by Texas Homesteader ~
I. Hate. Plastic. In our area of NE Texas, plastic bags are not recyclable. So I’m always looking for a repurpose use for plastic bags for times when they make it into our home.
Let’s take a bag of potatoes for example. When that bag of potatoes is empty it still doesn’t go to the trash. Nope, I’ve got another use for them.
You know my battle cry: Use Whatcha Got!
Many Plastic Bags Aren’t Recyclable
From what I hear, even many of the plastic bags that are sent for recycling end up in the landfill anyway. There’s just not enough demand for the recycled material from plastic bags.
But I personally think recycling is only a tool, not the answer anyway. To me, the answer is PRE-cycling – or eliminating as much waste as possible in the first place.
Buying individual potatoes is the way to go for environmental reasons of course. But our tiny budget and the limited shopping avenues we have available out here in the boonies means we have to take what we can get. Sometimes that involves a bag of potatoes.
Take that potato bag for instance. It’s purposely made with holes to allow the potatoes to breathe. So I can’t even repurpose them for dividing servings of Cook-Once, Eat-Twice entrees for the freezer.
But before throwing it away, I’m still able to repurpose it to another use first. In the garden.
Repurposing Plastic Bags In The Garden
I take the bag and lay it out straight and fold it in half longways, then again, then again until I’m left with a long folded strip that’s only about 1.5″ wide.
Now I take my scissors and cut straight across. When I unfold each piece I’ve cut, what I’m left with is a plastic loop.
I use those loops in my garden to tie vines to their trellis. The plastic stretches just a little, especially in the hot Texas sun. So I’m not afraid that the ties will be too restrictive over the season and perhaps damage my plants.
If a tie needs to be longer I simply chain several of my strips together.
I’ve used this method to tie my tomatoes to their cage. I’ve also chained several together to tie large sunflower stalks to the fence so the wind doesn’t blow the top-heavy plants to the ground.
And I’ve even used these strips to tie a tiny transplanted tree to a stake to keep rabbits from nibbling it to the ground before it gets the chance to fend for itself.
Hey, the way I see it, if I’m gonna have to bring plastic into our home I’m going to make sure it’s used as much as possible before throwing it away! These repurposed plastic plant ties fit the bill for me.
Use Whatcha Got!
~TxH~
This post categorized in 
Links In This Post:
- I LOVE Mother Nature, That’s Why I Recycle LESS
- Cook-Once, Eat-Twice Method Of Cooking
My Favorite Garden Hacks
- Easy Garden Planning Spreadsheet
- Getting A Jump: Planting An Indoor Greenhouse
- Repurposed Cardboard Seed-Starting Pots
- 3-Sister’s Garden – The Original Companion Planting
- Planting A Large Galvanized Trough
- Tricking Birds AWAY From Your Strawberry Plants
- Easy Compost For A Healthy Garden
- Propping Tender Seedlings
- Cheap (or FREE) Wood Mulch For The Garden
- Using Vining Plants For Living Mulch
- Homestead Hack: Remember Where You Planted Seeds
- How Vegetable Gardening Can Change Your Life!
- Keeping Potted Plants Watered
- Planting A Blueberry Bush In Galvanized Tub
- Stevia – Growing Your Own Sweetener!
- How I Use EcoBricks In The Garden
- Compost Old Confidential Documents
- Repurposing A Coffee Can For Deep-Soak Watering
- How Leaves Benefit Your Garden
- My Simple, Zero-Waste Herb Drying Setup
- How To Grow Fresh Salad Greens In All Seasons
- The Lazy Gardener’s Plant List – Plant Once, Eat For Years!
MORE Gardening Posts
Other Great Posts About Reducing Plastic
- Reducing Plastic Is Easy
- I Love Mother Nature So I Recycle LESS!
- 7 Ways To Reduce Plastic In The Kitchen
- Ditch The Plastic! Using Glass In The Refrigerator
- Natural Air Freshener In Reusable Glass Jar
- Reducing Plastic In Personal Hygiene: Deodorant
- No More Plastic Razors – How To Use A Safety Razor
- Where Exactly Is ‘Away’?
- Replacing Plastic Wrap With Beeswax Wraps
- Eliminate Plastic Produce Bags
Reducing Household Waste
- Repurposing Empty Coffee Containers
- Denim Repurposed Into Fun Crafts
- 5 Zero-Waste Products We Love
- Easily Reduce Or Eliminate Junkmail
- Making Your Own Pourable Sugar Jar
- Paper Napkins In A Paperless Kitchen
- Repurposing A Parmesan Cheese Lid
- Zero-Waste Hygiene
- Natural Cleaning – Homemade Laundry Detergent
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Good idea, I typically recycle them but I have heard that they don’t always make it to be recycled.
Thanks for sharing
Angela
I’ve heard that as well Angela. It’s almost impossible to keep ALL plastic bags from making it to our home, but I always try to at least repurpose the ones I can for another use before they hit the trash. I typically stuff them in an ecobrick before throwing away – it’s amazing how many bags can fit in one of those! ~TxH~
Use whatcha got is like my question, “What has God put in my hand?” When I need to do something, I always look around my house and yard first, to see what I may already have that will do the job. I love your blog–you just got put in my own blog roll!
OMGosh I love your viewpoint of what has God put in my hand! So true, and a wonderful way of practicing thankfulness. God is good!
What a clever idea! Will definitely try this with our tomato plants. Thanks.
Great idea! I like how the plastic won’t cut into any delicate plants like twine or string can. Not to mention the bonus of saving plastic from the landfill!
Any time I can make something serve double duty (even dreaded plastic) I’ll give it a shot, Pam. And like you, I like that it’s tender to my growing plant stems.
As always, love your ingenuity and how you think outside the box. You are very creative.