How can I reuse or recycle bread bag tags?
We’ve had an email from Lyndall, saying:
hi, i was wondering if anybody knew what to do with bread tags. i hate throwing them away, but i don’t know what else to do with them. would welcome any suggestions.
We don’t really have them over here these days – shops seem to prefer those little sticky things that lose their stickiness (and therefore ability to seal the bag) after one opening but then still manage to attach themselves to your shoes/socks/cat and refuse to come off no matter how much you shake your foot/cat.
Anyway… bread tags/clips. I suspect they could just be reused as general plastic bag seals around the kitchen – but any other suggestions?
(Photo by Bando26)
Crafters use bread tags to wind spare threads and yarns on. Especially helpful for embroiderers and colorwork knitters.
I can vouch for this use as a knitter. I wind extra long tails to pieces of work on these tabs.
I have also used them as markers for coutning stitched and to keep yarn on a needle.
I remember using them in Kindergarden. We would count out 100 of them and then make them into different size piles (ie, 10s 20s 2s, 5s, etc.)
Poker chips!
I’m not sure how to reuse them, but I do know that they are color coded by day of the week of when the bread is delivered to the store.
You can remember that the colors in alphabetical order…
Blue = Monday
Green = Tuesday
Red = Wednesday
White = Thursday
Yellow = Friday
I’ve always thought it was
Monday=Blue
Tuesday=Green
Thursday=Red
Friday=White
Saturday=Yellow
Maybe its different in different parts of the world tho.
Guitar picks?
put some in an oatmeal container (in the u.s. they are cylindrical and made of cardboard)or the hollow cardboard bit from the end of wrapping paper, tape off the ends, and decorate the outside. voila– lovely noisemaker to send your nieces and nephews home with.
Martha Stewart said to write on them and attach to electrical cords, computer wires… so you would know what the wire was for. I’v tried it works good.
i keep a couple by the sink to scrape off hard cooked on bits of gunk on my dishes
You can also use them as little scrapers for getting gunk off of your stovetop. Perfect for me enameled stove.
Please break them before discarding so they won’t get caught on a bird beak or rodent foot!
I use them to seal plastic bags of food that I put in my freezer. That is very much the original use, but it means I almost never throw them away.
Put on the ends of rolls of parcel tape etc, you will never lose the end again
Good to replace board game items.. such as when you use counters etc?
Use them to label your electrical cords for your computer, TV/audio/etc. Saves tracing the wires back to the source.
A bread clip will hold a pair of socks together in the wash
These make excellent bookmarks. Just clip a few pages together.
Students, or young girls can paint these and use them as funky earrings
Keep rubber bands inside the clip bit of the tags. It stops them getting all over the drawer.
Spray paint these silver, gold, or green and use to hang Christmas tree lights
Dry pantyhose, stockings, hose, etc on a thin wire coat hanger. Simply attach them to the hanger with old bread bag clips.
I’m not sure you’re thinking of the tags because some of your suggestions don’t make sense
They make sence to me
I love using them on cards or collages. It’s fun to find one with someones birthday and attach it to the ribbon on their gift. You can also apply glue, cover in patterned paper, and then cut around with exacto knife for an adorable tag. I’m sure they would be cute covered in glitter as well.
Love it!
Use them as stitch markers. I use them all the time when crocheting. I just hook one of the ends on the stitch and keep on going. Use different colors for increases and decreases.
i use them for guitar picks & to hold (& mark) the end of a ball of yarn/string)
i made a lightweight picture frame out of reclaimed materials, using bread clips on the back as picture hangers. you have to glue a bit of cardboard to them so they stand away from the surface of the frame back and the ‘keyhole’ cut-out in the clip can sit on thumb tacks pushed into the wall. can you dig it?
YES! please be sure to break them in half when throwing out, so little animal feet don’t get caught!!!!
On some calendars the hall on top of the page rip where the nail is. Glue the tags on the back of each page so the hall on calendar and on a tag overlap ( opening of the tag down). Now there will be no ripped halls.
Secure Tomato plants, Grape vines etc. to arbor. Tie Christmas lights and other wires to keep them from tangeling.
Sorry that’s tie’s not tags.
i like the markers idea for knitting!
I have a use for the bread tags…marking flowers that are in bloom to determine over the season which ones to save the seeds.
My question is where can I buy them in bulk. Having friends, neighbors and relatives save them is not enough.
If anyone has any suggestions I would be very happy. Just email me!
Thanks
Audrey
I have been saving bread tags for anyone that would needs/wants them. Just send me your address and I will forward them to you.
Just e-mail me at erapresident2007@hotmail.com. I am willing to send them free of charge to anyone in Canada.
Hello. I read a 5 year old post of yours on recylethis.co.uk about those little bread tags that aren’t around anymore. My husband threw out the whole lot when we moved house thinking they were rubbish!
I would love to get hold of some more. Do you have any more, by any chance, and if not, do you know where I could get hold of some?
Regards,
Fernanda Boorman
I am like Audrey, I would also like to know where I can buy some of the plastic bread clips. If you all find some one that sells them please email me a blondie72032@yahoo.com.
I want to use them on my electric wires to electronic equipment and some other little project I am working on. Thank for your help. :)
Yes, those are all wonderful ideas, but can they be sent to recycling centers and melted down, or however they do it, to make other products?
Hi,
My name is Leigh Morgan, I am in the process of collecting various colours and dates of bread tags from around the world for an art project I am planning. I would so greatful to anyone who is prepared to send any amount of bread tags, I am more than happy to cover postage/shipping costs, as I m in Australia.
Thanks,
Leigh Morgan
Leigh,
I have a bundle looking for a home. Email me at orangeterra@gmail.com.
Hello Leigh,
We have collected these in a community recycling program and have a couple of bags of them. if you or anyone else wants them, email me on molly1990@internode.on.net
Trudy-Anne
I should have mentioned that i am in South Australia
Leigh,
Email me your address and I will send you some.
My dad used one as a wine glass charm. Although, i’d probably decorate them first.
Hello to you all;
I am the UK distributor for these bread tags and I am amazed at some of the novel and innovative uses you have all come up with to reuse these products. I can answer one question which has come up – you can recycle these clips in with your plastic recycling system here in the UK – The closures are made from Polystyrol which is a category 4 plastic so if you run out of novel ways to use them then they can happily be recycled.
Hi there. Thanks for the info David.
I am aware that there are schemes where plastics manufacturers are involved with ‘bread tags for wheelchairs’ schemes. I have checked on the internet, and so far have only found information where this operates in South Africa. Our local Womens’ Institute Federation collects bread tags and sends them on somewhere. I collect them, and pass them on to a WIF member here in Papamoa New Zealand, and she hands them on to a national co-ordinator. She is not sure where they go from there, and is going to find out for me…
Are you aware of any such scheme in your country?
Thanks everyone. :)
Send your used bread tags to the Rachel Swart fund – they collect them for wheelchairs – they have a web site
Hi,
I’m currently collecting plastic bread tags for a upcycle craft project. If you’re interested in sending them my way instead of the landfills, email me at thoeyngo@gmail.com
Thank you!
EcoMonsters
10 Amazing Uses Of Plastic Bread Bag Clips:
1. These make excellent guitar picks. They are easier to hold than store bought ones and stronger.
2. Use as a scraper on non stick pans. They won’t scratch the finish.
3. A bread clip will hold a pair of socks together in the wash.
4. These make excellent bookmarks. Just clip a few pages together.
5. Students, or young girls can paint these and use them as funky earrings.
6. Keep rubber bands inside the clip bit of the tags. It stops them getting all over the drawer.
7. Spray paint these silver, gold, or green and use to hang Christmas tree lights
8. If you get paint onto the glass when painting windows, these will scrape it off without scratching
9. Small children like to use these for counting and sorting. (Be careful of choking hazard with very young children.).
10. Dry pantyhose, stockings, hose, etc on a thin wire coat hanger. Simply attach them to the hanger with old bread bag clips.
You just copied and pasted. You should give credit to the people that you copied from.
http://simplystated.realsimple.com/simplystated/2011/05/bread-clips-as-cord-labels.html
I collect them!
Hi Leigh
Have a number of bread tags that I was collecting for a lady who used them for fundraising but she no longer requires them. I see you collect them as of May this year. Do you still require them? as I will send these to you and keep collecting if they can be used.
I am at gcod@westnet.com.au and live in western NSW. Christine
Hello
I presently have at least forty pounds of bread tabs for which I have no use. I would love to donate them to a charitable organization. Is there such a thing? I continue to have access to more of these on an on going bases. I can’t however afford the shipping cost .
God bless
Carmelle from Nova Scotia
My email address is auntcarmelle@yahoo.com
I think I have come up with a totally different use. I typically wear an item of clothing (outerwear) more than once before laundering it, but I can’t remember how many times I’ve worn something. So I’m going to try using several colors of these things, hung around the neck of the hanger (ie; white for “worn once”, yellow for “worn twice” etc.) That way I won’t be washing clothing unnecessarily thinking “I must have worn this” when maybe I haven’t.
some special needs schools collect them, to assist children to improve their fine motor skills by letting the children clip the tags onto a piece of string that has been pulled taut.
In South Africa there is an organization that collects bread bag tags to recycle and the proceeds are used to buy wheelchairs. It takes 1 million tags to buy one wheelchair! You can post them to PO Box 215 Noordhoek 7970 or mail me at zkvlei@mweb.co.za
The ideas are brilliant! I will never throw another one away – ever!
Thank you everyone!
Glue those tags around halls of a writing paper, since those halls tend to rip all the time in a folder.
Hi all – just stumbled across a great ‘bread tag recycling’ idea at work today – it’s a Cross made from bread tags, ribbon & lace – I was amazed that somebody thought of it. I work as Recreation person for 25 Dementia residents in a Catholic Aged Care Home so am always looking for new ideas. If anybody would like to donate some bread tags to me, I would really, really appreciate it. Please send me an e:mail and I’ll give you my postal address. Silly thing is – I started collecting them and had about 30 & thought why am I saving these? I ended up throwing them out. Thank you
Forgot to mention, I live in a suburb of Sydney, Australia.
My e:mail address is: Ginnybelle@ihug.com.au
Thanks again.
Hello! I am trying to collect some of these bread tags as a school project. I’m broke, so I can’t pay anything, really sorry. But, feel free to email me, I am in Canada :)
alphashadow@hotmail.ca
or
koolkatskylie10@hotmail.com
A big thank you to Amy Maughan in Melbourne, Australia for her offer to post me some bread tags for recycling craft at my Aged Care facility. Very much appreciated Amy!
Hello Virginia – I live in SA and have just cleaned out a drawer containing quite a number of these bread tags and I’ll be happy to post them to you.
Hi Paul – Thanks for your message & kind offer of bread tags. I would really love them thank you & can put them to great use.
My postal address is: 16 Silvia Street, Hornsby NSW 2077.
Many thanks again & Happy Easter!
Hi Virginia,
just talking today to friends about trying to find a use for bread tags and saw your replies. I have about 200 tags – can you use them? I’m in SA as well so can post them to NSW.
No problems Virginia – will despatch them Tuesday if I can.
Hi Paul – Wow, what a great package of bread tags I received from you today along with your note. Thank you so much. I’ll definately have to hurry up and put them to use as I am now collecting quite a lot.
Many thank again & best wishes, Virginia
Hi Heather – I sent you a private e:mail also with my postage details. Just wanted to say thank you also for your kind offer of 200 bread tags for my aged residents craft and apologies for not replying sooner.
Best wishes & thank you again, Virginia
Hi Heather – Apologies for not thanking you earlier for your package of bread tags which arrived in the mail. I assure you they will be put to great use & thank you again. Best wishes, Virginia
An other idea for bread tabs, if the toe part of your flip flops starts to pull through put one on the bottom side of the flip flop.
I am looking for bread tags — white specifically — for a project. I am in Iowa in the United States.
I am looking for bread tags — white specifically — for a project. I am in Iowa in the United States. Thank you for letting me know if you have some!
Reading through 4 years of bread tag ideas. Pleased to see there is still an interest. Virginia are you in overload for your craft work? I have a jar full if you want them. I live in Sydney. Ada