How to Make a Yard Refuse Bag Stand

I don’t mind mowing the lawn, but I always seem to have a problem getting the grass clippings into the refuse bags that our city requires us to use.

You stand there, looking like a fool trying to manage the refuse bag and the lawn bag, knowing that your neighbors are staring at you out their windows, laughing at you.

Hysterically.

All paranoia aside, I decided to do something about it. I made a lawn bag stand out of ¾” PVC and a few fittings that I ordered online and I added a couple of features that I thought would help.

Here are some of the ‘features’ of my particular design:

1.  Fits the standard yxyxy paper yard refuse bag.
2.  The legs bend so that the bag slips over easily, when upside down.
3.  Stands upright without assistance, even when empty, as it is weighted down by sand.
4.  Stops at the ‘fill line’ of the standard paper refuse bag.
5.  Has room at the top to get lawnmower bag into the bag without spilling.
6.  Slips out easily when done.
7.  Also works as a trash can with a trash bag inside of it (attach some clips).
8.  Magically turns a lovely green to match your lawn after you use it for a while (ok, not really a feature).

As usual, please leave your comments on suggestions to improve on the basic design. If you have questions about PVC, see my previous Instructable PVC 101.

It costs about $25 to make.

Step 1: Parts

For this project you will need PVC pipe and Fittings. As I’ve mentioned in my other Instructables, I get mine from formufit.com. 

To construct the yard stand, you will need the following:

(2) 10’ lengths of ¾” PVC pipe from HD, Lowes, hardware store, etc.
(4) 3/4” 3-Way PVC Fittings
(4) 3/4”  4-Way PVC Fittings
(8) 3/4” PVC Internal End Caps
A small amount of sand, or some other weight.
PVC Cement
PVC Pipe Cutter or other method of cutting PVC.

Comments

[callalilyjen]

Do I have to rake up grass clippings, or can I leave them on the lawn? Answer: Leaving grass clippings on the lawn becomes a problem only if they are too thick. If you mow the lawn before it gets overly tall, the mass of the grass clippings will not be sufficient to warrant raking. A good way to obviate having to rake grass clippings is to mow with mulching lawn mowers. But making the case for using a mulching mower and leaving grass clippings on lawns goes beyond stating that no harm will be done. Leaving the grass clippings where they fall can actually be good for your lawn, your health and your pocketbook! The nutrients provided by the grass clippings allow you to lower your dependence on chemical lawn fertilizers