We had a huge response to our recent plastic bag survey, which confirms GC veg scheme members care a lot about plastics and have many good ideas to contribute.

As we've said in previous blog posts on the complexity of the issue and the alternative materials available, we continually strive to find the best ways to minimise packaging without increasing food waste. For now, we (and many of the farmers we work with) believe the clear polythene bags are the best way to keep leafy greens fresh, and we encourage you to reuse those as much as possible.

When they're no longer useful, you can take them to Morrisons, Sainsbury’s & Ocado for recycling, or you can drop them back to our farmers' market or your collection point - with your carrier bags and coloured tags - and we’ll recycle them for you.

But before you recycle them, here's our pick of the best ideas for reusing the grip-seal (and other) bags:

• Storing other veg. See this post about how to best to store each veg type to keep it fresh
• Storing other food in the fridge or freezer. See our guide on blanching and freezing veg
• Storing herbs
• Wrapping your packed lunch
• Using as snack bags when out and about
• Carrying fresh veg from the allotment/garden
• Covering germinating seeds as mini-cloches
• Buying from packaging-free shops
• Proving sourdough overnight in the fridge
• Storing home-made bread
• Tidying other non-food stuff, such as seeds, stationery - and the bags themselves!
• Storing woolly jumpers to stop the moths eating them
• Packing for travel - especially waterproof for camping/bike trips
• Leak-proofing bottled goods during transport (soup for lunch; refilled bottles of oil or detergents etc)
• Making ecobricks
• Collecting litter in the street or park
• Using as a nappy sack
• Using as a bin bag

The most original suggestion from a veg scheme member was: “To water-bomb noisy early-hours revelers outside my bedroom!”  

We appreciate that some people would prefer not to receive any plastic at all, but we believe plastic is still the best option for storing greens and preventing food waste. So keep reusing the bags as you see fit - and send us your suggestions for other ways to make them useful.