Clear Plastic Bags for Storage & Recycling

Clear plastic or, "see-through" bags are for recycling. I’ve not researched why, yet when recyclable items are bagged, they’re in a clear plastic, see-through bag. Therefore, manufacturers designed such bags to market; I’m grateful. Here’s why:

Clear bags are convenient. They tell a story just by looking at them & their contents. If you’ve things that need to be bundled up & it’s troublesome to label them, then a clear bag, or container’s see-through abilities become a viable solution. Unlike a box, they’re flexible. They make for great storage &, if taken care of well enough, they’re also reusable.

If you’ve “soft” items, or items which cannot easily be broken, these bags can be the best way to collect them, tie them up, & stow them. They can be stowed in & around actual boxes where the boxes create an organization wall for the clear bags, ultimately saving plenty of space (&, therefore, likely money too).

Soft items could include common “soft lines” from the department stores such as apparel (clothing) including both inside & outerwear, accessories, linens, home fashions (living décor), craft items (cuts of fabric, yarn, felt, etc.), even throw rugs & doormats.

Rather than establish an alternative method & bunch these items up into visually impairing boxes, collect them in these clear bags. Set a stack of boxed items (either plastic bins, totes, or cardboard boxes) 4’ or 5’ high (or, whatever ultimately becomes the stowing solution) & place a similarly set stack caddy-corner, or diagonal from the original stack. Have one, or both of the stacks against a wall, or, have more stacks in similar formation. Ultimately, they’ll be set up in “checkerboard” formation where, say the black squares are the boxes, & the red squares are the clear plastic bags.

Layering, or lowering, these bags into this squared off section establishes a holding space that otherwise wouldn’t exist with the flexibility of the bag’s design (as simply being a bag rather than a box). Thus, much space is saved &, for those who find it difficult to locate something important, the capability of seeing through these bags makes for instant “locating” gratification.

I prefer this "kitchen flap" version (link to Amazon product as well as the image link in the top left) rather than this variety with the drawstring (link to Amazon product). For my needs the flap works best, providing more strength & a sturdier, more reliable top of the bag, though the drawstring could be just right for another user.

Oh, & Hefty has Box Tops for Education on their packages, which includes its own benefits. 😉