Recycled Bag Tote

By Karen May

Even if you’ve converted to reusable bags, you can still somehow find yourself in the possession of plastic bags. Is there a way to reuse them? Convert them into one bigger bag that you can use again and again!

To make the bigger bag, you need to process the plethora of bags into a substance called plarn. Plarn is short for “plastic yarn.” This is the most time-consuming part of this project. It’s not complicated, just repetitive.

Take the bags, fold slightly, and cut off the bottom where the bag is sealed and the handles. Do not cut the bag open. You should have a tube.

With the bag folded vertically, cut the rest of the bag across into 1- to 1.5-inch rings. Unfold the rings and loop one ring through another and then back through itself. Pull lightly to secure. Add another ring to the end of the one you just did, and keep going, creating a chain.

If you have multiple colors of bags, you can make a separate ball of plarn for each color, and use the different balls to make stripes. The size of bag you can end up with will depend on the number of bags you’re working with. The bigger bags that I’ve made needed about 26 plastic bags each.

To get started with construction, you need some basic crochet skills (click the link for some information about basic stitches) and a really big hook. I use a size P plastic hook for this project.

If you don’t happen to care for the square and flat type of bag I’m making, there are tons of free patterns on the Internet for both knitted and crochet versions. Just search for “recycled bag tote pattern” and you’ll come up with an abundance of variations on size, handle style and purpose.

Start by making a chain that is approximately the width you want your bag to be. 

Single crochet into each chain until the end, single crochet 3 times into the end chain, then single crochet in each chain on the opposite side of the chain, working your way back around. Single crochet 2 more times in the end chain (where you started the row). Your base row is complete.

For the rest of the bag, single crochet in each stitch around. For a slightly more flexible bag that expands more, use a half double crochet stitch. Repeat this row as many times as needed. Switch colors as desired.

When you’re about 2 inches from the length that you want, add a handle. Single crochet across a few stitches on one side, then chain 4 or 5, skipping the stitches in the row below. Single crochet on the other end of the stitches you skipped, making a gap. Repeat on the other side of the bag.

In the next row, single crochet in each stitch across, and in the chain space. You have a handle! Add any more rows that you like on top of this one, fasten off, and weave in your ends. Now that you have a bag, may you remember to take it into the store with you!

Karen is a blogger and crafter who has lived in Charlottesville for 6 years after transplanting from the Shenandoah Valley. While not working or attending classes at PVCC, she blogs about her life at Precision Indecision and about crafts at CraftyKix.