Organize Spare Grocery Bags With A Milk Carton DIY On The Cheap

For DIYers, environmental friendliness comes with the territory. After all, it's "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle", and that step in the middle is where the craftiest among us shine. Rather than trash it, you can find new uses for almost any worn and unwanted item, including grocery bags. Whether you save them for future trips to the grocery store or to use leftover plastic bags to fix drafty doors in emergencies, there's always a good reason to keep bags out of the landfill and make a personal effort against the roughly 400 million metric tonnes of plastic waste produced annually (per Statista). The only question becomes how you can keep your spare grocery bags organized. And as you've probably guessed, this is yet another area where you can put your upcycling creativity to the test!

Just as there are countless ways to reuse grocery bags, you have several DIY opportunities to give them a neat storage spot. You may already know easy hacks like how to store and organize plastic bags with a tissue holder. But if you want to get inventive and reimagine another everyday object in a brand new role, all you'll need is a used milk carton. Open the top to drop in old grocery bags, and cut a hole in the bottom to remove bags as you need them. With a little decoration, this simple project can become another cute accessory to match your home's style.

No matter the style, you can find a way to turn any milk carton into a grocery bag dispenser. For instance, if you have a standard plastic carton with a handle, you can cut around the neck to widen the dispensing portion and cut the bottom off to make the hole where you can insert fresh bags. Then, you only have to flip it upside down and install it on the wall.

Repurposing paper milk cartons into storage containers is a straightforward project, and the YouTube channel @Showofcrafts offers several ways to make something new, including a stylish grocery bag container. Cut the top off the carton, and fashion a backing that incorporates a hot-glued rope hanger. Creating another hole on the underside provides a slot to pull out a bag when needed. You can then apply glue to the exterior and wrap the carton in decorative paper. Piping along the edges and openings cleans up the design and adds interest. Hot glue decorations like faux flowers, seashells, and other small materials to complete the look. Finish up by mounting your new grocery bag dispenser wherever you may need it. While you can simply hang it by the rope loop, for a sturdier hold, we'd recommend adhering it to the wall with some double-sided foam tape so your DIY dispenser doesn't swing around when you go to pull a bag out or reload it.