The Role of Cloth Bags in Creating a Zero-Waste World

Plastic waste is a serious problem in today's world. Plastic waste  as the second most common waste at 18.2%. One of the main contributors to plastic waste is the use of single-use plastic bags when shopping. However, did you know that plastic takes a very long time to decompose in nature? During this decomposition process, plastic will pollute the environment and harm the ecosystem and our health. Because plastic bags are generally made of polyethylene, which is a material that is difficult to decompose. One solution to reduce environmental pollution due to plastic waste is to use reusable cloth bags when shopping.

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We know that using cloth bags when shopping is an important action we can take as individuals to help reduce the use of plastic waste. Cloth bags have various advantages compared to plastic bags, including that they can be used repeatedly, can hold more items, are flexible and lightweight so we can store cloth bags in places that are easily accessible, such as work bags or vehicles, if we forget to bring cloth bags, we can buy paper bags / paperbags which are usually available at convenience stores. Cloth bags have many types of materials, but the most widely used are bags with spunbond fabric because it is known to be more durable when compared to plastic or paper. With its relatively cheap price and the way to get it is also easy, spunbond material is very suitable if it is used as the best choice for shopping bags. 

This spunbond bag turns out that we can make it ourselves because it only requires simple and easily accessible tools and materials such as a piece of spunbond fabric (box-shaped) of the same length and width, sewing thread, needle, scissors, ruler, pencil. The first step is to measure the fabric with a ruler as needed, then cut the fabric according to size into two rectangular fabrics of the same size, then combine the two sheets into one and sew the left, right and bottom sides of the fabric. After that, make the bag strap using the remaining fabric that is not used as desired by connecting the tote bag strap to the previously marked part, then sew the strap to the main part of the tote bag. And the last step is to add decorations to enhance the appearance of the bag. That way it will make you more interested in using cloth bags because they have cute and unique decorations or designs.

By replacing the use of plastic bags with cloth bags when shopping, we can make a real contribution to reducing plastic waste. This change is a small but important step in maintaining environmental sustainability.  The more people who adopt this habit, the greater the impact on the overall reduction of plastic waste.