I wrote up a list of ten ways to reuse plastic bags in March after San Francisco passed a ban on plastic grocery bags. I bought some things from Target recently, and noticed they also had a list of ten ideas. Let’s see how they match up.

Gibberish Target Verdict
Pick up dog shit “Doggy Duty” Match
Trashcan liner Tiny trashcan liner Match
Laundry lint bag Water balloon Water balloon? I guess that’s better than buying dedicated balloons, but how about not throwing plastic bags at each other in the first place? I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a plastic bag that was watertight enough to actually use as a water balloon anyway.
Keep your feet dry/contaminant free Roadtrip rubbish Not a bad suggestion by Target, but it’s a little too similar to “tiny trashcan liner.” Maybe they were searching for a few more bullet points?
Keep paint brushes moist overnight Soggy laundry Well, both items involve something wet inside the bag, but that’s about it. Soggy laundry isn’t a bad suggestion, though.
Keep meat from bleeding onto the fridge Ice pack for head lump Good idea from Target, and I didn’t think of that. I would think the Sacred Bag of Peas would do better, as it’s reusable and is already in a bag. However, that involves wasting food, so it’s a toss up. I guess it depends on where you draw your conservation boundaries.
Store holiday lights Toiletry tote I … guess … this is an okay recommendation. Given the TSA’s propensity to freak out over toothpaste and shampoo these days, I’m not sure I’d want to put my toiletries in a plastic bag that was opaque and could not be easily opened and closed without tying. Thumbs down.
Children should be seen, and not heard — maybe I was search for a few more bullet points? But a plastic bag would be useful for suffocating someone. Kitty litter liner Both of these suggestions involve little shits, but I haven’t seen a cat box small enough for a plastic bag. Maybe you have to cut them first? Intriguing, maybe a Gibberish cat owner can weigh in on the viability of this one.
Contain spills during travel by wrapping items in a plastic bag or two Tomorrow’s lunchbag This is a good one, and I’m surprised I didn’t think of it. The downside is that it isn’t insulated, the upside is that you could get a third use out of the bag by using it for waste disposal when you’re done with your meal.
Keep fumigated/chemically treated rags separate Care package padding I am not sure if this is the best use of plastic bags, but I’ve seen it done. Most packing “peanuts” are biodegradable with water, and while all plastic bags are also biodegradable, they are much more robust than the peanuts. I am fairly sure that newspaper would be more easily recycled than plastic bags. I rate this one a “meh.”

So, there you have it — a few good suggestions, but I’m just happy that Target is printing anything about reuse on these bags. I don’t think it’s realistic to expect people to recycle their bags en masse, but hopefully folks will take a few of these suggestions and start getting multiple uses out of their bags before sending them to the landfill.