Grab a Go Go Bag
Although it looks like your average grocery shopping bag, Go Go Bags were designed to be more environmentally friendly.
HIGHVELD – Imagine a town without plastic shopping bags.
Well, this could be possible if one converts to an affordable, eco-friendly Go Go Bag.
We all know the negative footprint plastic bags have globally on our environment, whether it is the impact it has on our fauna and flora or the pollution in our communities.
Two women from Secunda discussed how they could contribute to minimise this negative footprint and decided to manufacture an environmentally friendly shopping bag.
Ms Nita Karelse and Daleen Engelbrecht then established Go Go Bags. It is a reusable, breathable, non-toxic, washable, reusable, durable and phytodegradable bag and comes in a variety of colours.
Although it looks like your average grocery shopping bag, Go Go Bags were designed to be more environmentally friendly.
“This bag is affordable, locally manufactured and locally owned,” said Ms Karelse.
Go Go Bags was established a year ago with its main clientele based in the Western Cape.
“Our dream is to market the bags nationally and to later expand to our neighbouring countries. Since we reside in Secunda, we want to concentrate on the TEKS area in order for us and our local communities to experience a pollution free environment, Ms Engelbrecht said.”
“Our families and friends have already converted to Go Go Bags and the feedback received from them in terms of durability and its various uses was positive.
“They can testify that their households are free from single-use plastics bags in just a few months.”
“These bags can be used for just about anything. A Go Go Bag is mainly a grocery bag but can be used in many different ways.
“You can pack your children’s lunch containers in them, wet swimming costumes and towels and even your gym clothes. It can even be used to pack children’s toys when going on an outing.
“For the creative artist, this is a good light-weight bag in which to pack your arts and crafts.
“They even work well as a gift idea or conference gift bags,” Ms Karelse said.
“You can even place your Christmas gifts or birthday presents in a Go Go Bag, instead of using gift wrapping paper” Ms Engelbrecht added.
Go Go Bags can easily hold 10kg and cost just under R3 per bag.
These bags can be used for months on end, thus making it an excellent alternative to the plastic bag.
“Go Go Bags are so nice and durable that you will use it over and over.
Go Go Bags are phytodegradable. It decomposes through sunlight and breaks up into pieces.
The fact that it’s an appealing, durable and re-usable bag will ensure that it is not merely discarded after a single use, hence it would not be polluting our environment. We would also like to reach out to schools in order to educate our children on the environmental harm caused by single-use plastic bags.By advocating the use of a GO GO Bag as an alternative to a plastic shopping bag, we can play our part in making our planet a safer place.
“We hope that the schools in the TEKS area will also get involved in the fight against the use of plastic shopping bags,” said Ms Karelse.
“If businesses can stand together and eliminate the use of a single plastic shopping bag and make use of a Go Go Bag, imagine what a huge impact we can make by having a cleaner and safer town and environment.
“Go Go Bags can even print your business logo on your bags.”
Ms Karelse went on saying that many businesses have been offering their time and money to keep our town clean. Therefore change can also start with us, in our own homes, by using fewer plastic bags and use environmentally friendly bags.
“The use of Single-use plastic bags should be limited, until it is fully replaced with a more eco-friendly solution.”
“We can start small, by converting to a GO GO Bag and ultimately make a big difference.”
For more information about Go Go Bags visit their website at www.gogobags.co.za. Or you can email sales@gogobags.co.za or phone 076 412 0412.
