6 Ways to Reuse and Recycle Plastic Bags

Did you know that plastic bags are one of the biggest perpetrators of environmental harm? Every year, about 380 billion bags are used in the United States alone. Global estimates put the number of plastic bags used every year at almost a trillion bags. To bring that to reality, approximately one million plastic bags are being used and thrown away every minute. That is massive!

What is also massive is the damage to the environment. If you look at the use of plastic bags on an environmental scale there are many problems with the production of that much plastic. A few of the main issues are that they not biodegradable. Meaning, they never break down. They take up space and leech harmful chemicals into our land and waters. Also they can be damaging to wildlife and marine life. Turtles, for instance, can mistake floating plastic bags for jellyfish. If try to eat them, they will eventually die when the plastic bags expand in their stomach.

So what is an answer, besides wishing they were gone?

While not the ideal option, Recycling can help. Although recycling uses a lot of energy and also produces harmful chemical residues in and of itself, it will also reduce the amount of the bags that end up in landfills, sewers and waterways. Many recyclers are turning the plastics into things like carpeting. Reusing your plastic bags is perhaps the #1 way to help the environment, while saving money too.

Here are a many ways you can reuse your plastic grocery bags, besides taking them back to the grocery store each time you shop. Here are a few ways I use mine.

Use It as a Trash Bag
Use it in your kitchen, in your bedrooms or in the bathroom as a trash bag. The small size is perfect for smaller waste cans and you can use it over and over before it tears.

Doggy Poop Bags

Instead of buying doggy poop bags or using zip lock bags, just use your plastic bags. If you accumulate a lot of bags, this is a fantastic way to put them to use.

Use Them in the Garden

Do you use leaf bags to help manage your garden? Instead of buying other bags, why not just use your existing plastic bags instead? You can then dump the leaves and debris into your green can and continue to use the plastic bags until the are torn.

As a Food Storage Tool

Plastic bags also work well in the kitchen to help keep out bugs by placing the products in the bag and tying the bag closed. Plus some foods are messy to store. For example, flour can get all over the place once you’ve opened it, if you do not have a container. Put it in a bag, squeeze out the air and tie it closed.

Tear It Up for Packaging

Who needs bubble wrap? Shred up your used plastic bags and use them for packaging. They can be used over and over again.

Make Crafts With Them

I am not a crafter like this, but I have seen many items made with plastic garbage bags where you can roll them into strips, braid them and create amazing items. I have seen small and large purses and even throw rugs made from plastic bags.

If you like to crochet, you can cut the plastic bags into strips, tie them together and make what is called “Plarn” aka Plastic Yarn. You can do a search on the internet for tons of FREE crochet plarn projects with instructions.

As you can tell, there are a lot of ways to put old plastic bags to use. Of course, the best environmental course is to use your own bags whenever possible. If you do have plastic bags, don’t throw them away – recycle and/or reuse them instead.

What are some of the ways you use plastic bags at your home?

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