What do you do with your plastic grocery bags?

[EllenFrasier]

I have seen these cloth bag type things with elastic at each end and you can stuff them full of plastic grocery bags and hang them up - have you ever seen them? I would buy one if I saw them in the store, but this was someone's house and I think they wanted to keep it.
My family is forever stuffing them in a kitchen drawer that has things in it and I can never find anything in there because of all the bags! I need a solution and quick.

 

[Mommee]

We have one of those and keep it hanging behind the door in our laundry room. Any that don't fit get returned to the recycle bin at our grocery store. My mom found it at a craft show.

You could also just hang one plastic bag behind a door somewhere and stuff the rest of the bags inside it.

 

[MrsPete]

I have seen these cloth bag type things with elastic at each end and you can stuff them full of plastic grocery bags and hang them up - have you ever seen them? I would buy one if I saw them in the store, but this was someone's house and I think they wanted to keep it.
My family is forever stuffing them in a kitchen drawer that has things in it and I can never find anything in there because of all the bags! I need a solution and quick.

I stuff plastic grocery bags into an empty Kleenex box. I keep one boxful in each bathroom (for trash can liners) and one box under the kitchen sink (for catch-all type needs). If I collect more than can fit in three Kleenex boxes -- which is fairly rare -- I throw them away.

 

[Justsyd2]

We take them to Walmart so that they can recycle them.

 

[bettymae1121]

i use cloth bags everywhere so I don't hve to deal with them (plus it's green and all that). I do get Target bags because they are so nice, and use them for bathroom trash bags. I never have more than a few on hand (that aren't in use as can liners) so they just stay in a drawer. I like the empty kleenex box idea though!

 

[cglaura]

I found one of those cloth hangers at Walmart, by the laundry/cleaning section.

I re-use my bags for daily scooping of the cat litter...that way any stink goes right outside instead of my inside trash.

I also use them to line the small bathroom trashcan.

 

[DLB]

I use them in my little trash cans in the bathroom and such..

I have one of those Plastic bag storage thingy's and I believe I bought it at walmart and I have seen them at the Christmas Tree Stores.

 

[marcemc]

We usually bring our own but if we forget and we get the plastic ones, we collect them and my DS7 uses it to dispose the dogs' poop.

 

[alyssa810]

We have a bag of bags in our kitchen too, and we also use them for the little wastebaskets. My DH and I also use them as lunch bags for work.

 

[ragtopday]

I stuff plastic grocery bags into an empty Kleenex box. I keep one boxful in each bathroom (for trash can liners) and one box under the kitchen sink (for catch-all type needs). If I collect more than can fit in three Kleenex boxes -- which is fairly rare -- I throw them away.

I like the tissue box idea - my hall closet is overrunning with them right now.

We also use them to dispose of kitty and dog poop.

 

[mdrob214]

I use them for scooping litterboxes, bathroom trash bag, and I keep extras in the cube tissue boxes--1 in each bathroom and 1 in the car--you never know when you need a bag. It's amazing how many I can get in there. If I'm sending a box to my mom, I always use bunched up plastic bags as packing material. (She lives by herself and only uses a small trash can, but she doesn't shop all that much so I give all my Target bags to her when I see her. She even takes them home in her luggage on the airplane! )
My local library accepts bags at their main checkout counter and in their bookstore--they hand them out when people get too many books to carry. Thrift stores also will gladly accept bags.

 

[MrsPete]

. . . I like the empty kleenex box idea though!

It's the best method ever. I'd suggest that you buy one of the biggest Kleenex boxes -- the type with the hole on top that lets tissues "pop up" rather than the ones that have a larger hole and let the Kleenex lay flat.

I have a little square tissue box in my trunk too because sometimes you're out somewhere and need to tie up a wet bathing suit or something messy.

 

[CTdiznymom]

I don't get many bags anymore since our grocery has done away with the plastic bags. Strickly paper or reuseable bags now. I have 2 of those cloth bag sak tubes. One on each floor. I also keep a kleenex box filled with bags in the trunk of the car.

The extra bags that I do get I give to my neighbor's son who has a bait & tackle shop so they're put to good use.

 

[mom to minnie&mickey]

I save mine for our kitchen and garden garbage. Everytime one fills up I put it in a large green bag and by collection time I usually only have one bag for the curb. However, where we are from most grocery stores, home hardware and Target type stores now charge five cents per bag. It is the law in order to force people to go "green" (plus I would imagine it saves the store thousands of dollars a year.) So now I re-use mine for shopping.

 

[scrapquitler]

I fold them up like the lady describes in the bottom of the blog post. http://mousechirpy-polkadotpineapple.blogspot.com/2009/03/grandmothers-apron-carryall.html
I showed my Mom and she does it all the time now, too. It makes it easy to carry a couple in your purse, and they take up a lot less space.

Here's another idea:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/how-to/two-plastic-bag-folding-ideas-by-eider-corral-075793

 

[torinsmom]

I use the bags for scooping litter, bathroom trashcans and carrying things to work. I just have one bag hanging on the side of a chair and stuff the rest in.

I have read here where someone used empty Disney popcorn buckets. They cut a hole in the lid and stores the bags in there.

 

[CourtasanSatine]

There's usually a few kept for freak spill pick up and puppy poop clean up.

 

[musclemouse]

I keep them in the car to carry in toys and such. Also for garbage.
In the house I use them for kitty litter and garbage bag liners.
I use them to put chicken fat and skin instead of throwing directly into the trash. Yard sales. Collecting used clothes and toys to take to salvation army. Things like that.

 

[riley2008]

My mom puts hers in a paper towel tube or a wrapping paper tube. This way she is able to keep a couple of "tubes of bags" in the drawer.

I like the kleenex box idea! I know my mom has a few tubes under the bathroom sinks - I bet she'll like the box idea better for in there!

 

[SandrA9810]

I always did the bag inside of a bag. And in my last apartment, I actually had an extra cabinet. So I just tossed the box of garbage bags in there and all the grocery bags. Usually used them for every day garbage, and picking up dog poop. If the cabinet got full, I would recycle them at the grocery store. I usually only wound up using the big garbage bags for major cleanups (like christmas wrapping paper). Or for transporting clothes and stuff to the Salvation Army.