Folding Plastic Grocery Bags

littergitter
Silver Post Medal for All Time! 418 Posts

Folding Plastic Grocery Bags - folded plastic bag In 1987, when I first started picking up roadside litter, I asked my friend to save me her Wal-mart bags. She brought them to me in a Wal-Mart bag and all of them were neatly folded. This is where I got the idea of folding my bags. Using these bags, I would stuff my pockets with over 20 bags and walk a mile and pick up the litter, filling the bags as I walked. I never ran out of bags.

After grocery shopping, I put the bags inside one bag and set them in the extra chair at the end of the kitchen table. I fold them when it's convenient. It's easy and only takes a few minutes. The folded bags take up a lot less space.

I have a lot of uses for them and keep a couple in my pocket book, some in the vehicles, in my gym bag for my wet bathing suit, and usually have one in the pocket of my jeans. Whenever I need to use a bag to take something to a friend or neighbor, the bag is not wrinkled, which makes it look neater.

I don't waste plastic bags. Any excess, I put it in the car to take back to the grocery store for recycling.

Total Time: a few seconds

Supplies:

plastic grocery bags (this bag contains 25 bags)

Folding Plastic Grocery Bags - bag of bags

Steps:

Shake the bag to open it. Check for holes. If it's not a good bag, throw it aside to put it in your bag of bags to be recycled.

To fold, lay the bag on a flat surface.

Folding Plastic Grocery Bags - plastic bag

Fold the sides inward and press out the air.

Folding Plastic Grocery Bags - tuck in sides and smooth out

The bag is ready to start folding.
Bring one side over, lengthwise, to fold the bag in half. Use the palm of your hand to iron out the air from bottom to top.

Folding Plastic Grocery Bags - fold in half lengthwise

Make another fold lengthwise to fold in one fourth. Press out the air.

Folding Plastic Grocery Bags - fold in half again

Bring the bottom of the bag over to the top of the bag which makes another fold. Press out the air.

Folding Plastic Grocery Bags - fold bottom up to the top and flatten

Fold over again and press out the air.

Folding Plastic Grocery Bags - fold again

Lay all of them in a pile, turned the same way.

Folding Plastic Grocery Bags - folded bag

Twenty bags are just a handful when folded.

Folding Plastic Grocery Bags - stack of 20 folded bags

I keep mine in a small box. This box contains 65 bags, a good supply for me, and there is plenty of room for more.

Folding Plastic Grocery Bags - folded bags stored in a cardboard box

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Debby

November 17, 20192 found this helpful

This is great. Thanks for sharing this.

littergitter
Silver Post Medal for All Time! 418 Posts

March 1, 20203 found this helpful

This is a tip to make your pile of folded bags even smaller. Cut a strip of paper and use it for a strap to wrap around a stack of folded bags.

Secure the strap with a piece of tape. I put 10 bags in each pack.

Anonymous

June 17, 20221 found this helpful

I fold my bags to a point of the illustration. One they are folded longwise and air pushed out, I start at the bottom and fold the bottom over into a triangle and continue folding until near the top, leaving enough out to fold and push into the side of the previous opening of the triangle. They stay put and I can get 65 into a cardboard carrier for a soda water carrying case.

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