HELOISE Loose fill council works for peanuts

Dear Heloise: I've been receiving packages for the holiday season filled with those white foam peanuts used to protect the items being shipped.
Didn't you print a place where one could take these for recycling? V.W., via e-mail
You bet! The Plastic Loose Fill Producers Council will be glad to give you the location of one or more businesses in your area. They take bags of foam peanuts and reuse them for shipping things. Since most of the places are mail/packaging businesses, the peanuts come in handy, especially during the holiday season.
Call (800) 828-2214 and have a pen and paper ready to write the names and addresses of businesses in your area. You will not talk to a person -- instead, a recorded message will give you the information you need. Heloise
Dear Heloise: Can you think of a way to reuse or recycle the plastic cases that music and game CDs come in? Sally Matter, Dauphin, Pa.
Don't toss them! The cases can be used for other things. Try these:
UUse as coasters -- insert a pretty drink napkin.
UPut a photo in one and glue a magnetic strip to the back, then put it on the fridge.
UUse to hold recipe cards upright. Just insert a card, leave the case slightly open and stand it up. Added bonus: It helps protect recipes from spills and splatters. Heloise
Dear Heloise: My husband repairs speakers, and he gets his speaker-cover fabric at local fabric stores. They carry the exact fabric for the job.
Just thought I would pass this along. Brenda, New Haven, Ind.
Thanks for sharing the info. This will be helpful information for the reader who recently asked what to do about wax spilling down the front of a stereo speaker -- re-cover it! Heloise
Dear Heloise: I have to agree with anyone who is disappointed to find that early-bird shoppers have been to a garage sale before the appointed starting time.
A gentleman in my town seemed to have the solution. He included in his newspaper ad: "All sales before 8:00 a.m., double price." Barbara M., Fort Myers, Fla.
Love it! Hope it works for others! Heloise
Dear Heloise: After opening a roll of wrapping paper, instead of putting tape or a rubber band around the unused part, here's what I do: I cut an empty toilet-paper roll up the middle and place it over the unused wrap. It holds it in place. Jerry G., Oceanside, Calif.
Sound off: Audiobooks are wonderful, especially for the visually impaired. However, for someone who cannot see, it is impossible to determine in what sequence the tapes should be played -- Tape A, Side1/Side 2, Tape B, etc.
Hopefully, a producer/manufacturer of audiobooks will be alerted by reading this and find a solution. Carolyn B., Houston
XSend a great hint to: Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax: (210) HELOISE; e-mail: Heloise@Heloise.com.
King Features Syndicate