Recycling

Reuse Cereal Bag Liners

By editor ⋅ November 7, 2007 ⋅ Email this post ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

The strong, waxy bag liners inside most cereal boxes are very useful.  Once the cereal is gone, remove the bag, turn it inside out to get rid of crumbs and wipe clean.  Fold and store the bag for use later on; it probably won’t be very long before you reach for it again!

Here’s some great ideas for reusing cereal bag liners that will save you time, energy and money:

Use a complete cereal liner bag:

- as a freezer bag for meat, dough, pancakes or baked goods

- as a substitute for a ziploc bag; fold over the top several times, seal with a clothes pin or tape

- as a substitute for sandwich bags; wrap sandwiches or fruit in a cereal bag liner for lunch

- use for homemade shake and bake mixes; add chicken or fish pieces, chops or potatoes, cover with mix, hold the bag closed and shake to cover

- use to make crumbs; fill with dried bread or cookies, fold over the top, and roll over the bag with a rolling pin

- to store leftover pie, pastries or baked goods in the fridge

- to wrap cheese or deli meat

- to store lettuce, cabbage or other vegetables bought loose in the grocery store

- to hold vegetable peelings or food scraps destined for the compost

- keep a couple in the car to hold wet bathing suits or baby’s wet clothes until you get home

- as a trash bag or diaper bag when travelling; good for emergencies when people get car sick too!

Cut cereal bag liners into single sheets for the following uses:

- cut into squares to keep chops or hamburger patties separated when freezing

- use as a cooling surface when making chocolate-dipped pretzels or fruit

- use as a rolling surface for pastry or biscuit dough; simply cut open a cereal bag to make a large flat sheet; moisten your countertop and lay the waxy sheet down flat.  Dust with flour and roll your dough; discard the liner when done.

- use as a splatter guard when microwaving; the liner paper doesn’t need to touch the food - just place a single sheet loosely over the food container

- cut to fit the bottom of a basket or tin for transporting home baked goodies; cut more liner sheets to separate layers of cookies, tarts, rice krispie squares or brownies

- use small pieces of cereal bag liner as a surface to mix epoxy type glues

- generally use as a substitute for waxed paper