Welcome to Plastic Trash Bag Mountain. Let's Transform It!

Susan Denise Cook-Conner
by Susan Denise Cook-Conner
2 Materials
$1
10 Minutes
Easy

I have seen a lot of solutions for what to do with those pesky plastic shopping bags that can be useful but difficult to store. My girlfriend showed me a solution that has revolutionized my life... So I can't take credit for it. However, it has changed the way I think about those plastic bags and how to store them so they are more usable.


There are a plethora of uses for these bags... But here is my solution to storing them and a couple of ideas of how I use them


First you start with Plastic Trash Bag Mountain. Don't let it overwhelm you. Sit at a table that faces the television... And turn on a good movie or music station. Grab a cup of coffee... And leisurely work one piece at a time as you take a big breath while having a time of serenity.


WARNING: Do NOT do this while children are running about or demanding something to eat. Someone will get hurt.

The first step is to take one of the plastic bags and lay it flat... and make sure the handles of the bag are equally flat. Don't forget to push out all the air so that it is as smooth as possible.

Fold the bag over once with the handles together as you see in the photo. Once again, remember to push all the air out of the bag.


Fold it one more time so that the bag is a long flat rectangle with the handles on top of each other at the top.


Are you enjoying your movie? Or did you not heed the warning above and now a child or adult is injured and bleeding?

Now take one of the corners at the bottom of your bag and fold it so that it looks like a triangle. Continue to fold the triangle up and over... Up and over... Until you end up with a triangle, and only the handles are left at the top.

Next, I located the little pocket that is in front of the handle portion. I made the pocket wider so that I could stuff the handles down inside.

Now you want to flatten your triangle so that it is pressed securely.


The final product should look like one of those paper footballs that we made in high school with our notebook paper so we could flick over someone's hands. (Uh oh... Did I date myself?) You should only be halfway through your TV program so far... And once you do this a couple of times, it will go faster and faster. For me this is therapy from all the other goings-on around the house.


Out of that huge mountain of plastic bags on my table, this is all that is left

Next I get a big plastic container... For me it is one of those huge empty cheese ball containers... And I just keep filling it up week after week after week. Because they are so small and compact, it is easy to throw a few into my purse in case I have need of one. They take virtually no space in your purse... And one perk about them, is when you unfold them, they have nice creases and look brand new.


Outside of throwing them in my purse, here is one other fabulous way to use them. I went to the Dollar Store and purchased a very tiny trash can. Yep, this is going to revolutionize your kitchen.

I adhered a Command Hook to both sides of the trash can... but be sure to put them on upside down so the hooks face downwards.


The next and final step is to put one of your folded bags inside the trash can and loop the handles over the Command hooks.

The next and final step is to simply put the trash can in one side of your sink. As you chop vegetables and have the ends to be thrown out... Or peel an onion and you have those leftover skins... Or simply need to throw away a used paper towel. Rather than walking around to the larger kitchen trash can, I simply pop it into this little one.

At the end of the day I fold the handles into a knot and toss it into the trash... And then I put in a fresh folded bag for the next day. This is an awesome idea... Especially as we approach the holidays and all the cooking that will be going on.

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Frequently asked questions
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  • Genevieve Genevieve on Nov 13, 2018

    Yes! And dumping your food waste each day out to the outdoor trash can (instead of waiting for a large kitchen trash bin to fill up) keeps your kitchen and under sink cabinet smelling much better. We also use a bunch of these grocery bags to pick up our doggie's waste when we walk him or take him to the park. Why should our parks use their tight budgets for pet bags when we've all got collections of them at home?

  • Penny-Marie Penny-Marie on Nov 13, 2018

    Do you not have composting where you live? Everything you mentioned would be composted here in Calgary Alberta.

  • Beverley Hathor Beverley Hathor on Dec 17, 2018

    what about your recycling?.. it looks like you're chucking everything in one bin ..here in the UK we have several bins ...plastic/paper... compost...food waste and rubbish.

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  • Barbara Zorn Barbara Zorn on Jul 26, 2019

    Another idea...take the bags to your local food shelf & donate your extras. They always need them.

    Barb

  • Jmk26831075 Jmk26831075 on Oct 06, 2023

    I will have to give this a try as yours is much neater looking than my method. What I normally do with our bags is put one inside the other (we double bag and then use for trash liners), roll it with the handles on one end and then roll from the bottom up to the handles, using the handles to hold the roll together by twisting like you do rubber bands in hair. But while my method may be quicker, they don’t always hold together, and isn’t as neat looking.

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