THE STORY OF KOOTSACS: One day in 2007, while shopping in my favorite natural food store, I became painfully aware of how much plastic filled our shopping carts. Beautiful organic nuts, grains, pulses and other healthy dried goods go home in a zillion plastic bags. I was appalled when I considered how many plastic bags we throw away in a year. I wanted to find an alternative. They needed to be lightweight, yet strong, reusable, washable and would fasten with a twist tie. They had to be capable of holding any bulk food item, even flour, without leakage. As a clothing designer and textile artist I felt that I could come up with some alternative to this problem. Kootsac bags were born out of a need to contribute something, using the skills I have as a creative artist, designer and maker, to give folk healthier packaging choices for the environment. I have always tried to be a conscious shopper by considering health, environmental and social implications of everything I buy.
QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE:
WHY NOT USE A NATURAL FIBRE LIKE COTTON FOR BULK FOOD BAGS? I am a textile artist and designer and only work with natural fibres, so that was my first thought too. Cotton is too heavy for higher priced items like nuts and spices, and things like flour leak through the weave. Uncoated ripstop nylon is lightweight, does'nt leak and is very strong.
WHAT ABOUT NATURAL SILK BAGS? These bags are lightweight like the ripstop nylon. For a natural fibre they are strong, although not as strong as the nylon. They may not last as long as the nylon bags because being a natural fibre the silk bags will eventually biodegrade.
WHY IS THERE NO DRAWSTRING? It was important to keep the weight down. When you buy bulk food you are paying by weight. These bags weigh the same as a plastic bag. Just use a twist tie. Many stores require that you put a bin number on the twist tie.
WHICH BAGS ARE BEST FOR HOLDING FLOUR? I suggest the nylon bags for holding flour - there is no leakage with the nylon bags. Silk bags will have some leakage, but unlike the nylon, they are biodegradable. There are always pros and cons to whatever choice we make.
WILL THEY BE ACCEPTED IN A GROCERY STORE? All the natural food stores I've used them in have been really excited to see an alternative to plastic and have been very supportive. I can't speak for other stores. This is something which you'll have to find out for yourself in the area which you live in. I can say that there is a movement towards banning the plastic bag in many parts of the world.
WHAT ABOUT WASHING? Both the ripstop nylon and silk bags bags are washable. The nylon bags should last you a few years. Wash cold or warm and please DO NOT PUT SILK OR NYLON IN YOUR DRYER. They will air dry very quickly. I recommend that you wash them frequently, especially after something like flour. Remember that you are taking them into a store which sells food so it is important to keep them clean.
CAN I STORE MY FOOD IN THEM? These bags have been designed specifically for bringing home your bulk food or produce purchases from the store. They are not intended for long term storage. In the same way as I try not to store food in plastic I would not store my food in these bags. I put the food in a glass storage container when I get home from the grocery store. Plastic leaches chemicals into your food. Ripstop nylon is not an organic material so I would treat it the same way as plastic, although it is an uncoated nylon.
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