Really Reusable: Produce Bags

In honor of Earth Day (which is really every day around here) I’m posting an easy project to help save bags at the grocery store. And I don’t mean the plastic bags you get at check-out. I’m going to assume that you bring your own (if you are like me, that’s if you remember to bring them inside the store and not leave them out in the car… whoops)! We’re repurposing citrus bags to make reusable produce bags– DOUBLE SCORE for Earth Day friendliness!

This project is super simple. Next time you buy citrus (oranges, lemons) in a mesh bag, be sure to save the bag! Not a big bagged citrus buyer? Go ahead and splurge a few times this month– use the lemons for lemonade, limes for key lime pie, oranges for… oranges. You can even use the fruit in your decor and pick them off one by one like I did. It’s all in the name of being Earth friendly, right?

Materials:
citrus bag
scissors
ribbon

Step One: Carefully cut off excess paper from the end (making sure to leave the stitching alone… you’ll need that to keep the bag sturdy!)  I made sure the barcode was removed so I didn’t confuse the grocery check-out people.

Step Two:  Decide how big you want the bag to be.  Start threading thin ribbon through the holes at that point.  Continue all the way around the bag.  You don’t have to get it through every hole, just enough that it’s firmly attached and easy to pull.  I used ribbon right off the spool so I could decide later how long I wanted the ties to be.  When I was finished threading, I made sure the bag’s opening was wide open and there was enough ribbon before cutting it off.  Place large knots in the ends of the ribbon to prevent them from unthreading.

 

 

Step Three:  Leaving enough mesh to make the bag sturdy, cut excess mesh off from the top.

Step Four:  You’re finished!  Take your cool new bag to the grocery store and fill with produce.  I keep mine in my reusable grocery bags so I don’t forget it.