So many ways to reuse plastic bags

Plastic bags can be reused again and again.

Plastic bags aren’t just 100% recyclable — they’re reusable, too! More than 90% of Americans say they reuse their plastic bags at least once, for everything from lining trash cans to packing lunches and picking up after pets.1 In fact, Recyc-Quebec, a Canadian government agency, found that plastic bags have a 77.7% reuse rate as small trashcan liners.2

If you are interested in some new ways to use your plastic bags, check out our list below. What are your favorite ways to reuse plastic bags? Click here to share your story.

  • “Because I make compost for my garden, I put my kitchen scraps into the plastic bags. When full, I empty them into my compost bin and then recycle the bag.” – Angela O. from Minnesota

 

  • “We give our plastic bags to the local food pantry…they are in a great need of them.” – Joseph B. from Maine

 

  • “I double them up and cover my bird houses for the winter.” – Jerry R. from Oregon

 

  • “I have used plastic bags for so many things. Crocheted door mats, Easter baskets, made wreaths out of them and used them for package stuffing.” – Doris S. from Maryland

 

  • “My friends and family save the excess bags they cannot use, and I take them to the food bank for packaging of groceries distributed to the low-income families we serve… No matter the size or type of plastic bag, we can always find a way to reuse them.” –  Julie B. from Colorado
  1. APCO Insight, “National Plastic Shopping Bag Recycling Signage Testing,” March 2007.
  2. Recyc-Québec, “Environmental and Economic Highlights of the Results of the Life Cycle Assessment of Shopping Bags,” December 2017.