If you're conscious of your plastic use, you've probably been annoyed by the plastic mesh bags sometimes used to hold bulk produce. Not only is it unavoidable if you include the avocado, onions, and limes needed to make guacamole, but it can also be difficult to reuse.
So, if you let go of your produce and guiltily stare into the mesh bag, it will end up in the trash.
That is, until I discovered TikTok user Jenny's (@jennylimmm) mesh bag upcycling hack.
scoop
The hack is easy. All you need is a few mesh bags and rubber bands or some other means to secure them. Fold in the first produce bag until a small ball of plastic mesh forms. Then wrap the next mesh bag around it to make a slightly larger mesh ball.
@jenlimmm Tips I learned from my mother, an OG upcycler ✌🏽
♬ Original song – Jenny
Continue this process until all mesh bags are used. Finally, put a rubber band around the mesh ball to prevent it from unraveling.
What about the finished product? Upcycled dishwasher.
“It’s not pretty,” Jenny says. “But upcycling plastic is always great.”
How does it help?
Jenny is right. Upcycling is essential to reducing the number of single-use plastics in landfills and oceans.
Approximately 90% of all single-use plastics end up in landfills, and less than 10% is recycled. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the world generates approximately 440 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, of which 8 million tonnes end up in the oceans.
Plastics sent to landfills can leach harmful, long-lasting chemicals into the ground. Meanwhile, plastic that winds up in the ocean spreads tiny microplastics that make their way to marine wildlife and the deepest parts of the ocean.
By upcycling, recycling, and using reusable tools like bags, water bottles, and utensils, we can significantly reduce plastic pollution and better protect our planet. Just by switching to reusable water bottles, you can prevent an average of 156 plastic bottles from ending up in landfills or oceans.
what everyone is saying
Users were amazed by Jenny's simple hack and praised her creativity.
One user said: “This is really smart.”
“I never thought of that,” added another.
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