them?? Thanks!

-- Bren (WAYOUTFARM@skybest.com), September 16, 2001.

Hi,

I, too, recycle my plastic ziplock bags. A long time ago I saw a gadget in a magazine for drying them, and showed it to a friend who made me one. Basically it consisted of several quarter inch wooden dowels about 10 inches long stuck into a base to make a little rack. You can put little knobs on top, but my friend glued on sea shells. That really helps the bags to dry quickly inside.

Does anyone have any great idea for reusing the paper 50 lb. feed sacks? I am starting to pile them up.

-- Lori in SE Ohio (klnprice@yahoo.com), September 16, 2001.

we re-use everything possible! Wash out bags, foil, use cereal bags as wax-paper for baking, save any plastic bowls with lids for freezer storage. If you buy this stuff new it cost a fortune. Not to mention the expense of getting rid of all that trash. I also re-use bread bags. Use the feed sacks as weed barrier in the garden or under trees. cut to fit them cover with wood chips or grass clippings. No more weeds or weeding by hand. Put between tomato or pepper plants as well. Twork great and eventually break down. Neighbors up the road fill their paper feed sacks with their trash, tie shut and set out for the trash man.

-- Melissa (cmnorris@1st.net), September 16, 2001.

A question on reusing bread bags I've always wondered about. I've bin of the opinion that once bread goes to molding that the bag is "contaminated" and anything placed in it would have an excellerated spoilage rate itself. Don't know where I got this idea, any thoughts?

-- Willy Allen (willyallen2@yahoo.com), September 16, 2001.

I'm craxy enough that I have to do a double take when I see someone throu=wing them away! I just can't believe it! If they're right on top of the can and not goopy (ie - just held chips or some such) I sometimes rescue them to enlarge my own stash.

-- Soni (thomkilroy@nightmail.com), September 16, 2001.

Willy Allen, I would think that if you were worried about it, you could wash the bag well with hot water, hang inside out to air-dry then use it. I have heard though, not to place food in an inside out bread bag, as the printing on the outside is not safe for contact with food.

-- Melissa (cmnorris@1st.net), September 16, 2001.

I re-use plastic pop bottles as cloches. I cut off the bottom, then when I set out my seedlings in the spring I cover it with one of the pop bottles. It helps protect the seedling from transplant shock. If it gets hot in the afternoon, I just take off the lid.

-- Tracy Brock (tbrock@splitrocktel.net), September 16, 2001.

IMHO, you'd be crazy not to re-use any and everything you can. I try to critically look at everything headed for the trash to determine if I can get another use out of it. All my seedlings get started in detergent tops. I've even been known to steal them from other people's recycling bins.

I do many of the same things already mentioned above. The only thing I can figure is people who DON'T recycle have more money than brains.

FYI: rugs made from plastic bags. Cut the bags in a circular motion starting at the top. The purpose is to get one long strand of plastic bag. Begin with a chain stitch as long as you want the rug to be and then double crochet for as wide as you want the rug to be. When you come to the end of one strand of plastic, just over-lap a new strand to the existing strand and continue crocheting. Do not attempt to tie a knot; just over-lap the strands. In an attempt to "gild the lily" I even crocheted a scollop edge around the finished rug. Nice thing about these rugs is you can spray them off with a hose when they get muddy. I have also seen (but never made) cute little crocheted hats made from plastic bags.

My all-time best recycling effort was with paper lunch bags. I always packed lunches for DH and children and used brown paper bags. I once found packages of 100 on sale for 3/$1.00. Daughter was in the 5th grade, she is now 26. I finally used the last bag THIS YEAR!! That's 300 bags in 14 years. They were always so faithful about brings them home, so it seemed wasteful to just throw them out. What's your best recycling story? Wishing you enough.

-- Trevilians (aka Dianne in Mass) (Trevilians@mediaone.net), September 16, 2001.

I have also heard not to use bread bags inside out, I don't know. I'm also concerned about the mold deal- I had saved quite a few by stuffing them in one bag and when I went to re-use them They smelled horrible with mold, all the bread was gone, must have been some crumbs but then I didn't wash them, still, it was one time that I threw them all out.

As for crochet instructions-I saw one at a tag sale-they wanted $15 for it by the way! (might be a money maker?) I looked at it and jotted down some notes and basically just made it up. The one I saw was oval about 15 inches across and 25 inches long-it wasn't very big which is why I thought of a mat for pet dishes. But it was pretty in that the person had worked different colors of bags, so it was yellow in the middle, then white and blue bands. What I did was cut the bags into a continuous strip about an inch or so wide(Except the handle part) and crocheted a chain about 10-15 stiches this would be about 6- 8 inches-then croched in single stitches all around except adding enough stitches on the oblong ends to get it to lay flat. Or you could crochet the chain as long as you want it to be (either lenght or width) then work in straight row to get a square or rectangular shape. Does this make sense? If not, I will try to write the directions in a more conventional sence though it might take a day or two. You know, I swear I saw something similar in a back issue of Countryside, I'll see if I can find it. One note- I used the biggest hook I had-a K I think and its rough on the wrists-I couldn't sit and work on it for long periods of time. I kept it in the kitchen and worked on it when I was on the phone.

-- Kelly (markelly@scrtc.com), September 16, 2001.

You have got me thinking about all the many things, mostly plastic, that lots of folks throw away. So here's a list from my own personal experience.

Bread bags: Use for homemade bread, sandwiches, meat.

Zippy bags: Treat like gold as that's what they cost LOL. NEVER use for meat, since you should throw away all meat wrappers after use. Wash and hang over a tall glass, etc, to dry. Do Not turn them inside out as this makes the ends of their seals break more easily. Use for all sorts of food items as well as other easily scattered items, such as puzzle pieces (put in bag and then in box), crayons, marbles, game pieces, card games, buttons, trimmings used in sewing, etc, etc, etc.

Twist ties: use for bags that don't zip or ship to friends in Canada who can't get them as easily (bread bags being tied with annoying plastic tabs); strip off paper and bend to shape of coat hanger for a little girl's dollhouse; tie up too-long electrical cords.

Milk bags: Canadians and some Americans know these to be just as good as or better than store-bought storage bags. Wash and dry; use for anything else you use bags for; tie with twist tie.

Plastic pop bottles: fill almost full with water or other drink; freeze. Place in lunch cooler; by lunch time the food is still cool, and enough liquid has melted to provide a nice, refreshing drink. The same goes for nursing moms: just before bedtime, get one out of the freezer and put in a convenient spot to enjoy during the 2 a.m. feeding.

Plastic shopping bags: My children have tied the two handles to a long string to make a parachute-style kite that actually flies on a windy day. Use also for wet cloth diapers when away from home, or wrap up a disposable diaper to cut down on smell without the fancy expensive diaper disposers. (Many churches I've been in collect these for the church nursery for this purpose.) Take them back to the store and reuse them; also many stores collect them for recycling. Also use them as trash can liners.

Cardboard laundry detergent boxes: Use as file boxes. My mom used to put her quilt scraps in them.

Frozen juice lids: Nail to post for reflectors to mark where the ditch and the driveway meet. String together and string through the garden to scare birds (I have never tried this, but I'm told it works). Get two sets of kids' stickers; fasten a sticker on each lid and turn them all upside down for a matching game like Concentration; store them in (what else) a zippy bag or milk bag. Let the kids decorate them as they desire, stick a strip of magnet on the back, and give to Grandma as a fridgy magnet.

Margarine tubs: These come in measured sizes; I have a stash of 2- cup and 4-cup sizes. Use for freezing tomatoes, pumpkin puree, leftover mashed potatoes and oatmeal (for potato buns and oatmeal muffins), and any other item you want to pre-measure. Coolwhip containers might also work; I have not found the lids to be as tight. I also use the smaller size for storing mixed tempera paints for budding artists.

Baby wipe boxes: Use to store things that don't have to be airtight, such as: homemade wipes, plastic ware for picnics, crayons, school supplies (pencils, erasers, etc.) for homeschoolers who don't have to have the latest fancy pencil box, etc.

That's it for now. And I haven't even touched on the 5-gallon buckets I now get detergent in, or the gallon size pails ice cream comes in, or the.....

-- Cathy N. (keeper8@attcanada.ca), September 17, 2001.

Yes, I was right- there is an article in a back issue of Countryside (Vol 80 #6-Nov. Dec 1996 (page53) on crocheting breadbags into doormats pretty much the same instructions as posted above. Its funny that on the next page (54) are the many uses of a 5 gallon bucket!

-- Kelly (markelly@scrtc.com), September 17, 2001.

I make yellowjacket traps out of small plastic pop bottles. Just put in sugar water with a drop of soap & hang on porch or tree. Works great. Since they don't cost anything they can be thrown out when they're full.

Plastic baggies that held meat can be reused if washed well & rinsed in bleach solution. About a tablespoon of bleach to a sinkful of hot water.

Because we don't have garbage pickup we try to recycle everything. We take what can't be recycled to the dump about twice a year. Even tho we try not to buy stuff in plastic containers, most of the garbage is plastic.

I contribute to the plastic problem by selling my bread in plastic bags. Does anyone have a way to keep bread nice but not in plastic?

-- Bonnie (stichart@plix.com), September 17, 2001.

Bonnie-do you sell bread commercially or give it to friends/family? In the latter you could get people who buy bread to save thier bags for you. In the former case, there are probably health regulations. If you live close enough to like minded people you can organize a swap. A bulk food co-op where I used to live had a room where people could donate/take bread (and other) bags, egg cartons, cardboard boxes, margerine/yoghurt containers, etc you would put up a list of what you needed, wanted to donate.

-- Kelly (markelly @scrtc.com), September 17, 2001.

I sell at the farmers market so I'm pretty sure I can't reuse the bags. For our own use I do reuse over & over. I'm not sure if there is an alternative to plastic for selling. I do ask people to bring jam jars & rings back - I can reuse those.

-- Bonnie (stichart@plix.com), September 17, 2001.

Thanks Kelly and Trevilians for the crochet instructions!

-- Bren (WAYOUTFARMS@skybest.com), September 17, 2001.

Maureen, and everyone else...

Great ideas!!

I haven't bought zip-lock bags for 15 years. I use milk bags for almost everything - freezing, packing sandwiches for lunches, storing leftovers in the freezer, etc, etc, etc. I close them with milk bag or bread bag clips.

Re: pop bottles...cut off top and bottom to make a cylindrical sleeve. Use a hole punch to punch two holes side by side on one side top and bottom (4 holes total). Then pound in a stake (I use a 4ft 2X2) beside young or newly-planted/moved/started tree seedlings (anywhere up to a metre or so high). Take the pop bottles, place them around the tree and twist tie them to the stake using the punched holes. You can stack them several high. This protects the young tree from the elements, especially in winter, rabbits and mice, and provides a greenhouse atmosphere until it establishes itself. Studies around here (Southern Ontario) show that growth rates of the seedlings almost triples in the first few years. You can also do this for newly-planted tomato, pepper, brocolli seedlings to protect them from early frost until they're established. They'll grow much much faster.

Our feed bags come in a woven nylon/fibre combination bag that is next to impossible to tear. People around here use them for just about anything that needs bundling. They can even be filled with firewood and sold to passing campers at the end of the driveway on weekends ($4.00 per bag) I use mine to fill with trash.

Small yogurt containers are great for starting seeds (drill a small drainage hole in the bottom first)

Re: Plastic grocery bags. I take ours to the local JK and Kindergarten teacher who uses them to send home kid's clothes after those inevitable 'accidents'. She's always looking for bags. She also will use any styrofoam meat trays, toilet paper and paper towel rolls I can give her, for arts and crafts. The Grade 1, 2, and 3 teachers are also grateful for large quantities of the bread and milk bag clips which they use when teaching counting, sorting, and organizing.

It's amazing how much can be recycled if one is careful. In our family of 5, we put only 1-2 grocery bags out on trash day. The rest is reused, recycled, composted, or sent for recycling in the blue box.

When you do it consistently and make it a job involving the kids, it becomes second nature to them and will be better at it in the future than we are. Many of us 'older folks' still have to 'work' at it.

Russ

-- Russ Whitworth (rwhitworth@sprint.ca), September 18, 2001.

I too re-use ziplock bags. Any suggestions for feed bags?? They are paper and I don't have that much trash!! I re-use plastic buckets for water and feed, plus storage.

-- pjc (zpjc5_@hotmail.com), September 18, 2001.

Could you use the feed bags as mulch? I use news-paper, brown grocery bags and cardboard in my garden for mulch. We really recycle the newspaper-my husband's office gets the Louisville Courier-Journal but hardly anyone reads it, he brings it home, we read it, pass it around to his parents and grandparents, then whats left gets mulched! If your worried about the content of the sacks-I'd be worried about some bleached paper, you can use it for garden paths, or flower bed.

-- Kelly (markelly@scrtc.com), September 18, 2001.

Hi Maureen,,add me to the "looney" list, I too recycle baggies,,,all kinds,,I turn them inside out, wash them gently and hang them around the kitchen,,haha..I also recycle saran wrap I use on food items,,just rinse under spigot and wipe gently..hang to dry...also all kinds of paper and plastic bags,,plastic spoons, forks, some types of picnic plates, anything that can be recycled. I have been doing this for years...recycling is closely related to "jerry riggin",,,Keep on the light side,,,haha....Take care,,,

-- Patsy, MT (cpc-1@care2.com), September 22, 2001.