A GROUP of Byron Bay women is revolutionising the town with a new reuseable shopping bag system.
Plastic never biodegrades, and with the government is not making any moves to ban plastic bags, so the Byron Mermaids are sewing reusable “boomerang” bags for people to borrow and bring back.
The Byron Mermaids are a group of saltwater-loving women standing up for the oceans.
Last month they held a rally asking for action on the much-discussed subject of banning plastic bags in NSW.
There have not been any updates on the official government website since before the Ministerial Roundtable where they discussed this issue last February.
With not even a peep from the representatives in Sydney, the Mermaids have taken matters into their own hands.
Boomerang Bags is a Surfrider Foundation campaign that has been championed by two women in Burleigh Heads and is now thriving.
Inspired by their success, the mermaids got in touch to adopt this tangible solution for our Byron community.
The idea is to get a team of volunteers together to sew reusable bags from donated fabric.
It takes 5,000 bags to launch this effort in a community, in order to account for the many transients and tourists who are not expected to return the Boomerang Bags for reuse.
By flooding the markets and shops with reusable bags, the local community will have no choice but to reach for reusables when faced with the free alternative to single-use plastic bags.
As a part of Plastic Free July, the group held their sewing session at Patagonia Byron Bay.
Owner Glen Casey, is a generous supporter of the mermaids’ activism and the local environmental campaigns.
The sewing machines were all donated by community members, including one of Mr. Casey’s employees.
The sewing skills were taught by two sisters, Charlotte and Eloise Ashford Meehan, who are the designers behind the fashion label Rode to No Wear–all hand-made high-end clothing, here in Byron Bay.
The fabric was donated by the community, including a large portion by vintage clothing label Second Loves.
The Byron Mermaids are hosting the next sewing session on Sunday 31 July at Patagonia Byron Bay from 1-5pm.
They could use more sewing machines, thread, fabric, and helping hands.
Please get in touch to donate to the cause.
Get involved:
Like the Mermaids on Facebook
Submit your email address at iquitplastics.com
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