How to Recycle Plastic Bags into a Belt

Plastic shopping bags can accumulate in your home quickly, and the eco-friendly consumer doesn't want those plastic bags to pile up in the landfills. What can you do with plastic shopping bags? You could always bring them to a recycling center, but if you use a little creativity you can repurpose the bags and make both an environmental and a fashion statement by recycling plastic bags to make a belt.

Things You'll Need

• Plastic bags
• Scissors
• Parchment paper
• Iron
• Two D-ring belt buckles
• Needle and thread

Instructions

1. 

   A measuring tape will give you an accurate length.

   Measure your waist to determine how long to make your belt.

2. Cut open the plastic shopping bags that you have selected and lay them out to the length you want. You will probably have to overlap here and there to make it long enough.

3. Layer the bags about seven or eight bags thick. If the bag you want to showcase has ink designs on it, layer a thin clear bag over it so the heat from the iron doesn't make the ink bleed.

4. Sandwich the plastic bags between two layers of parchment paper, shiny side down. The parchment paper will keep the iron from adhering as you fuse the bags together.

5. 

   You may have to play with the heat setting to get the results you want.

   Fuse the bags together with the iron. Keep the iron moving so you do not scorch the plastic.

6. Peel the parchment paper off the fused plastic material and trim the material to the desired length and width.

7. Fold one end of the fused belt through the D-ring belt buckles and sew it in place using a needle and thread.

Tips & Warnings

• You can iron your plastic to fusible interfacing or sew it onto webbing to make it even stronger.

• Do this in a well ventilated area.

References

• Cutoutandkeep.net: Fused Plastic Bags

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish