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Options abound for plastic bag recycling

Dear Readers: A column on plastic bag recycling that ran in January generated lots of responses. Here are a few:

“I have another idea. I volunteer at a food pantry, and we use the plastic bags for our shoppers.” — Kathy H. in Ohio

“The ladies in our church make ‘plarn.’ Plarn is the recycled bags, which we use like yarn, for use in making sleeping mats for the homeless.” — Cleta C., via email

“Hi, Heloise! Many schools can use the bags for various purposes.” — Henry C., Baton Rouge, La.

“Heloise, I asked my mother why she kept so many paper bags. Her answer, ‘If you lived through a depression, you would save everything!'” — Doyle H. in Houston

“Heloise, my family uses plastic bags when we walk our dogs. We pick up refuse along our street and use a bag for dog waste. Our neighbors have been doing the same, and it seems to be helping keep our neighborhood a lot cleaner.” — The Smyth family in Wyoming

Readers: Thanks to all who wrote. Reusing plastic grocery, takeout and even store bags is a wise and Green Hint. If you can’t recycle them, put them to another use. No need to buy plastic trash bags. — Hugs, Heloise

NEW SHOES

Dear Readers: If buying new shoes, especially “dress” or day shoes (not necessarily sneakers), here are some shoe hints:

* DON’T buy shoes in the morning. Your feet can expand (up to half a size!) during the day.

* DO stand up if getting measured. Feet spread when standing up!

* DON’T try to “break in” new shoes if they are a bad fit, too small or tight. Shoes that require a lot of breaking in are the wrong size.

* DO wear new shoes for brief periods of time instead of all day. Let the new pair “rest.” Wear two or three different shoes per day — one pair for work, one for walking the dog, one around the house, etc.

* DO see a foot doctor if you have ongoing pain. It’s not all caused by the wrong shoes. Don’t wait!

— Heloise

CLEAN DRYER FILTER

Dear Heloise: I’ve been reading your column for years. In cleaning the dryer filter after a load of wash, I take a few squares of toilet tissue and run it around the inside of the filter. It picks up all the lint in one good swipe. No struggle at all, plus it’s easy on your nails and hands! — Rosemary R., Youngstown, Ohio

DON’T FORGET

Dear Heloise: Sometimes I shop at lunchtime for a few grocery items. I put them in the office refrigerator until I go home. As a reminder, I put my car keys with my food. — Forgetful, via email

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Hints from Heloise run occasionally in Lifestyles. Readers may send a hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, fax it to 210-HELOISE, or email: Heloise@Heloise.com. Letters won’t be answered personally.

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