The Green Groove by Trish Smith
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According to ReusableBags.com, it is estimated that Americans use about 1 million plastic bags per minute each year. That adds up to 500 billion plastic bags in one year!

Luckily for us, reusable bags are slowly becoming integrated into society's shopping expeditions as a way to reduce plastic waste. I personally use the ACME Dual-Handled 100% Cotton Recycled Totes for my shopping needs, and they are wonderful.

Reusable bags are becoming so popular that major stores like Target and Wal-Mart sell them near the checkout lines, and even grocery stores have them available with their very own logos.

We know that we can recycle plastic bags, but what can we do with our reusable bags once they have given us all that they've got? Here are a few ideas:

Wall Art

If your reusable bag has a cool design on it, how about cutting it out to fit into a frame. You can hang it up as wall art!

Pillow Cases

There's actually a company called NotCot that has turned reusable bags into throw pillows. You can do this on your own by cutting equal sides of the bags into a square, stuffing it with natural pillow alternatives like hemp or buckwheat, and sewing it together into a pillow.

Coin Purse

Cut out two small, rectangular portions of the bag (preferably with a design on it), add a zipper and use it as a coin purse.

Braided Dog Toy

Just like in my last post about how to use household products to make dog toys, the same goes for old reusable bags. You can take the handles of a few bags and braid them together to make a dog toy that's perfect for teething pups.

Coasters

Cloth coasters are great because you can wash them. If you cut out equal squares of your old reusable bag, you can use them to protect your table from nasty drink rings.

Car Seat Cover

If you have enough reusable bags, you can cut them into long, flat pieces and then sew them together to make car seat covers. This is a great way to protect your seats, and if they get dirty you can put them in the washing machine.

See, there are so many creative ways that you can reuse your reusable bags. All it takes is an imagination and a desire to help out the planet!

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