Making Rope From Plastic Bags

Do you collect plastic bags at your house, thinking that you'll eventually use them but then finally getting sick of seeing them? That's what we do at my house. We save them in a drawer and then one of us decides to throw them out - or at least to take them in bulk down to the grocery store where they can be recycled. So, if we know that we aren't going to use them, why do we hang on to them at all?

The thing is that we know that we should re-use plastic bags, because they're one of the most easily recyclable items in the home. They can be used for a large number of projects. Realizing that, we figure that we'll get around to using them. And sometimes we do. We pack our lunches in them in the mornings before heading off to work. Or we lay them down on the kitchen table for the kids to paint on without ruining the tabletop.

But what about more creative solutions? Such as making rope from them. Plastic bag rope can be used for everything from making a skipping rope for the kids to tying up and decorating your gifts to others. And by turning the bags into rope, you're more likely to use them than if you just left them sitting in your kitchen drawer waiting to be used.

Here is one method of making rope from plastic bags which you might find useful:

Making basic rope (per About.com):

• 1. Put your thumb and forefinger through the 2 handle holes
• 2. Form a "V" spreading forefinger and thumb
• 3. Roll your hand downward, closing your fingers in an "O" surounding the bag
• 4. While holding fingers in this position, pull out some of the bag and prepare to slide knot over the bottom of the next bag (You will have 4 strands of plastic to tighten on next bag.)
• 5. Insert bottom of next bag into slip knot and pull tight

A more simple method of making rope from plastic bags is simply to tie them together from end to end until you've got the length that you need. You can reinforce the strength of the bags with duct tape if need be. Consider painting the bags for use in decorating and securing large gifts. This type of decorative rope can also be used for decorating Christmas trees.

Plastic bags are highly useful products so why leave them just sitting around your house, waiting to be thrown away? If you turn them into a product, like rope, which you can use when you need to, you're much more likely to actually recycle them. Take a day of each month to turn those bags into rope and you'll be saving the earth without even thinking about it!