Build a Plastic Bag Saver for Your Kitchen

By Chris Baylor, About.com Guide

Nearly every grocery store, discount mega-mart, home center or convenience store seems to be overloaded with plastic shopping bags. While we regularly hear about how these may be a hazard to our landfills, they are actually very useful around the house. From protecting your clothes from a leaking shampoo bottle in your luggage to picking up after your dog on your daily walk, plastic bags can be re-used for literally thousands of tasks.

The problem is storing the bags in a neat and orderly manner. You can stuff them all into one bag and put them in a kitchen cabinet, but it becomes difficult to grab just one bag when you need one.

We have a solution: use your woodworking skills to build a plastic shopping bag saver. This simple woodworking project allows you to store up to 40 standard-sized plastic shopping bags, and when you need a bag, simply grab one from the opening at the bottom of the unit. When you get more from the store, open the lid at the top and stuff them individually into the unit for later use.

This set of free woodworking plans includes a downloadable measured drawing and a bill of materials. You can choose to finish it however you want, but you may need to figure out a method of hanging the unit. In our case, we had a baker's rack that we hooked the unit on with some coat hooks.

Want to build a shopping bag saver of your own? Download the Free Woodworking Plans to build a Plastic Shopping Bag Saver (PDF).

Difficulty Level

• Woodworking: Easy
• Finishing: Paint or Stain

Time to Complete

• 1-2 Hours

Recommended Tools

• Table Saw or Radial Arm Saw
• Compound Miter Saw or Circular Saw
• Band Saw or Jigsaw
• Power Drill


Materials Needed
• 1 - 1x8 x 6' Pine, Poplar or hardwood of choice
• 1 - 1x6 x 8' Pine, Poplar or hardwood of choice
• 2 - 3/4" brass hinges
• 4d finish nails or pneumatic brad nailer
• Tape Measure
• Layout Square
• Pencil
• Compass