While buying reusable shopping bags is the best option, some people just don’t/won’t. Plastic shopping bags create a lot of plastic waste in this world and reusing them is one of the small ways (outside of recycling) that we can save money and help the world around us.
Instead of just throwing all of your plastic shopping bags in the trash, try giving them a new purpose. You might be surprised at the wonderful things you can use them for or make out of them. You can use plastic shopping bags as stuffing or even go all out and make a rug. Below I am going to list some of my all-time favorites uses for them and if you have some plastic bags lying around perhaps giving some of them a go would work in your favor.
15 Ways To Reuse Your Plastic Bags At Home:
Protect Your Fruits and Vegetables
If you’re worried about insects or the cold getting to your plants putting plastic bags over them is something that you should consider. When I was growing tomatoes a couple of years ago this came in handy more than you could imagine. I might go as far as to say it saved my little red balls of deliciousness.
Fix Stuffed Animals
If you’ve got a stuffed animal or outdoor pillows that are missing some stuffing use plastic bags to refill them. They will be much firmer but still soft. I’ve actually gone so far as to make outdoor pillows from fabric and plastic bags that I use quite frequently.
Use Them As Gloves
If you ever need gloves but don’t have any these little buggers come in handy. Use them when applying wax or even out in the garden if necessary. While they don’t fit perfectly, they do work alright.
Line Your Cats Litter Box
Using plastic bags to line your litter box will make replacing litter a lot easier. Not only are you reducing your time spent cleaning, but you are also getting one more use out of those plastic bags. I have been doing this for a while now and it is much cheaper than just buying litter box liners.
Protect Packed Up Items
Wrap things in them and use them to protect any and everything you have packed away or in storage. When you need to ship something out these bags can also be used to keep anything that doesn’t need to move around in place. They are a lot less irritating than packing peanuts and can be reused again and again.
Use Them To Clean Up Dog Poop On Walks
If you are someone who walks your dog daily, you know how quickly those little plastic bags add up. Replace them with shopping bags. You won’t use anywhere near as many and will be able to knock out two birds with one stone.
Use Them To Seal Jars
If you’re worried about a jar leaking pull a plastic bag over it and tie it as tightly as you can. This will prevent leaks and work well. While it might not look as pretty as the jar itself, it is a whole lot less of a mess.
Make A Pet Bed
As I mentioned above plastic bags can be used as stuffing and while firm, still can be very comfy. Fill a pillowcase with some plastic bags and sew the end shut. This will make a wonderful cat or dog bed for your furry friend.
Save Them For Yard Sales
When having a yard sale you can give bags out to those who buy more than one thing. Considering they don’t take up much space you could hold onto tons of bags and have them for use during many yard sales. My grandmother used to do this when I was younger and it is something I wish more people would do.
Use Them To Line Hanging Baskets
If you have hanging baskets you know how messy they can be. If you’re wanting to line them but haven’t bought anything to do so with plastic bags are the way to go. They will last for about as long as the plant does in that basket and won’t be noticeable.
Use Them As Shoe Forms
If you’re worried about your shoes sinking in during the off-season months, use plastic bags as shoe forms. Fill them up and pack them away. They will be just as comfy when the season for them rolls around if you do this properly.
Make Water Balloons
Fill them with water and tie them up. Gigantic water balloons are more fun than you might expect and most people love them. That being said, please be careful, they can be a bit painful.
For more fun and interesting ways to reuse plastic bags please feel free to check out the video below. Isn’t it amazing how creative some people can get? Will you be trying any of these out for yourself?
Make A Rug
Yes, you can literally make a rug. While it does take time and can be a bit frustrating at first once you’ve gotten the hang of it, it can be quite fun. This is a great project to do with kids as they can spend hours on it and not get bored. To learn how check out the video below.
Make A Camping Mat
Making a camping mat is a lot easier than you’d think. You weave them, in the same manner, you would the rug as noted in number 13 but can be given out to those who may need them. I like to use mine as a pad for outdoor chairs and loungers.
Use Them As Emergency Rain Gear
When the umbrella and raincoat aren’t near grab a plastic bag. This can be used to at least cover your head. While it might not be ideal, it is a trick that will keep your hair from getting frizzy and puffed up. I cannot count the times I have had to use plastic bags as rain gear, and they have never failed.