These are the things I ponder while I’m cleaning my stall…
Why, when copper is so expensive, do they make the staples out of copper? Why not use something less expensive?
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And why are there so many of them?!
I really hate opening a new bag- I’m so paranoid one of those suckers is going to end up falling out of my hand accidentally and end up impaling a sole.
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Copper is too soft a metal for staples. They’re steel or an alloy with a copper wash to prevent rust. If you wear an apron with big pockets you could slip a magnet in one, and put staples in that pocket.
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I don’t know if I’ve ever seen staples on bags of shavings? How big are the bags? The bags of shavings I buy are just plastic that’s sealed on the ends.
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Same here. All the bags of shavings I have seen over the past 30 or so years are plastic that is heat sealed at the end.
I am in Virginia. Where is the OP located?
Paper shavings bags are still a thing depending on the company. They’re mostly plastic now, but some companies, like TOP (link below), even offer a choice of paper or plastic.
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I’ve seen staples in plastic ones, too. The method of sealing the bags really seems to vary from company to company (I’m in Canada and have seen heat-sealed plastic, and stapled paper or plastic).
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Mine are plastic but sometimes there are staples. I just slice the bag open with a knife and the staples stay in the plastic.
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I’m in Massachusetts and the shavings come in paper bags…
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Interesting. I’ve never seen shavings in paper bags and I’ve never seen staples on the plastic bags. I’m in the Pacific NW.
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I’m in MD and the same shavings from American Wood Fibers that now come in plastic bags used to come in paper bags with staples. I wish they still did so the bags could be recycled or used to start fires.
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I recycle my plastic savings bags as trash bags.
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One barn I was at there was another boarder who worked at an auction house and she collected all the bags for the various antique quilts and other fabric items that went through the sales. I guess they were large enough, clean, and had a pleasant smell 
I do this too, but I clearly must not be making enough trash because I have more shavings/feed bags then I need trash bags in the barn.
We have staples in paper bags in Ontario too.
I hate them! I won’t buy paper bags because of them, I can’t handle the risk of one getting lost in the stall.
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When I used bags with staples (cleaning stalls at my trainer’s barn) I would remove the staples while outside the stall and put them in my pant pocket. Then take the opened bag of shavings into the stall.
I do agree that I was always worried about the staples.
I also agree that paper bags are nice for recycling/burning and not having to send them to the landfill.
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where I am there can be no open burning however the plastic bags are accepted as recycleable items
The plastic bags are waterproof (well, really water resistant) which is a plus in the southern states since moist shaving attack ants and we have fire ants here.
This is what I do. I once forgot to take them out and the staple got into some place in the washing machine that made it not lock properly. That took some sorting so now I take them out, and carry them directly to the trash! I prefer the paper bag shavings because they can be recycled. The plastic bags aren’t recyclable here.
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I thought it was just me! I’m always checking the bags for missing staples and then wondering where the heck they ended up, hoping not down inside the bag or somewhere near the hay (I store my shavings right next to the hay).
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