Reuse solution for plastic newspaper bags!

In the past I have lamented the insane amount of plastic bags that come into my house, primarily from having two newspapers delivered every morning. One paper is double-bagged (that miserable Wall Street Journal), which means that we receive 21 plastic bags each week. There are a number of things we could do to stop this insanity:

• Stop receiving the papers, or cancel one of them. This is the most eco-friendly action to take, however my husband and I spend about an hour every morning reading the paper and drinking coffee together before the kids arise. I value that time. I wouldn't mind canceling the WSJ, but I have to respect my partner's wishes, too. (Dang.)

• Install a newspaper box under the mailbox and request the driver not bag the paper. I'm not even sure they use those boxes anymore. Seems like I never see newspapers in my neighbor's boxes. I'm not even sure they are deep enough to keep the paper dry in our rainy climate. Look at me finding excuses!

• Petition the papers to take back and reuse the bags. That makes me tired thinking about it.

Yes, these bags can be recycled, but it really is better to find a way to reuse them. And that's exactly what has happened. The last time I posted about this, one of our longtime readers who doesn't live far from my house commented that she would love them for picking up after her dog. So last week I dropped off about 200 bags at her house. Thank you, Becky! You see, it's better for her to reuse a plastic bag that has already been manufactured for one purpose (holding a paper) than to go out and buy doggie doo bags that have been manufactured expressly for that purpose. (And don't get me started on 'biodegradable' plastic doggie bags again.)

Had Becky not taken them, I would have asked my dog-owning neighbors or posted a freebie notice on Craigslist or Freecycle. Someone's trash is always another person's treasure!