These all sounds great. Better than with what I started. Kathy, I'm 45 :) Dweeb is something I hear often since I work with a bunch of nerds. Heck, for Christmas I gave my boss a plaque with his name spelled out using chemistry symbols and the definition of a "geek" (or was it nerd?). We're proud to be dweebs, usually. Just not this time! Nerds are salt of the earth.

Hey West - we are in the same boat. but what about the colored paper, the glossy paper, etc. like magazines etc??? There is no place around here that will take that stuff either. I have been shredding the smaller glossy stuff (that comes in the mail) to mix into the compost pile but I can't take the time to tear apart and shred magazines. It either goes into the garbage or sometimes hubby sneaks it in with the newspapers that we take up to the recycling center or sometimes I wait till hubby's at work and I burn them. None of these is a good alternative really. Wish the recycling programs were better in my area. Dulu - in our last place (different town) we had a similar thing as you. Fortunately, we have a single sort system that allows for all manner of paper types/magazines, cans, bottles, and plastics #1 thru 7 to be dumped together in one large wheeled bin and picked up every two weeks. The only difference was that you could not put in magazines or cardboard and they only took plastics 1 and 2. Yours sounds much more comprehensive. Val

I know someone who did the torn paper bag method on their kitchen floor. The bags were torn into irregular 2"-3" pieces. It looked nice. It's been quite a few years ago, but I remember that it was very smooth on the top, not rumpled, so I don't know what he used to seal and coat it all. Speaking of brown paper bags, I just LOVE the look and texture of them for wrapping gifts and packages to mail. My favorite tie for a brown paper gifts is torn strips of plaid fabric. I also use brown paper bags to make envelopes, by opening and cutting along the seam and using a received envelope as a pattern. I use the BPBs in my art, too, to paint on or collage with or whatever. Wanda in South Texas Here is a link that might be useful: The Bee Hive

Yes Kat, those are them! (thanks Jasdip!). Those are from a store called Zehrs or The Great Canadian Superstore (same owner). There are other bins from other stores as well that I have seen. I have a black one from Food Basics around here somewhere - probably holding toys downstairs LOL. They have straps (two lengths on mine, actually), and also molded handles in the sides. The carts at that store or gianormous and shaped differently, they can hold one bin on a top level, two on the lower level, and one more underneath at the front. I used to try and keep one bin empty, with the idea that I can drop my filled bins on the conveyor, and the cashier could ring the items from one bin and drop them in the empty, and so on. Seemed very efficient to me. However, the cashiers were getting repetitive strain injury from doing that so now they ask that you remove the items from the bin and place on the belt. Of course, we have to pack our own items down at the other end. The bins nest nicely, and I find they stay cleaner than the bags do. I also find the bags tend to tip over in the car, whereas the bins do not. Dances.