The Much Maligned Plastic Shopping Bag - I Love It

For a number of years now, plastic shopping bags have drawn the ire of environmentalists who believe they will single-handedly bring about the end-of-the-world.

Personally, I love plastic shopping bags and I re-use them daily. They are lightweight, keep your stuff dry and scrunch up into a tiny ball for easy storage.

Another great thing about plastic bags is that you can carry lots of them at the same time! That minimizes the number of trips I have to make from the car to the house.

I think a lot of people would be shocked to know that plastic shopping bags are arguably a better environmental choice than paper.

The Wall Street Journal observed that the choice between paper and plastic comes down to which environmental issue you think deserves the most attention.

You’d be right to argue that paper bags produce less litter, but plastic bags require significantly less energy and water to make. Not only that, but they also produce less greenhouse-gas emissions.

But what about eco-friendly reusable bags I hear you ask?

Well, they have their problems too. Britain’s Daily Mail reported that tests on reusable “eco-friendly” shopping bags revealed traces of the deadly E. coli bacterium on half of those sampled.

If that isn’t enough, the New York Times disclosed that many reusable bags imported from China were recently found to contain potentially unsafe levels of lead.

With all that in mind, here are 20 uses for plastic shopping bags after they have finished carrying your shopping!

1. Place plastic grocery bags in bathroom bins for use as a bag liner.

2. If you have a broken arm or leg, you can use plastic bags to help keep the cast dry while taking a bath or shower.

3. Plastic bags are also great for disposing of dirty nappies.

4. Line your cat’s litter box with them.

5. Speaking of pets, plastic bags are perfect for picking up dog and cat poo.

6. Use them in your luggage to keep your wet clothes separate from your dry clothes, and your clean clothes from dirty ones.

7. When traveling with a suitcase, plastic bags can also be used to protect your shoes from scuffs — or keep stinky shoes from affecting your other clothes. Also good for separating perfume, toothpaste and other things that might leak.

8. Use them to carry your lunch to work.

9. If the forecast calls for frost, you can protect plants by placing a plastic bag over them the night before.

10. Great for defrosting meat, simply place the meat in a plastic bag, along with a paper towel.

11. Wrap your paint brushes and rollers in plastic bags to keep them from drying out if you’re taking a painting break.

12. Plastic bags can be used as cheap disposable gloves for handling unpleasant things.

13. If you’re house-sitting,  use plastic bags to hold their mail until they return.

14. Nothing is better for tossing out mouldy fruit or stinky food 

15. Plastic bags can be used to coat chicken or beef with flour prior to cooking.

16. When you’re working the garden, try wrapping some plastic bags around your knees to not only keep them dry and clean, but also provide a little extra cushiony comfort.

17. Oh, and while your busy tending to the yard, don’t forget you can also use plastic shopping bags to collect those smaller yard clippings.

18. Hopefully, you’ve also kept a few extra plastic bags in the car and near your home’s front door for storing those muddy shoes.

19. You can use plastic bags to store Christmas wreaths and decorations.

20. Do the kids have a GI Joe? Plastic grocery bags make great parachutes for them!