To bag, in this sense of the word, is to keep. It is amazing how many uses you can find for something. In this entry I wanted to share 10 ways you can reuse a paper bag and extend its usable life-cycle. That is, until you recycle it and start the process over again.

So here it goes……

1.  Take it with you the next time you get take out. I have been guilty of watching employees of my favorite food establishments filling a paper bag (yes and sometimes plastic) with a to-go meal for the family, or just me. Now, I take a medium-sized paper bag with a handle on it. It works great.  Of course, plan ahead if you picking up food for a large group. Hey, it works great for other shopping runs too.

2.  Protect your paperbacks (and other books too). Some do it only to protect their borrowed school books from damage. Others do it to show off their artistic creativity or both.  Reusing a paper bag to cover a book is a great way of extending its reusable life-cycle before being recycled again.

3. Wrap a present in style. Cut holes in it like Swiss cheese, paint it, draw on it, or leave it plain. There are many possibilities. I made a pirate map on a paper bag, crumpled it up to give it an aged look, included a birthday wish on the paper, and wrapped the gift with it. You save money on paper, a card, and resources too.

4. The grocery/shopping bag that keeps on giving. Well, this one is obvious and helps my list get to 10. Reusing and recycling a paper bag can eliminate the possibility of it ending up in landfills that already receive a ridiculous amount of paper. According to Environmental Paper Network: “Approximately 40% of the municipal waste stream is paper and paper products.”

5. Countless craft projects. Make a kite, cut out snowflakes, a hat, and puppets, create holiday decorations, or use it as bark for that tree you are making for your school play. What have you seen done?

6.  Contain your recycled paper. On trash/recycling day I see, and pick up, a lot of paper that gets blown out of recycle bins. An easy solution, use a paper bag to hold smaller pieces of recycled paper products so they don’t become an eyesore and make it to the recycling center.

7. Protect your floor or counter. This reuse and then recycle trick works best with dry spills. You can cut open a bag and place it on the counter or use as a doormat.  The paper can catch the loose stuff and can then be easily disposed of properly with little cleanup.

8.  Enjoy fruit faster. Is your local farmers market, or grocery store, out of fruit that is at the peak of your preferred ripeness?  A few fruits that ripen faster in a paper bag include plums, pears, bananas, nectarines, and peaches to name a few.

9.  Lists that last. Do you buy the same items at the grocery each time? Well, even if you don’t you can cut the bag into smaller pieces. Use the scraps as shopping lists (and reuse them) or write notes to family or friends.

10. Make your sales stand out. Many of you do a great job using old garage/yard sale signs for other events. Why paint over the old wording. A few paper grocery bags and some tape can recover the old sign for use again. Lemonade 25¢, Yard Sale this Sunday, Welcome Home, Happy Birthday, Go Cubs!!  — o.k. I think you get the point.