How to Make Recycled Bags Out of Plastic Bags

Plastic bags can be recycled and reused

In a world where recycling is fast becoming a part of everyday life, making recycled bags out of plastic bags is an excellent idea. It's a useful way to reduce the number of plastic bags being sent to landfills each year and you'll have a practical use for all of those bags you have stored up in the kitchen cabinet or drawer.

Things You'll Need

• Scissors
• Iron with low setting
• Plastic bags
• Sewing machine
• 2 pieces of parchment paper
• Working table

Instructions

1. Set up your work station by gathering everything you need together in one place.

2. 

   Reuse that bag after shopping

   Lay the plastic bags out flat and cut off the bottom and handles. Make a cut up one side of the bag to open it up completely.

3. Place one piece of the parchment paper on the working table. Stack eight to ten bags together on top of it and cover with the second piece. Keep them as straight and smooth as possible.

4. Allow the iron to heat up and then fuse the bags together by ironing back and forth over the stack for fifteen to twenty seconds. Go over the edges well and press hard.

5. Flip the entire stack over and repeat step 4.

6. Allow the plastic to cool for several seconds and then remove one piece of the parchment paper to find out if the plastic has been fused together as one sheet. Repeat steps 4 and 5, if needed, until you get the desired results.

7. Trim off the excess from the edges to even out the sheets of plastic. Cut the pieces into different shapes and sizes based on the size you want the recycled bags to be. To make larger bags, fuse the seams of two or more sheets together to create the correct size.

8. Place the edges of the shaped plastic sheets on top of each other and use the iron to fuse them together. Only fuse three sides together, the fourth side is the opening. Reinforce the edges by seaming along them with a sewing machine.

9. Cut out strips and iron these to the corners of the top part of the bag to create handles. Use the sewing machine to seam over the area where the handles are connected to increase strength.

10. Decorate and your recycled bags made from plastic bags are ready to use.

Tips & Warnings

• Try different designs by cutting the plastic bags into wide strips or circles and layering them in different directions, then fuse together.

• Always work in a well-ventilated area because the smell of the heated plastic can be a little overwhelming.

• The ink on the bags will begin to melt and make a mess when heated. To avoid this problem, you can turn the bags inside out and overlap with a plain bag or cut off the parts with ink.

References

• Etsy Labs Archive