How To Make a Plastic Bag Keeper

By DIY Maven

In an effort to reduce and reuse plastic bags, how about making a plastic bag keeper? Chances are you already have everything you need to make one for free. Or you can buy one at The Container Store for 4.99 plus 6.50 s & h. Your choice.

The Props

A 2 quart plastic bottle (I used a Juicy Juice bottle, which worked particularly well.)
Box cutter and/or scissors
Sharpie
Durable tape
Excess plastic bags

The Procedure

Mark your bottle on top and bottom as shown.

Use box cutter to punch hole in marked areas and then switch to the scissors to cut out openings. (Using a scissors will greatly reduce the odds of cutting off one of your fingers.)

Apply tape around openings, if plastic edges are sharp.

Punch or drill a hole in the bottle’s cap and add twine to hang, if desired.

As you get them, shove bags in the top hole; as you need them, pull them out of the bottom hole. (I fit 15 medium-sized bags in my bottle.) Having the plastic bags at hand–my keeper will be hanging by my back door–should encourage reusing them. Plus, they look a lot neater packed in that bottle.

Tagged:
Reduce Reuse recycle plastic bags plasticbags organization

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April 03, 2007

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Ashes741

December 23, 2007

Oh I'm gonna do this and I think I'll Decoupage tattoo flash art to the outside to make it decorative

Hovawart

November 10, 2007

I'll be doing this for our WIC office for sure. We strongly encourage people to use cloth diapers but they never ever do and they use a lot of plastic bags to take the dirty diapers away (we don't accept them, as we only have office trash pick up once a week--can you imagine if we let people put their dirty diapers in our trash?). I'm going to look for an aesthetically tinted bottle.

naseemurahman

May 28, 2007

This is really an innovative and creative idea...thanksâ€¦ and keep it up..

lalligood

May 08, 2007

This works beautifully. With the need of keeping those plastic bags around (to wrap up poopy diapers!), this is a welcome lifehack for storing them. Thanks!

baconthecat

April 18, 2007

Ooo nice one--better than my current method of stuffing them quickly into an overflowing paper bag under the sink and then shutting the door so they don't fly out... Ha!

GoodMom

April 08, 2007

Good idea!! I just moved into a new place and my space is a little "different", so I've had to really be creative! I like this idea and plan to make one...I'm going to spray paint the outside of the bottle, so the bags don't show. Thanks for the idea! ~Good Mom~

megrockstar

April 07, 2007

very creative. when i bought my pad it had one of these glued to the wall under the sink;)

Areyoumymother

April 05, 2007

Yes, this is what I was telling you about!

brandonjp

April 04, 2007

Amazing!

mi.jo

April 03, 2007

Cool! I'm on it.

bruno

April 03, 2007

Awesome.