Plastic bags are taking over the world

What is the deal here? Do the check-out people get a commission based on the amount of plastic bags they use in a shift, or do they have a contest going on to see who can use the most?

It drives me crazy to watch them place ONE item in a sack. I know their reasoning is they don't want the sacks to break, but come on -- one item! By the time my cart is reloaded to head to my car, it looks like I've bought the store out with all the plastic bags fluttering in the wind.

They are such a pain to load and unload and it seems to take twice as long. I long for the days when we had a choice of paper or plastic (some still give us that choice -- but very few). Four trips into the house with four paper bags didn't take nearly as long as trying to carry 49 bags in. The hands will only handle so many plastic bags at one time. Even the milk and other gallon containers are stuck in a plastic bag and these things have handy little handles. They just get slick when placed in a bag.

After I finally get them in the house and unloaded, what then? They have handy little devices to store them in, but they always seem full. I use the bags often as trash bags for the bathroom or when cleaning out the car, but that still leaves me hundreds I don't have a use for. I know I can take them back to Walmart, but I never think about doing that -- most of the time I can't remember to get my shopping list, much less the bags.

Study after study tells us that plastic grocery bags are better for the environment. They take less energy to produce, transport and recycle than paper grocery sacks. The problem is that the vast majority of them do not get recycled, as many areas do not accept plastic grocery bags for recycling. Plus, the market for recycled plastic is so far, underdeveloped.

So, what's one to do? Here's a few suggestions I obtained by Googling plastic bags.

* Use as knee pads. Wrap around knees when you get ready to kneel in the garden to pull weeds, or when you are changing a tire.

* As hand protectors to pick up and dispose of the "presents" left by your dog, wet paint rollers, cat litter, soiled diapers.

*As paint brush preservers to keep brushes and rollers from drying out.

* As a makeshift rain hat.

* Weave them into a rug.

* Peel potatoes, fruits and other vegetables on them and then throw away.

* As wrapping paper.

* As wet umbrella holders.

* As shoe protectors when walking through rain, snow, mud.

* As a cookbook protector.

* As planter fillers -- don't cover the drain holes.

* As stuffing for a pet bed.

* As packing material.

* Tie a white one on a pole and use as a truce flag.

* Handy barf bag.

* Put on wiper blades and mirrors to keep free from snow and ice.

* Store shoes in them before putting in suitcase.

* Emergency toilet paper.

* Emergency tissue.

Some of the above I have heard of and used myself. But the emergency toilet paper idea was a new one for me.

Anyway, it's nice to know there are creative thinkers out there. I just think the plastic problem wouldn't be so bad if businesses that use them would just teach their employees how to pack them.

Got any other creative suggestions for their uses?