Partnership pushes BYO bags

 

BY JULIA WADE

Joining a movement currently circulating around the globe, a Kaipara supermarket and environmental awareness group have become partners in culling an environmental threat – single-use plastic bags.

On May 21, Dargaville Countdown became one of 10 supermarkets across New Zealand to ban the destructive items, in the market chain’s first step to veto plastic bags from its stores nationwide. 

In support of the supermarket and customers, who now have the choice to either bring their own bags or buy a recyclable from the store, Love Kaipara held a BYO Bag Event on June 8, World Earth Day, selling locally-made cloth bags. 

The brainchild of the event, Love Kaipara project manager Victoria del la Varis-Woodcock, says the BYO bags are all made from donated fabric and garments which also saves waste going to landfill while fulfilling a practical need. 

“As a waste minimisation promoter the Love Kaipara team saw the urgent need to reduce plastic bag pollution and has campaigned for nearly two years for Dargaville to ‘lead the way’ in going plastic bag free,” she says. “The bags are a way to raise awareness of the plastic pollution problem and to inspire shoppers to take up an alternative to plastic bags.”

More than 800 cloth bags have been sewn by local skilled machinist and ‘key volunteer’, Maxine Stringer, for the cause. 

“Maxine is turning her concern for our planet into an incredible output of amazing bags,” Victoria says. “All BYO BAG volunteers are raising funds to bring to life Maxine’s vision of permanent posters at schools and at key spots around the Kaipara, educating people about plastic pollution and litter.” 

Working towards a plastic bag-free Kaipara and a cleaner planet; Victoria del la Varis-Woodcock and dedicated sewer Maxine Stringer, in Maxine’s workshop where she has created over 800 of the famous BYO bags.