Homestead Diva: New Ways To Recycle Plastic Bags
94Plastic Shopping Bags Last For Centuries
Well, THAT'S not new news. Plastic shopping bags are forever. Well now they can also be a girl's best friend.
We'll get to that in a minute.
Plastic bags are handed out by the millions and billions every day. Every kind of shop from grocers to upscale outfitters have their logos printed on a flimsy plastic bag, which needs to be doubled to carry anything heavier than a dust mite. What do you do with them once you get them home?
Some stores have areas where you can recycle them. I used to do this until one day I happened to catch an employee of the store dumping the recycle bin into the dumpster.
Some people use them as small wastebasket bags, which really only delays the inevitable.
However some people have figured out how to create fashinista nirvana. Yep. Plastic bags are a fashion statement.
Fun Fashions
Take a look at this raincoat. It was created out of plastic shopping bags. I could go for a raincoat like that, in a size 10 please.
Searching around the Internet I have seen everything from plastic bag yarn to plastic bag jewelry to plastic bag fashions. Imagine the joy on a teen girl's face when she was presented with a purse created out of Old Navy shopping bags. Imagine making a grocery tote bag with a combination of Whole Foods, Wild Oats, and Kroger bags, or upscale gourmet shop bags. You could make a dog coat from PetSmart bags or a shower curtain from Bath and Body Works bags.
It's endless. The ideas are mind boggling.
So How Is It Done?
You will definitely want to visit the tutorials to get a real understanding of this process. Basically you open the bags up at the seams and cut of the bottom so you have a flat piece of plastic. You do the same with another bag.And another. IN fact you need between six and eight layers of plastic.
Now, sandwich the layers in between two pieces of freezer paper, and apply heat from an iron. Keep the iron moving and flip the whole thing after fifteen seconds and repeat on the other side.
Hopefully when you remove the freezer paper you will have a durable plastic fabric that you can use for various crafts.
So Many Bags, So Little TIme
I can all ready think of things to be made around here: tents, horse blankets, wallets. I bet you could even make some pretty weather proof mittens with them, from bags from a sporting goods store.
Imagine the new opportunity on eBay as people clamor for more and more plastic bags to the point that they become either shopping maniacs or trash pickers! Try some of these. I am going to. In fact, the things I have in my mind to do first are:
1. place-mats
2. wallet
3. purse for my granddaughter
4. re-usable grocery bags
So, do you have any ideas? I just think this is an amazing craft!
More Ideas - On Amazon
 | Amazon Price: $11.00 List Price: $19.99 |
 | Amazon Price: $6.91 List Price: $18.95 |
 | Amazon Price: $5.00 List Price: $19.99 |
 | Amazon Price: $2.75 List Price: $19.99 |
Video Tutorial
Links To Some of the Items Mentioned
- PenFelt
- Etsy Labs: Long Overdue Fusing Plastic Bag Tutorial
- Plastic Bag Craft Projects - Crafts Made with Plastic Bags
Find many craft projects using plastic bags. A great way to recycle plastic grocery and (clean) garbage bags.
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Wow - very creative!
That is awesome, they find ingenious ways to recycle plastic bags. Well done.
This is such a cool idea!
Sorry.....not cool.......give me cotton anytime
Pretyy good use of trash. One mans er...womans trash is anothers treasure. Waste not want no. I have a friend at work who has a bag she keeps her headset and other things in that she uses at the board during work and it's loaded down with stuff and heavy. The bags been holding up for a couple of years with daily wear and tear. Its made from crocheted strips of plastic bags. Waste not want not.
This is way too cool! I have some great ideas for Christmas gifts now!
Such a neat idea!! And so...GREEN! :)
I know..I keep looking at this thinking now, if we could only leanr to buikld solar panels from milk cartons..
LOL!
Wicked ideas and so fun to do!
OMG that is really neat!!
Cool idea, I love finding new ways to recycle, but I wouldn't try it before addressing a couple concerns:
1. What vapors are released by heating these bags with an iron??
2. How do you clean these? Wash them in a sink?
Call me selfish, but the health and safety of myself and my family is my first priority.
cool and creative ideas on how to recycle plastic bags.
nice hub
very creative!
Yo people are weird!! Who wld do dat
I have done 4 rugs now by using plastic bags as crochet material with yarn mixed. It is labor intensive and really pushed me to focus on bringing my re-usable bags back to the store. I love my rugs, I gave one to my mom and one to my sister, but I don't have time to recycle them that way right now.
I think these things can be made to be really hip...or really tacky. It takes an artist to make them a fashion statement...and I think it's great. I would buy something if it looked trendy and cool....absolutely! Thanks for the really neat hub. cathy@save-cash-online.com
That is actually a really cute idea. My daughter has a purse made from juice pouches, and her best friend used plastic shopping bags from her favorite mall stores to "paper" her room walls.
More info!!! I need it for my science fair project!
My grandma used to crochet bread wrappers into rugs. These are great ideas in your hub. Thanks for sharing!
I have melted some bags together with the iron and it works! I needed your article to remind me that I can make something with it now. It's very cool.
Great Ideas!
However, there are companies who specialize in making these bags, and not just the recyclable plastic bags
. Bags made of vinyl, polypropylene, paper, and plastic can often be found at the same place.
Over the past few months I have made three handbags out of plastic bags. It makes a lot of sense to me when plastic bags are still being handed out in many places that I visit. I've thought of making place mats as well but right now I'm still fascinated with making handbags.
Great Ideas!
Patty Inglish, MS Level 7 Commenter 4 years ago
Fantastic! - a raincoat of plastic bags - that's very smart.