How To: Recycle an Empty Wipes Canister into a Neat & Tidy Plastic Bag Dispenser

Plastic bags may be banned from retail stores in some cities, like Santa Monica, Seattle, and San Fransisco, and will be banned in Los Angeles shortly, but we still use billions of them every year. What else are we going to use for throwing away cat litter or picking up dog poop?

The Problem with Plastic Bags at Home

Personally, I always have a pile of bags that usually ends up getting tossed in the cabinet under my kitchen sink, which gets pretty cluttered.

The Clever Fix

Unless you have a dispenser for them, plastic bags are unsightly and annoying to store. But if you've got an empty pop-up container from sanitizing or baby wipes, it's super easy to turn it into a dispenser for plastic bags.

Folding Bags to Fit

Jen over on Tatertots & Jello figured out how to fold plastic bags so that they pop up out of the cylindrical container just like wipes. She only used 12 bags for hers, but you can use more or less depending on the size of your canister.

The trick is to make sure you get all the air out of the bags. Start by pressing each bag flat, then folding it in half lengthwise. Next, line up the bags so that the handle from one overlaps the bottom of the other.

Once you have them all in line, all that's left to do is roll them up. Make sure you fold the handles from the first bag upward so you can pull it through the opening in the container.

Storing the Bags

Now, just put the roll into your wipe container and thread the first bag's handle through the top. Jen added some fabric to hers to make them more aesthetically pleasing, so if you want to dress yours up a bit, be sure to hit up her full tutorial for inspiration and more detailed instructions.

Other Ways to Organize Your Bags

If you don't feel like meticulously rolling up your plastic bags, you could just shove them into a tissue box like Nici over on Posed Perfection.

They won't pop up like the ones in the wipe container, but it's a much more quick and simple process. You could also just fold up the bags into triangles and toss them in a drawer.

Got any other tips for taming the plastic bag menace? Let us know in the comments below.

Messy bags image via milestones & memories