Love where you live. Sign up for our newsletter

How To Make a Plastic Bag Keeper

by on Apr 3, 2007

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 plastic bottle, a roll of tape, a Sharpie marker, and a box cutter laid out together on a hard surface.

  • 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.

A plastic water bottle which helps to store plastic bags.Rectangle box is marked on plastic bottle.

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.

A person is putting something on a clear plastic bottle.

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

"Plastic Bottle as a Sock keeper"

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.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

5 Comments

  1. None of the pictures are loading – no matter which browser we’ve tried, but are interested in making some of these for our cub scouts and their camping kits.  If possible, could the info be put in a word doc and emailed to me at an attachment?  I think it would help the boys if they could actually see what they are going to make.  Thanks in advance for your time – lots of great simple ideas here we plan to use!

  2. Or you can just stuff plastic bags into an empty tissue box, and pluck them out as needed.

  3. Thai is an Awasome idea! Great thinking……I would like to make some that w/ Decopage (all diferant ) and give them as gifts. Great Use of Repurposed Items!

  4. This is amazing idea. Love the idea of repurposed items. I think I’m going to d decoupage them ( all different ) and give them as gifts. Thanks So much!