BOOMERANG BAGS –BORROW & BRING BACK – BOOM!

A new project to reduce the number of plastic bags being used and discarded has been launched in Martinborough.

The Martinborough community is being asked to donate fabric to make reusable “Boomerang Bags”. The bags will be available at a number of local businesses. If people forget their own bags, they can easily grab one. The idea is that they borrow and bring it back on a later visit.

The Boomerang Bag idea originated in Australia and after a conversation over coffee and then a lucky chance meeting with the Boomerang founders in Burleigh Heads, Australia, local ladies Carolyn Irwin & Amanda Ritchie knew that they couldn’t not get involved.

“Martinborough community has been very positive and we’ve had over 100 people interested already with more offers of help flooding in – volunteering time, fabric donation; sewing machine loan plus inspiring messages of support from all over the Wairarapa.

“How it works is the community donates fabric which is then up-cycled into reusable bags. The bags are then put back into the community for people to use and reuse. This is a real grass roots proactive community project that we’re hoping is going to the kick start the concept of a plastic bag free Martinborough.
It’s giving people a real ownership and it is all about fostering sustainable behaviour and reducing waste in a really fun way.”

Thanks go to all local businesses supporting the initiative – in
particular to Thunderpants and Dusty and Lulu Design Duo who’ve been instrumental in getting the “Borrow and Bring Back” bags off the ground.

Josie & Sophie Bidwell of Thunderpants who have given over their workspace and equipment one evening a month got behind us from the very beginning.
“We had heard about the Boomerang Bags concept, it just needed someone in Martinborough to take on the facilitation of it and we’d offer our space for workshops making bags. It fits very well into our own business ethos at Thunderpants.”

Mike and Lindie Sleyer of Dusty and Lulu donated much-needed design time and kick-started the screen-printing with 160 Borrow and Bring Back logos printed onto fabric donated by the Thunderpants.
Thanks also goes to SWDC, Creative Communities for grant funding.

Twenty locals recently got together for our first sewing workshop at Thunderpants working together in a fun environment producing 60 up-cycled cloth bags. There’s a job for everyone – making boxes, cutting fabric, ironing, screen-printing, sewing or even making the tea. All ages are welcome and no experience is needed – although if people do have skills in sewing or a sewing machine that is always a plus.

We are always on the look out for more fabric and thread donations.
Just drop your donations off at Martinborough Library, on Kitchener St, Martinborough in the box marked Fabric Donations.

So come along and get involved. This is a great opportunity to get together, meet new people, and do something good for our future. 

Keep up to date with sewing bee locations and dates on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boomerangmartinborough/
or email us at: info@colombo.co.nz