Creating new bags is an simple way to recycle used materials destined for the landfill and create a unique fashion accessory. Here are eight bags you can easily make for next to nothing, on your own, without special materials, although a few projects do recommend a sewing machine.

1. Handbag knit purse from plastic shopping bags.

You’ve probably seen similar projects to this one: maybe a rug braided from plastic grocery bags. This Instructables project takes a slightly different approach: spinning the bags into a "yarn" that you then knit using an incredibly simple pattern to make a durable bag. I think you could easily make cute stripes with blue and white bags.

2. Yoga mat bag made from old pants

This project from personal fave ReadyMade magazine reuses "grandpa pants" (sorry Max!), but you can use any old pants, including denim, to make a very cute tote for your yoga mat. Can’t wait to try this one as soon as I "borrow" my mother-in-law’s sewing machine.

3. Tote bag made from old t-shirt

If there’s one thing I have a ton of, it’s old t-shirts. My storied (ha!) athletic career (and teaching career) left me with more t-shirts than I know what to do with. Most have sentimental value and I hate to throw them out, but I never wear half of them, and I’m not a fan of those t-shirt quilts. This project from Instructables is super-simple and, with a little work, could be the easy way to make all those reusable grocery bags you’ve been meaning to buy.

4. Insulated lunch bag remake.

Okay, this one is kind of cheating: it’s more of a makeover than a reuse, but if you happen to come across one of those cheap insulated lunch bags, Instructables recommends remaking it to be less hideous. Well, I’d make a cuter applique than the shifty-eyed donut, but that’s just personal taste

5. Customized reusable shopping bag

I can’t wait to try this, since I have a plethora of reusable bags I’ve gathered over the years. This Instructables project creates inner pockets in your reusable grocery bags to hold "produce bags you’re reusing at the store, a bottle of wine, or fresh baguette." Oh yes, I want to carry television-style grocery bags with a loaf of bread and leafy carrots sticking out of the top. Now I can make the myth a reality.

6. Handbag sewn from plastic shopping bags

Although the ReadyMade project on the right looks more complicated than the other projects here, the end result looks seriously stylish, and the only materials needed are grocery bags, thread, bobby pins, scissors, and a sewing machine.

7. Messenger bag from trash bags

Here’s some MacGyver bag-making: Make has a hip messenger bag, suitable for men and women, made from old trash bags using an iron to melt the plastic together. And you can watch it being made via their online video. If that’s not your bag (I couldn’t resist!), download the PDF instructions.

8. Handbags from old sweaters

If you’ve got old sweaters, Cosby or otherwise, lying around (maybe with your grandpa pants?), WhipUp’s got a pattern to turn them into one-of-a-kind totes.

Thriftiness isn’t really "new" or "green"; people have found ways to reuse scrap or discarded items for years. The pre-industrialization U.S. didn’t have what we call "trash." Every bit of scrap and waste from the home was remade, reused in some way, or sold to peddlers where it was eventually recycled. With the Industrial Revolution came more products to buy with new kinds of packaging, and trash as we know it was born.

Dave and Lillian Brummet’s Trash Talk is a book that aims to get back to minimizing waste and finding everyday uses for trash. Think of it as "Hints From Heloise" meets Mother Earth News. The introduction reminds readers that reduce, reuse, and recycle should be precluded by refuse — as in, refusing to buy items that generate a lot of waste. The book is divided into four sections: the first has ideas for reusing common household items (some not-so-common — who has a plethora of old oven racks hanging around?), and the second has plans for habits you can implement that follow the four Rs, like composting, or cutting open toiletries bottles to get all the product out. The third section focuses on tips and habits related to paper, and the brief fourth section gives statistics that remind the reader that the little things do add up.

It’s clear that the authors walk the walk: many of the tips are reuse ideas that I hadn’t heard of, and their extensive gardening background was surprisingly helpful. The home garden seemed to be a playground for reuse. And, again, this seems to be more for the crunchier crowd — it definitely had the vibe of Mother Earth News as opposed to Real Simple. That doesn’t mean that it was packed full of radical ideas; most of the tips and habits are pretty practical for those who are in the process of going green. But there were a few that I know would cause the light-greenest of readers to drop the book and never look back.

There are issues with the text. The editing leaves something to be desired; I don’t know if the format of the book was the best way to present the information. The second section just seemed a catchall for random green-living ideas. Why is there a whole chapter about picking up trash while going on walks in a book marketed as "an inspirational guide to saving time and money through better waste an resource management?" I don’t think there’s really enough material here for a book like this: there’s a lot of unfocused information that, while interesting, didn’t really have a lot to do with solid waste reduction. And for $19.99, you’d think you get a lot more out of a paperback than 190 pages with a lot of white space.

All in all, the book is worth a read, but not a purchase. You’d be better off checking it out from your library, if you can find it.

In the age of overconsumption, even the thriftiest among us find themselves with perfectly good items that we no longer need. Green folks want to keep that stuff out of landfills and give it a new home. Websites like Freecycle and Craigslist provide forums for people to advertise things they'd like to give away, but St Louis-based web developers Peter Schmalfeldt and John Kramlich wanted to provide a more user-friendly medium for those looking to connect their reusables with new owners. They’ve created Gigoit, which stands for "Garbage In, Garbage Out", a free web-based service that’s aiming to simplify reusing. Gigoit has only been live for less than a month, and strong communities have already sprouted in the St Louis and Memphis areas.

“Most people who could be using a service like this are really deciding between using something like Freecycle or just throwing [the item] in the trash,” says Schmalfeldt. “That is a huge decision. It has to be super easy to donate an item, and it needs to be fast…they should be able to get the item out of their hands as quickly and painlessly as possible.”

How does Gigoit differ from Freecycle? Simply put, it's easier. For one, users don’t have to go through a lengthy registration period just to access items up for grabs. Anyone can immediately see what's available near a given zip code. By eliminating the “mailing list” model, all information is centralized, and it’s much easier to find what’s relevant to the user, his or her area, and what her or she is looking for. Once an item has been picked up, it’s taken off the board by the giver, without having to post a message for everyone else on the site to filter through. Users only receive messages related to their own transactions, and RSS feeds allow users to quickly access the latest items in their area. Users also manage their own profiles, which can be as elaborate or as simple as they want, and users aren't limited to certain geographical areas–you can access items from all over the country on the same site.

In short: Schmalfeldt and Kramlich have done their homework. Despite its small start, the relative simplicity of using Gigoit will have it surpassing Freecycle and Craigslist in no time.