Have I finally flipped

PS Washing out carrier bags is sort of ok, but hanging them out on the line is verging on dotty and will have the neighbours talking!

My granny did that too! It was a free alternative to greaseproof paper.

The cereal packed linings I might know about because my Granny did that too. It goes back to the days when butter and marge came in blocks and the lining paper was used to grease cake tins and such with butter or marge (or Trex) for baking. You tore off a bit of lining paper and wiped it over the spread and used it to grease and the tin. She kept the wrappers off the spread for the same reason.

My MiL used to save the waxed paper linings of cereal packets, all folded neatly in one of the kitchen drawers, along with all the plastic bags that her fruit and veg came in from the supermarket. I never did discover what she used them for .

We had a member of staff who used to wash out and reuse the plastic sandwich bags she brought her lunch in

Never washed out a plastic carrier bag, but I do like to reuse things whenever I can, waste not want not.

Like Lona, I wash ziplock bags and reuse them if they haven't been used for anything messy. They can be re-used for storing things like bags of flour and sugar, or storing a few wet wipes in a rucksack - any number of things really. I don't wash plastic carriers though; never occurred to me. Might have to think about it though, my stock is going down!

I'm with you washing and reusing bags. in my impecunious youth I saved old tights and even thought about tumble dryer fluff for stuffing cushions it's genetic as my gran saved paper bags and was perfectly sane.

Depends on what you're going to use them for. If only for bin liners, there's not much point in washing them first.

Noooo - life is too short to stuff a mushroom/wash out carrier bags - put them in the recycling.

I miss the jolly Xmas-y decorated ones from M and S. Just these black and white ones now.

I wash the strong plastic bags too, always have. Alima at least you haven't gone as far as my grandmother did, she used to peg her teabags out to dry for re-use!

Alima you've got to iron them! Where is your self-respect?

Yes, I'd wash them too. Out of concern for the environment, of course, rather than because I'm too tight to buy new ones.

I regularly wash out good quality ziplok bags as they are too good to throw away.

They are relatively posh M&S ones complete with proper handles!
I take your point Ana, they are not exactly rare even though you do not see many about now. I am not going to iron them though (under a damp cloth that is).

Well, carrier bags are not exactly as rare as hen's teeth, it's just that you have to pay for them now!

40 years ago we had an elderly neighbour who regularly pegged small plastic bags on her washing line - they weren't supermarket carriers though.

Hmmm...depends on the quality of the bag. I've certainly washed out certain bags and line dried them.