Brown Paper Bags - The Many Uses

Remember when the big question at the grocery store was "paper or plastic"? Well, ideally we should all be using cloth totes for our groceries and such. For those times that we forget our totes, or don't have enough totes for our purchases, I think you should choose paper. First, the paper won't sit in a landfill forever and second, it can be reused for many things. (P.S. If you choose plastic, make sure you drop it off in one of those recycling barrels on your next trip to the grocery!) Ok, what else can you use those paper bags for? Here's some ideas...

1. Wrap parcel packages with them. Why pay $2 to $4 for a roll of brown paper when you have these bags at home?
2. Use smaller ones to entertain the kids - Make puppets out of them!
3. Use them as wrapping paper. Cut along the seams to get a clean look. Tie raffia around the package for a great rustic look!
4. Simply reuse them. Add them to your tote bags. They're usually strong enough to last a few trips.
5. Use them to carry your lunch! I reuse the small paper tote bags that apples come in to carry my lunch back and forth on work days. They last forever!
6. Shred them to use as packing material. They're sturdier than newspaper for a little more cushion.
7. Store seasonal items in them. They're great to hold small wreaths, jack-o-lanterns, anything you rarely use. You can write on the bags for easy identifying!
8. Drain grease from fried foods. Use the bags instead of paper towels. They absorb grease very well! When the grease is dried, cut in wide strips and use for kindling!
9. Cut to size and use for book covers. Kids can doodle on them and make them unique!
10. Recycle them. Many municipalities can take brown paper bags to recycle. Just remember, paper can only be recycled so many times before it breaks down too much.

My best advice is to go cloth, however when we find ourselves with some paper bags on hand, please don't just toss them. It's important because:

• Half the world's forests have already been cleared or burned, and 80% of what's left has been seriously degraded.
• Paper accounts for 25% of landfill waste (and one third of municipal landfill waste).
• If the United States cut office paper use by just 10% it would prevent the emission of 1.6 million tons of greenhouse gases -- the equivalent of taking 280,000 cars off the road.
• While the paper industry invests in new recycled newsprint and paper packaging plants in the developing world, almost none of the new printing and writing paper mills use recycled content.