What does a chic artisan tote have to do with unwanted plastic bag trash? A lot if you ask Alex Dabagh, a leathersmith by trade, who turned his attention to the plastic bag trash choking our waterways, landfills and trash dumps.
Alex takes unwanted plastic bag trash and upcycles it into beautifully woven re-useable totes, each one unique, each one with a story. The bags effectively close the loop as they require no virgin materials. His totes are a luxury good, carefully crafted by skilled workers in a midtown Manhattan facility, and each one is one-of-a-kind. I have personally toured the facility and checked out everything from the plastic scraps to the loom to the finished products. It’s pretty cool.
If you want to be a socially conscious buyer and you know you need a chic new re-useable tote to have on hand – especially given the New York plastic bag ban going into effect – this is your bag. You can purchase them at www.aNYbag.com. If it rips or tears (an unlikely event), bring it back and get a new one and your old bag will be upcycled for yet another life. No waste here!
If $138 is too steep a price tag for you, you can still both support and personally benefit from this amazing idea. The company is accepting donations of plastic bag trash (ripped and torn bags are fine; they just need to be clean) to make their totes. This is a marvelous way to help the environment and responsibly rid yourself of all that plastic bag trash we both you know you have shoved in that cabinet under your kitchen sink!
In a large apartment residence complex or have a business that would like to have a collection box for plastic bags for Alex? Contact him via his website and let him know!
P.S. If you're wondering who the pup is in the below photos, that's my little rescue mix who toured the facility with me. He gives aNYbag his woof of approval.