I don’t like being wasteful or spending excess money so I came up with this great idea for reusable Produce Bags. A lot of us already use reusable grocery bags so why not also stop using those plastic bags for produce and start using these DIY reusable produce bags. I made these bags a few months ago, then I saw a grocery store selling something similar last week. They were around $10 for 3 bags. I prefer to take a few minutes and make them for pennies though.
Do you remember the 3 R’s of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle you learned in elementary school? That seems to have stuck with me throughout my life but some times I’m better at following it than others. Anyway, I like to think of ways to cut down on the amount of waste I throw away. These produce bags are one way to do that.
You only need a few supplies for the reusable Produce Bags:
mesh produce bags
bias tape
thread
I saved the bags oranges come in to make these new bags. So I’m also recycling the free produce bags instead of throwing them out. The mesh is the perfect size for most produce.
Trim the ends of the bags so they’re straight. I found that most of them aren’t straight. Cut the bias tape a little bit longer than the length of the open end. Slip one end of the bag in the center of the bias tape, like the photo below. You’ll need the double fold type of tape for it to work best. I already had the double fold bias tape, but if you don’t have any you can purchase it for less than $2.
Run a small zig zag stitch down the center of the tape to form the bottom of the bag. The top of the bag just gets tied up once it’s full. You could also use a bread tie or twist tie to close the bag.
Just in case you were wondering how sturdy they are, my little helper will demonstrate for you. As you can see they are very sturdy, remember they did hold oranges first.
It could be easy to forget to take the bags shopping so I keep them in the back of the van along with the reusable grocery bags. That way they don’t get left at home with my shopping list half the time..
They work so well for all types of produce. What have you recycled lately?
Pin it for later: Reusable Produce Bags
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How neat is that! I need to try that.
What a smart idea! I have a bunch of those sitting around from our oranges and wasn’t sure if I could find a good use for them.
Wow! I love this. I absolutely hate all of the waste at the grocery store with the plastic bags. fantastic!
SO smart!! Love finding ways to reuse things.
WHo would have thought to re-use those? What a great idea!
Great idea! I looked at the special “produce” bags which I am too thrifty to pay for. I had been using the mesh laundry bags, but have had complaints from the store clerks that it is hard to read the sticky number tag on the item through the thicker white mesh. I’m doing this today. I hate the plastic bags, but most stores here require items contained for checkout. This will be great for my farmers market as well.
Love this idea and have been thinking of bringing our own bags to the grocery store. Pinned.
This is such a great idea! I feel like I go through SO many ziploc bags. I’m going to have to try this. Thanks!
A few of the small tubs of Trader Joe’s candy, like the smores bites, come home with me every once in a while. I find that they are perfect for organizing things in drawers, especially deeper drawers.
I also cut down on paper products by using cloth napkins. I have deep navy blue for my daily ones since it shows less crud. Must better than paper towels when eating messy things like BBQ as well. Careful with concentrated colors though. The first few washes may bleed.
Such a great idea! I love that you are reusing the free bags to make these!
I hate the plastic bags in the produce department. These look like they would be much better! Great idea!
This is so inventive! What a great idea! I use cloth bags for my produce, but you are one step ahead, using something originally destined for the trash!
This is a brilliant idea. I never would have come up with this myself. Thank you so much for sharing! ♡
I take these mesh bags and fold them a few times (double or triple layers) and sew them into a small pocket for my bar of soap in the shower. It makes a great scrubby that does not hold bacteria and allows the soap to dry. If you use a tight enough mesh, it will hold the bar soap scraps that usually go in the garbage or down the drain