Some thing to tie you over.

[dcarch]

Originally Posted by Grub

Excellent and informative thread... our resident Nutty Professor (meant in an affectionate way?). ----
Thanks, Grub, who keeps all his pantyhose tomato ties in a mesh net bag that, before each season, --------.

Unlike Grub, I don't wear pantyhose.
So when I need lots of cheap support for my maters quickly, I go plastic:
dcarch

Layer a whole lot of them and roll -------

You can actually cut thru many bags

Each one is about 1" to 1 1/2" wide.

Don't need to break the loops. Save one uncut bag to store all the ties.

[Grub]

Wow... who wouldv'e thought? Certaiinly not me.
Thanks for another great idea DC.
Mrs Grub hasn't bought a single pair of pantyhose since having the baby, so I forecast they will be in short supply

[Zana]

Thanks for a great idea DC!

I have to admit that I took a full size garbage bag full of grocery bags to the farmer's market on Saturday for the vendors to reuse. They were very appreciative, since if they don't get used ones, they have to purchase more. Some of the bags have been reused more than once, but who cares? As long as they do their job. Now with your idea, I know what to do with the ones that the handles rip or the bottoms fall out!

And unlike Mrs. Grub, my supply of pantyhose is limited but not because of a baby. LOL I try to avoid wearing them unless the dead of winter...but that may have to change when I get back to a "real job" instead of being a student and part time house renovator. LOL

[Tomstrees]

Can you compost those at the end of the season?

Use old t-shirts and socks...
You can wash em at the end of the season
and they can/will decompose ...

~ Tom

ps.
here in NJ -
They are starting to make people BYOB = bring your own bags
for bringing home groceries.
I have to say, its not a bad idea ...

[dcarch]

Originally Posted by Tomstrees

Can you compost those at the end of the season?-------Use old t-shirts and socks--------

Anytime you reuse things you are doing something good for the environment.

Plastic bags are not good for the environment. They are not recyclable. Cities spend millions to clean them up in streets, parks and trees. Soon they will not be made.

In reusing them for plant ties, they cannot be composted. If they get mixed up with soil, who knows how long it will take for them to decay and become hydro-carbon compounds again? As far as I know, I do not think they are toxic. They just become a very tiny part of the soil. If you take a look at a little piece of rock, or a grain of sand in the soil, they don’t decompose either until may be 10 million years later.

Lot’s of fabric material are in fact plastic and cannot be composted, and lots of fibers should be recycled.

dcarch

[jhp]

Plastic bags are not good for the environment. They are not recyclable.

They are indeed recyclable. Around here, they collect them at the supermarket.

Some more info:

http://www.plasticbagrecycling.org/01.0/

But I also like your idea.

Jen

[Grub]

Zana,

I used to watch Mrs Grub clip clop down the driveway at 6.30am, head off to the bus stop, then the city and ultimately the courts, and admire her pins (legs) and think, wow, look at those tomato ties. Sure enough, they would come back home. Lol.

[Zana]

Grub,
You know you've been seriously bitten by the heirloom tomato /veggie bug when what comes to mind when you scope out your wife's pins in high heels is ONLY tomato ties. Crikey, is there a joey loose in your upper paddock? LOL And being part Brit with horde of kin in and around Sydney, I knew what "pins" were, and chuckled. Sorry Grub, couldn't resist takin' the mick outta ya. Then again I was in a similiar state watching my sweetie, who was working shirtless in the heat, mixing up paint in 18gal pails/buckets, and thinking...."are you done yet with those pails? I need more in the garden." He was feeling "taken for granted" - thought I should've pinched his arse or wolf-whistled at very least at his pecs. LOL

BTW Grub, just finished watching the Sydney part of the Live Earth broadcast. Aussie Stadium's line up did OZ proud!

[Granny]

Plastic bags can also be cut into strips, then used just like yarn to crochet or knit. There are some pretty neat directions online for things like shopping bags made from shopping bags. Been thinking a few of those might make hauling stuff out of the garden a little easier.

[dcarch]

Originally Posted by jhp

They are indeed recyclable. Around here, they collect them at the supermarket.
Some more info:
http://www.plasticbagrecycling.org/01.0/
But I also like your idea.
Jen

Actually, I saw a documentary just a few days ago about this.
I was surprised when they say that plastic bags are not welcome in recyling bins because they have to manually pick them out from their processing machines.
They do want you to return them to specific places so that they do not fly all over the place.

dcarch

[jhp]

Yes, at specific places. We have recycling bins specifically for plastic bags at stop and shop, which is a a grocery store. Not added to your regular recycling pick up. That is what the link I posted is about. I guess you didn't click it. Most of the plastic bags are recycled into composite lumber.