Cape Town – What started out as an experiment has now gone a long way from not only protecting the environment but also assisting cash-strapped South Africans with something on the side.
Regine le Roux the founder and brainchild behind the Re.Bag.Re.Use initiative which started off as a hobby during the Covid-19 hard lockdown has turned it into a success and is now extending its footprint.
The initiative is to turn empty bread bags and repurpose and crochet them into beautiful shopping bags.
“This all started as a hobby during lockdown.
“I wanted to experiment with different materials.
“Then after a run seeing a lot of plastic something said I should experiment with it.
“The initiative has successfully been building momentum in Hout Bay in Cape Town, and is now extending its footprint to Koedoespoort in Pretoria.
“The project is snowballing and going from strength to strength.
“The idea is to repurpose soft, clean plastic into beautiful shopping bags, instead of the plastic bags landing up as an unsightly mess next to the side of the road or landfill,” le Roux said.
She said the Covid-19 pandemic has had a dire economic impact on many people and said the Re.Bag.Re.Use project provides community members in a small way, a way to supplement their incomes with a bit of extra pocket money.
The project is not a full-time job and ladies who are a part of the initiative are not employed.
However, they do receive a stipend for cutting and or crocheting the shopping bags.
In Hout Bay there are four cutters and eight women who crochet the bags while still in its early stages, two people are based in Pretoria.
According to Jacolyn Radebe, 25, from Gauteng, joining the project has allowed her to spend more in her household.
“With the extra money I make from cutting the plastic, I am glad that I am able to buy groceries and essentials for our home,” she said.
A percentage of sales made are donated towards local charities.
“With Re.Bag.Re.Use we are able to reduce some of the plastic generated and at the same time create an opportunity for women to make extra pocket money and be able to put bread on the table.
“This is a project that I would ideally like to expand across the country. We have incredibly talented people in our communities, and there is a lot of plastic landing up in our environments,” le Roux said.
Residents living in the vicinity of the Hirch’s stores in Centurion and Silverlakes in Pretoria are urge to drop off their empty bread bags, courier bags, fruit and vegetable packets or even old video or cassette tapes at Hirche’s.
The plastic will go to Koedoespoort where it will be sorted and repurposed.
Hirche’s chief operations officer, Margaret Hirsch said the project aligns with many key aspects of the company.
“Firstly, empowering women in our communities and secondly, being able to provide the ladies to use their crocheting skills to turn something that is quite ugly (plastic), into something beautiful that can make quite a fashion statement,” she said.
Anyone who can purchase a bag can contact Regine le Roux on 083 302 1528.