Businesswoman's Blog: Re.Bag.Re.Use your bags ~ putting bread on the table with empty bread bags

Empty bread plastic bags, two litre milk bottle labels and courier bags are just some of the plastic that has been repurposed into creating these delightfully bright and beautiful shopping bags.

Lockdown forced many of us to haul out and dust off our hobbies. ‘Mine, was my crochet pen,’ shares Regine le Roux brainchild behind the Re.Bag.Re.Use initiative. ‘During this time I realised just how much plastic was being generated and thrown away every day, so I decided to find a way to repurpose it. Crocheting with plastic worked!’

I have taught six ladies from the Harbour and Imizamo Yetho, in Hout Bay, how to transform empty bread bags into these magnificent shopping bags. It takes approximately 30 empty bread bags, and eight hours to complete one bag. There are also two ladies who cut the plastic bags into strips for us to crochet with.

When a ReBag.ReUse bag is purchased, not only is it keeping plastic from going to the landfill, it is also investing into the empowerment of the local community and charities. The sales from the bags are used to pay a stipend to the crocheters, the cutters and a percentage also goes to a local charity.

Recently a lady bought nine bags that were taken to the United States as gifts! We’re absolutely thrilled that these bags are now ‘international’!

We are incredibly grateful for the support from everyone in Hout Bay. The local haberdashery Fiddlesticks have kindly offered to be a drop off point for the plastic bags.

Maureen (in the photo above) is one of the ladies I taught how to crochet using the empty plastic bags. This is her first bag that she crocheted from empty bread bags and plastic wrapping!

Setta Adams (photo above), who is one of the ladies that cuts the plastic says, “It has definitely been a help to my household to be part of this initiative. I have been unemployed for the last three years and this opportunity to cut the bags really made a great difference with the day to day needs. Thank you.”

“For me a grandmother of a grade 12 and a grade 7 with only the help of my disability and one child grant this is really a help for me,” shares Jane Hoffman, one of the crocheting ladies. “I cannot explain in words how thankful I am for Maureen introducing me to Regine that taught us to crochet with bread bags and other plastic this is so awesome for me. It’s not just an extra income but also a stress reliever in this pandemic.”