The cloth bag movement

As most of you have heard by now, the cloth bag movement has begun. As of yesterday, customers at Loblaws will have to pay 5 cents per plastic bag.  You can see the full article with Galen Weston, executive chairperson of Loblaw here, published in the Globe & Mail’s Report on Business, in the article “Memories of plastic”.

Apparently there has been some controversy around this subject but the protest seems silly to me.  In fact, Loblaws is going out of their way to help their customers make the transition.  For example, they offer a Green Bin borrowing program.  If you forget your cloth bags or Green Bin, you can add a fully refundable deposit to your bill and take one home with you for free.

If you live in Toronto, you can get a Green Bin FREE when you buy $25 or more worth of groceries - up until January 22 only. Follow the link to get the coupon. (Thanks to Frugal Freebies for that tip via twitter!)

Work the policy to your advantage: Loblaws is still offering 50 PC points for every Green Bin or Green Bag you bring in.  Last time we were there, they gave us points for our other cloth bags.  

Bringing cloth bags can be fun - there’s no need to stick to conventional bags designed just for carrying groceries.  I love my rock and roll cloth bags, which you can find at any rock shop and many luggage or accessory stores.  Some Rock bands are even selling them at concerts now - REM had a cute cloth bag for sale at its Toronto concert last summer. 

Reduce, reuse, rock on.

The multi-purpose kleenex box

A fun way to stay organized and recycle packaging - reuse a kleenex box as a plastic bag holder.  Simply cut-out the plastic part and stuff your plastic grocery bags inside.  I did the same with an empty ziploc box for all my bread bags.  I recently ran out of my stash of ziplocs (we stocked up at a big loony sale at Price Chopper last spring) and now I’m trying to come up with a stand-in solution so I don’t have to buy new ones.  For now, I’m using bread bags and plastic vegetable bags.  The empty Ziploc container is useful to hold them all.  I love finding new things to do with packaging!

Reduce, reuse, repurpose

I love repurposing things - taking something I own and giving it a new purpose to fill a need, instead of going out and buying something new.

I especially love doing this with packaging. By reusing packaging, you create less waste. It also lets you buy in bulk, because you already have the convenient containers at home. The way I look at it, we pay for packaging just as much as we pay for what’s actually inside the container. So why not see what you can do with it?

My first rule is to save any good quality containers you have - even if an immediate purpose doesn’t come to mind.  

Here are some examples of how to repurpose your packaging.

Reuse jars to hold homemade snacks or store buttons, nails, or other small objects.

Save your empty bottles of pain killers. Since I take pain medication regularly, I like to make sure that I have a supply in my purse. Small bottles are (for some reason) way over-priced. I transfer a small number of pills into a extra bottle and keep it in my purse.

Repurpose heavy duty plastic jugs to hold pet food. I saved an epsom salt container -  a large, plastic jug with a handle. I then bought epsom salts at the bulk barn, and reused the jug. After I stopped buying epsom salts, the container made a transition into feline territory by becoming a handy storage and feeding device for Butternut’s cat chow.

Refill your sample size containers. I kept the miniature contact lens solution sample I received for free. I refill it and take it with me on trips instead of taking a big bottle or going out and buying a new sample-sized one.

Reuse your spray bottles. I resuse my spray bottles by filling them with homemade leaning products, like vinegar and water. 

Keep bread bags to hold your homemade bread, muffins, and other baked goods. And save your twist-ties and tags, too!

Clean out your empty powder compact and use it as a mirror in your purse. You can also cut and glue a cute picture in the space where the powder used to be! 

Turn packaging into gift and craft supplies. Keep brown paper bags, brown paper, ribbons, bows, tissue paper, wrapping paper, shoeboxes, gift bags,and stickers that come with presents or parcels from stores. This will all come in handy for future gifts and crafts.     

Save your bubble wrap. You never know when you will need it! When I installed a window box air conditioner I was proud that I already had all the bubble wrap I needed ready to use for insulation. 

I even save my netting - this comes with garlic, avocadoes, oranges, etc. It can be used for nautical-themed crafts, glued to a picture frame with sea shells.

I also save cardboard for future craft projects, like collages.

Reuse store bags as lunch bags and shopping bags.  Other stores besides Lulu Lemon are following the trend. Keep an eye out for these freebies and reuse them to carry your lunch.

I especially love little bags. They are great for transporting delicate jewellery or perfume while travelling, or packing a new gift.

Reuse fruit baskets to store snacks or odds’n'ends.  We put ours in our pantry and fill it with granola bars and chocolates, that are easy to grab for lunches.  

When I was a teenager, I saved the boxes that clementines came in because I figured out that the size of the box fit my 7″ records perfectly!  I used one to hold all my 7″s which made it convienient to flip through them. 

Essentially, I save anything that looks interesting.  I usually find a use for it.  The key is to keep organized.  I use a large craft organizer that keeps it all organized instead of just one big pile of junk.  

What is your favourite tip for reusing packaging?

My journey away from paper towels

I officially made the switch after going through a big box of handmedowns from my mom. It contained some really cute napkins.  I’m not sure where she got them or if they’ve been passed down, but many of them have an antique flair. So I decided it was officially time to cut paper towels out of my life and rely solely on cloth napkins and dish towels.  I have some rags for cleaning and my old pajama tops await a new purpose.  It does create more laundry because I wash my dishtowels very often, but they are so small that they are easy to add to a load of laundry.  It would probably take at least 25 towels to create a whole load.  It’s tempting to use my piles of coupons for paper towels but I think I will stay with this cost-effective, environmentally friendly alternative.