Avoid plastic, use cloth bags

Hyderabad: Now no need to throw old clothes, it can be easily used for making bags, a best alternative to plastic bags. A city based organisation, Green Waves Environmental Solutions, has joined hands in the mission to stop single use plastic from October 2, Gandhi Jayanti, and has come up with a unique eco-friendly alternative. They are using old clothes to make durable and environment-friendly bags.

1. A city-based organisation making bags out of waste clothes
2. Employment to 40 women from marginalised sections
3. They have collected three tonnes of waste clothes for bags
4. Using 'rebyte' waste management app, anyone can donate their old clothes
5. They already have a stock of more than 3,000 cloth bags

Under the project Re: Bag (recycled bag made out of waste clothes), started in 2018, Green Waves is manufacturing attractively designed clothe bags in different load shapes and sizes.

"This initiative aims at focusing on three aspects - utilising unused quality clothes and converting them into a reusable product; using plastic bag alternatives to conserve environment; and provide employment to underprivileged women," says P Anil Chowdary, managing partner of Green Waves Environmental Solutions and managing director of the Re: Bag.

Anil's mother Manjula, who runs an Amazon boutique in Ameerpet, is extending her support to ban plastic bag mission and the clothe bags are being manufactured in her boutique. The designing and stitching of the bags are done by homemakers from marginalised society. Currently the organisation has a strength of 40 women who are manufacturing colorful designed clothe bags in shedload shapes and sizes.

"Till today we have collected 3 tonnes of waste clothes in the city through 'rebyte' waste management app where anyone can give their old clothes to use. Till today this organisation has made more than 3,000 bags. We are also getting orders from Visakhapatnam and Goa," said Anil.

The amount collected from the sale is given to the homemakers associated with this initiative. As many people think that clothes are expensive than plastic, but it is a onetime investment for the consumer and has long validity and the cost of these clothe bags range from Rs 16 to 150.

Apart from this, the organisation does various awareness drives in schools, colleges, and residential colonies regarding the stoppage of plastic. They have collected 300 kg of plastic products from school, and college this month. Once the plastic products are collected then polythene single use plastic is sent to cement factory in Hyderabad and Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and PET bottles are sent to diesel factory located at Kadapa.

"Our organization is planning to reach every citizen in the city and also motivate them to reduce the use of plastic bags and also use eco-friendly bags," adds Anil.

The banned plastic products

1. Less than 200 ml of drinking water PET bottles
2. Plastic mineral water pouches
3. Plastic bags
4. Single-use disposable items made-up of polystyrene or plastic
5. Any non-decomposable plastic bag