Reusing paper carrier bags

It’s true that using paper carrier bags is very good for our environment, in tackling plastic environmental issues. They generate no pollution when they decompose, and this can only take 3-6 months to fully occur.

The fact they are 100% recyclable means that they can be used for other uses too, and you know it’s not going to have a negative impact when it’s at the end of its life.

Perhaps you have a new order of paper carrier bags and want to use the old bag’s paper material for another purpose? Not only will you be saving the environment, but you will also be saving money due to reusing materials.

Find our top reasons to reuse your paper carrier bags here:

To store household items

Instead of chucking away your paper carrier bags after their primary use, why not keep them to store household items? For example, paper documents, books, or something aesthetic like flowers? Especially if your paper carrier bag is slightly larger, it could hold more items, saving you money in the long run on storage units for your belongings. If your paper bags are stored in the home, the paper carrier bag lifespan can be a lot longer.

Wrapping Gifts

If you have a range of old paper carrier bags that are in a range of colours and sizes, they could be turned into wrapping paper for your loved ones. They could all be cut up and attached together which will result in a very colourful wrapping paper for friends and family, perhaps for a Birthday or Christmas present? After the gifts have been unwrapped, they could be recycled further, perhaps to make a scrapbook or paper pulp! The circular story is possible with paper carrier bags.

Make a scrapbook

Do you have a range of paper left over? You could staple them together and make a scrapbook! If you have a range of different paper colours (for example brown and white paper) you could blend these together to create a vibrant coloured scrapbook. You could use any printed paper carrier bag handles to help tie together the pages. Or, if you have bright-coloured printed paper carrier bags, you can make a vibrant scrapbook. Any different colour selection could work!

Paper Pulp

Would you like to completely transform your leftover paper carrier bags into something new? Perhaps some handmade decorations? Or scrap fabric mache bowls? Would be very aesthetic for the living room! Tear the paper into small pieces and boil some hot water and blend, to a smooth consistency. From here, you have transformed your old paper carrier bags into something new! Or, you could go and recreate a new paper bag yourself with the leftover pulp. Whatever you make, you know you have helped to tackle plastic pollution by recycling your paper carrier bags.

We hope this blog has inspired you to reuse your paper carrier bag after its primary use. Why don’t you share your reused paper carrier bags on social media? This will help to inspire others to do the same!