Recycling grocery bags in the best way possible

TAMPA (FOX 13) - A Bay Area woman is changing the way we use plastic grocery bags.  Anoko Solomon and the Lutz Land O' Lakes Women's Club transform ordinary bags into mats for the homeless.

"You just tie them together like a sting of rubber-bands or something," explained Solomon.

She has been crocheting for over 50 years and started crocheting plastic bags since last spring.  It takes about 500 plastic bags to make just one mat.

"It takes me about three Rays games to crochet one," she continued.

The Lutz Land O Lakes Women's Club and Solomon have made 40 mats for the homeless and showing others how do it as well.

"I don't know how many more are being made because it's spreading," said Solomon.

Homeless organizations can't seem to keep them in stock either.

"As soon as we get them in, people want them," said Jessica Brenner, a volunteer at The Well.

"They've been really popular because you can roll them up, they're light, and it's just easy to throw it down anywhere to go to sleep."

For Solomon though, this project takes on a new meaning.

"I didn't expect this to be one of my favorite projects, but it is."