With plastic bag bans on the rise, you might be looking for a new way to get your produce home from the store without your apples rolling everywhere. You could spend money on a reusable mesh bag, or you could take one TikToker's advice and check under your sink.
The scoop
The humble loofah, that colorful cloud of plastic helping you exfoliate in the shower, can be used in an unexpected way.
Slim (@slim_shitty) took to TikTok to share how they upcycled a loofah into reusable produce bags. Slim bought a new loofah from the dollar store, but we recommend checking your home for an old one you can use. The best hacks help us find new uses for our plastic so we don't need to buy more.
@slim_shitty Reusable produce bag 👍 #lifehack #lowwaste ♬ original sound - slim
In the video, the creator shows viewers how simple it is to create these handy little bags. Start by cutting the string off and unraveling the loofah to "get a long tube of mesh."
Once you have the mesh stretched out, Slim says you "find one end of the tube, and then you just start cutting lengths of it, and then you tie a knot in one end." This will leave you with a "little mesh bag that weighs pretty much nothing."
Slim tells us that the bags may rip, but since you can get several bags from one loofah, it's still a cost-effective method to get some reusable bags. Plus, since the loofahs are made of plastic, they are easy to clean. These little bags can be used at the grocery store, or you could take them on your next foraging adventure, Slim says.
How it's helping
Trying to cut back on your waste can feel like a daunting task. There are tons of great reusable products you can swap out for single-use items, including silicone bags, mesh produce bags, and homemade totes, but some have a high upfront cost.
This loofah upgrade is a great way to make a reusable swap for a fraction of the price. Taking your own bags to the grocery store also helps reduce our reliance on single-use plastic.
According to the Center for Biological Diversity, "The world uses 5 trillion plastic bags a year." Recycling, upcycling, and reusable alternatives are all great ways to help curb our global trash problem. On the bright side, a report by the Environment America Research & Policy Center found that plastic bag bans in five U.S. states eliminated 6 billion plastic bags.
🗣️ Which eco-friendly initiative would make you most likely to buy products from a clean beauty brand?
🔘 Using less plastic packaging 🗑️
🔘 Using more organic ingredients 🌿
🔘 Recycling empty containers 🫙
🔘 I don't buy clean beauty products 🚫
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
What everyone's saying
Folks in the comments love this hack.
One person said, "I've really been wanting to get reusable produce bags omg I might do this."
Another commenter suggested, "When they start falling apart, use them as a scrubber for dishes."
"This is such a good idea," someone else wrote.
Finally, someone chimed in: "You are a genius. Thank you very much."
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