Even those who bring their canvas bags to the grocer religiously forget them from time to time. If you’re like me, you have a cabinet full of plastic bags still leftover from the pre-reusable bag days. Plastic shopping bags are quite a nuisance to both the consumer and the environment, but luckily, there’s a ton of ways to reuse them.

Below are 25 of the (probably) hundreds of different ways to make use of plastic bags. Feel free to share your own ideas in the comments!

1. Use them to  line small trash cans in your home office or bathroom.

2. Keep a few in your suitcase to separate dirty clothes while traveling.

3. Tie around the seat of your bike when you arrive at your destination to protect your seat on rainy days.

4. Use them to take your lunch. Even if you already have a lunchbox, placing food in plastic bags protects other foods from leaks.

5. Place frozen ice paks in plastic bage before putting them in your lunchbox, keeping condensation from getting everything wet.

6. Put defrosting meats in plastic bags to contain the mess.

7. Carry a plastic bag with you on evening walks and pick up litter along the way.

8. Donate them to local food pantries, used book stores, thrift stores and libraries so they don’t have to buy their own.

9. Reuse them at the grocery store. Place them in your canvas bag and use them when not quite all of your purchases fit into your reusable bags. You can also use them in the produce section.

10. Use them as packaging materials.

11. Time for spring cleaning? Use them to dust off old shoes or stuffed animals that have been hiding in the back of closets.

12. Keep a few in the glove compartment of your car for on-the-road trash.

13. Stuff them inside pet beds or throw pillows

14. Protect small plants from frost by covering them with plastic bags in the winter.

15. Moving soon? Wrap fragile items in plastic bags before placing in boxes.

16. Use them to cover side mirrors and windshield wipers if you park your car outside in the winter. It will save you time in the morning if you don’t have to scrape ice off before your commute.

17. Cover your workspace with them for easy cleanup after craft time with the kids.

18. Place unripe fruits or green tomatoes in plastic bags. The bag traps ethylene, the natural gas released by ripening fruit while still providing ventilation that helps fruit ripen faster.

19. Crumple the bag into a ball and use it to dab paint on walls for a faux-textured finish.

20. Bring them with you to garage sales.

21. Put wet paint brushes in a plastic bag and place in the refrigerator when stopping mid-project. This keeps the paint wet, so you can pick up where you left off the next morning or after your lunch break without having to rinse the brushes first.

22. Great for dusting ceiling fans.

23. Line the litter box with them for quick cleanup.

24. Place in a cracked vase to prevent leaks.

25. Tie them around your knees to protect your pants in the garden. Layer the bags and you’ve got homemade knee pads!

Sources: Planet Green, Real Simple, Better Budgeting, Bella Online

Photo: Urbanwoodswalker via flickr

By Amelia Harnish