Media Platforms Design TeamIn its latest environmentally friendly legislative move, California is planning on banning single-use plastic bags from its grocery stores. If shoppers happen to forget a bag or stubbornly refuse to purchase reusable grocery sacks, they will have the option to buy a single-use paper bag for five cents or more. Drugstores, convenience stores and mom-and-pop shops will be forced to follow suit in 2013. Stores must keep records of the program, educate consumers and sell reusable bags—those made for 100 uses or more—on-site.After weighing its options, the California Grocers Association now supports the law, and Schwarzenegger is expected to sign off on it. The five-cent “penalty” for each bag is obligatory, but if grocers choose to do so, they may charge more.Want one last hurrah with your plastic before it’s gone forever? Here are 10 DIY projects that can make the most of your remaining plastic bags.WalletDuct-tape wallets are passé. Instead, make one with plastic bags, fusing the seams with an iron. • DIY plastic bag wallet• Another versionYarnIt costs more to knit a scarf nowadays than it does to buy one from the store. To get around the high cost of wool, try cutting the bags into yarn (or “plarn”), which can be used to crochet or knit all sorts of stuff, or even to make a belt in a pinch. • How to make plarnLeashIf you’re a pet owner and still have bags to spare after scooping poop, try making a fetch toy for your cat or a braided leash for the dog—just not a big dog, unless you’re looking to lose it.• DIY cat toy• Braid a dog leashBackpackSimplicity is not a crime. For the craft-challenged, just hook your arms into the loops and make yourself a short-lived but fully functional backpack. Only a mild fashion infraction. • Emergency backpackZipper BagTo go the extra mile and recycle the stuff inside your grocery bags, clean out the wrapper after your next bag of chips and add a zipper and some lining to make an interesting and aromatic pencil case or coin purse. • Make a pita chip bag• Or potato chips, if you preferLampYou’ll glow with pride after you use plastic bags to make your very own recycled lamp. Grab some wood for the frame and a cool LED bulb to make sure your new light source doesn’t go up in flames. • How to make the lampChairIf you’re up for a real challenge, try copying this chair, built with a core structure of aluminum and layered with plastic. • Check out this chair!Hard PlasticForm the plastic into a hard, durable version of a preferred shape by following this technique: Melt with polyethylene, squash into a mold, then cool.• Start melting plasticAnimal ShapesHouse lacking the charm only brought by animal sculptures? Fill a plastic bag with tons of other squashed-up bags, and mold the outside using wire. Papier-mâché and paint. • DIY birdMore …Once you’ve mastered the fusing and thickening techniques, the world is your oyster. Try a laptop case, gift wrap, a messenger bag, or even a hoodie.• How to make a laptop case• Recycled gift wrap• DIY messenger bag• Start fusing your sweatshirt
