Coles customer reveals clever solution for unwanted reusable bags
Supermarkets have officially made the switch to paper bags, but shoppers are ending up with more than they need.
Since Coles made the switch to reusable paper bags sold at 25 cents each, households across the country have been collecting an unwanted, lonely pile, just waiting to be used.
Designed to take in-store to carry your groceries time and time again, frustrated shoppers have questioned how durable they really are after experiencing unexpected rips and breaks. So they're getting creative.
Avid green thumbs have found a use for excess Coles shopping bags in their gardens, and the clever idea has inspired other shoppers. "Needed a paper/cardboard underlay for a raised planter, had some Coles bags handy," said one on social media this week alongside a photo of their nifty method.
Coles bags used in gardens: 'Great idea'
Underlays create a barrier between the garden’s soil and the ground. They prevent weeds from growing through into your plants and stop pests from feasting on gardens.
But why pay for underlay material when you have a mountain of paper bags that will break down over time? It's a "good use of excess Coles delivery bags" thought the poster, and he's not the only one.
An organising and decluttering expert based in NSW revealed she also did this for a client who had been "hoarding" the bags. "I decided to use the Coles bags as a type of weed mat and then mulched over the top," she said in a post on Facebook recently.
"That’s a great idea! Better than the bags being chucked after one use or sitting in the cupboard forever," one person said of the incredible idea. "I’m going to be putting together my own planter boxes soon and was considering options for weed mats but think I’ll do this instead".
How Aussies are using excess Coles shopping bags
Turns out the bags can be used in other ways too as many savvy shoppers have revealed.
"I recommend a fireplace. Works a treat," suggested one. "I used them to pad out moving boxes so they weren't overloaded but things still stayed in place," another shared.
A third said they use the supermarket paper bags "wherever I formerly would have used newspaper".
"My next door neighbour has a cat and they put the wood-based used cat litter in it and it can go in the recycling kerbside," another said.
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