Most of us have realized the environmental impact of plastic grocery bags and are now trying to switch to reusable bags (when we remember to actually bring them to the store), but the negative effects of plastic bags aren’t limited to those ubiquitous grocery version emblazoned with logos on the side. Like the Ziplocs you use to seal up leftovers or lunches and then toss in the trash after use. With estimates now showing more plastic in the ocean than plankton–much of it from products like these–we can’t afford to keep throwing away bags of any kind. But what do you do with a used Ziploc?

The answer is simple: Use it again. It may sound like a hassle, but done right the process is actually very easy. To begin, you can decide to store used bags (provided they didn’t hold very messy liquid items) in one spot until you have a few saved up to wash. Then you can wash them one of two ways: Turn them inside out and scrub them down the same way you would any dish or fill them with hot water and soap, seal them and shake vigorously. The tricky part comes after rinsing when you have to figure out how to dry a bunch of bags–if you’re not careful, you’ll find yourself setting them up over spatulas, the faucet, and anything that sticks up. As an alternative we (highly) recommend the Countertop Plastic Bag Dryer from Gaiam, which is made from sustainably harvested ash and birch woods. The simple wooden stand doesn’t take up much space (especially when the “drying racks” are pulled in tight), but it’s exactly what you need for drying plastic bags, and it’s much nicer then covering the kitchen in sandwich bags.

You might be worried about the plastic bags leaching with reuse (an honest concern with BPA in the headlines constantly), but Ziplocs are actually supposed to be some of the safest; they use no BPA and don’t leach other chemicals even in the high heat of the microwave. Still, after a few uses your bags will probably start to get a little gunky and it’s worth it to play it safe and move on. That doesn’t have to mean a trip to the landfill, though, save some for travelling with toiletries and check for a recycling facility in your area that recycles type 4 plastics.

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