Advertisement

Reusable bags that bounce back

Never remember to take your reuseable shopping bags? That's not a problem for customers of Mala, a local yarn and fibre arts shop in Corner Brook.

Owner Niki Hollahan is making her own bags to pack customers' purchases in. The colourful bags, made from recycled material and thread, are free but they do come with a catch: Hollahan wants you to bring them back.

As the name suggests, Boomerang Bags are meant to eventually come back to the shop to be given out again. The idea came from an Australian organization of the same name that encourages shoppers to stop using plastic bags and opt for a more eco-friendly alternative.

While she's never used plastic bags in her shop, Hollahan wanted her business to do more to help the environment.

"Plastic is not a good idea, and even paper has its own issues when it comes to production," she told the Corner Brook Morning Show. So when she stumbled upon the Boomerang Bag website, she knew she had found her solution.

Sew easy

The bags are made from her own stock of fabrics collected over the years. Hollahan said her customers are excited about the idea.

"They love the look of the little, funky-looking bags they carry their product away in."

So far all the bags she's given out have made their way back to her shop but, ideally, if more businesses get on board, Hollahan would love to see people borrow and return Boomerang Bags at any store in the city.

"We'll need more fabric. We'll need more thread. We'll need sewers," she said, laughing, from behind her sewing machine.

She's had a few emails from people interested in volunteering to make bags but, in the meantime, Hollahan is trying to build up a stash so she never has to buy bags for her shop again.