Join me in a week of decluttering. Please comment below if your able to part with today’s suggestion, I would love to hear from you. Are you following the Declutter 52 things in 52 weeks challenge, more info HERE, it’s never to late to start!
#24 Plastic Bags
Do you have a big pile of plastic bags, perhaps too many than you really need.
I keep our plastic bags in The Bag Bag. Have you heard of these? They are great, push in the bags in the top and when you need one they easily pull out from the bottom, storing neatly together.
When I have too many bags (eg. too many to fit into my Bag Bag). I return the excess bags back to the Supermarket. Most supermarkets have a wheelie bin you can place your shopping bags in. This is a better option than throwing them into our landfill. I’m sure you all know the statistics that 1 bag takes between 20-1,000 years to breakdown. When my plastic bag supply is topped up I use the enviro bags.
Uses for platic bags:
- Bin liners
- When raining, keep a few in your car and handbag to put your wet umbrella in
- Fill with outgrown clothes, give to charity when full
- When travelling place your dirty clothes in bag ready for washing when you get home
- Reuse for your grocery shopping
- Use as packing stuffers, like newspaper
- Wrap around your meat trays (eg. packet of mince from supermarket), to prevent meat drippings on your fridge shelf
- Ties around stakes to keep plants in place
- Give to your local charity store for them to reuse
- Use when cleaning out your cat litter
- Nappy bags
- Picking up dog business
- Store wet swimmers and beach towels to prevent sand getting everywhere
- Keep one in the car, easy reach, for when somebody is feeling sick
- Many art and craft projects, see below
- Cut into strips and use as ribbon for wrapping, see below
Wrapping Paper
Make a wreath
Make a plastic bag bag
Great plastic bag bag tutorial
Plastic Bag Storage Ideas
Plastic Bag Organiser Tutorial
Tissue box as plastic bag organiser
Paper towel roll as plastic bag organiser
How to fold plastic bags
Here are some wonderful WAHM’s that make Plastic Bag storage bags:
- Merley’s Creations – crochet bags
- Vicki Lorraine
22 comments
I got my plastic bag storage bag from a wahm in Tasmania – her eBay store is called ‘All Home Sewn’. Check her out!
Thankyou for sharing her link
Pity most of the plastic bags I get are a horrible grey colour, I really like the plastic bag bow!
Hi katrina, If you get a roll of red wrapping paper that would go well with the grey bags!
True, I also love pink and grey together.
creative isn’t it.
We have always tied our plastic bags in a knot (not too tight though) before storing them, especially when the kids were babies, so that they couldn’t put it over their head if they managed to get hold of one. It’s a family tradition in my husband’s family. All of my sisters-in-law do the same thing with their plastic bags. I think it’s a great idea, so simple, so safe.
that’s a great idea perthcastins.
Do you know that in South Australia, plastic shopping bags have been outlawed and the scandalous thing is that I have to BUY plastic bags for bin liners!!!!!!!!!! We have to carry shopping bags in our cars and in our hand bags so we have bags when we shop!
you don’t need to buy plastic bin liners if you don’t want to use them. One solution is to just put your rubbish in the bin inside, when it is full empty it into the outside bin and then rinse it out. If you are recycling all your recyclables and composting your compostables then you will probably have very little rubbish. If you hate that suggestion you can also find biodegrable bin liners in the supermarket.
that’s a great idea, thankyou Amanda for sharing 🙂
Really I wasn’t aware of that. I have a bag rolled up in my handbag purely because some of my favourite shops like Target and Spotlight are bag free.
Exactly what Amanda said but also – all your other soft plastics that are able to be put in your recycle bin (bread bags, chip packets, cereal box liners, rice and pasta bags) if reasonably clean (no actual food left inside) you can return to most coles and woolworths and they are recycled into outdoor seats for schools and public parks. If you are doing everything as Amanda said and recycle your soft plastics your basically left with…….nappies and a few bathroom items… just food for thought 🙂
I have just found your site (courtesy of a friend liking it) and I LOVE it! I have just finished decluttering my plastic bags (while also finishing a glass of moscato!) Thank you!
Thanks for this one – I just cleaned out my plastic bags and found stuff in there like you wouldnt believe. Some freezer liners which had a price tag from Coles (the old yellow ones) they cost 28cents, and I don’t think I have ever used them… so they are gone, gone, gone! But, on a plus, I found a bag of twistie ties (from the freezer bags) I dont use them for freezing, but they are great to help organise all those little cords from cameras, mobile phone chargers, etc…
I recently tidied up my under-sink cupboard in the kitchen, it was stuffed full of carrier bags. I found two of those round tubs of dettol wipes, cleaned them out and stuffed the bags in there. I dont pull a bag out of the lid like you would the wipes, incase they rip, but its not very hard to take the lid off to grab some bags! I love your site!!
Great idea!
I used a heap of plastic shopping bags to stuff a decorative cushion.
Any Suggestion on how to store enviro reusable bags. 🙂 I have 10000000!
Hi,
I would love to know where I can buy the plastic bag holder
“The Bag Bag” to store in my pantry.
Searched on websites but can’t seem to find this particular style.
Thanks & Regards
Irene Parliaros
Same problem as Irene – those ‘bag bag’ things used to be readily available but so far I can’t find one anywhere.
When I find one I’ll pop back in here and let you know JJ 🙂