Reuse Paper Bags

Paper bags have scores of useful applications, so get creative!

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Photo: Gary Woodard / istock

By Brian Clark Howard

Bringing your own bags with you when you shop is a great way to cut down on waste, but it's also easy to repurpose the paper bags that you can't avoid, or that you still have lying around the house.

Few paper bags are made of recycled or alternative fibers, meaning trees have to be cut down for their manufacture. True, many communities have paper recycling, so you can often drop old bags into those blue bins (or use the bags to hold other paper for pickup). However, paper fibers can only be recycled a few times, because they start to break down. So it's better to press old bags into service before you send them off to the recycler.

Paper bags are great for lining trashcans or animal cages, versus petroleum-based plastic liners you would otherwise buy. They can be used to cover books to help them last longer, and can be turned into gift wrap (which you can have fun decorating) or packaging material.

Paper bags have thousands of other possible applications, so get creative!

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