Alison Cameron and Maria De Luca: dedicated volunteers at Boomerang Bags Blue Mountains.
Story and photos by Belle Butler
Boomerang Bags Blue Mountains is part of a global, grassroots movement replacing single-use plastic bags with sustainable recycled fabric alternatives: one sewing bee at a time. The volunteers were hard at work when Belle Butler visited the group to find out more.
Key Points:
- Single-use plastic bags and textile waste are two major environmental problems being tackled by grassroots movement, Boomerang Bags.
- Boomerang Bags Blue Mountains meets at Korowal School on the first Saturday of the month to turn discarded fabric into usable, reusable carry bags.
- The monthly sewing bees are a great way to learn how to sew, make friends and do something for the community and the environment.
Ever been to the shops and realised you’d left your bags at home? This is usually the moment I find myself walking out the shop doors with every pocket overfilled, and my teeth acting as a third set of fingers, just so that I can avoid the plastic bag that was offered to me. In this world in which it is difficult to make consistently pro-environmental choices, a group of Blue Mountains residents is working hard to make one choice a little bit easier.
On the first Saturday of every month, long-standing volunteers and newbies gather at Korowal School in Hazelbrook to sew re-usable bags out of recycled fabric for umbrella-initiative, Boomerang Bags. “We are tackling two problems at once: plastic bags and textile waste,” said Maria De Luca, who joined the local initiative in 2017 and became the group’s coordinator in 2019.
Maria De Luca happily hard at work.
Single-use plastic bags are petrochemical products designed to be used once and then thrown away. From production to disposal, their lifecycle has a significant and lasting impact on the environment, contributing to greenhouse gases and often ending up in the ocean where they kill wildlife and take many years to break down. Meanwhile, the textile industry is responsible for 92 million tonnes of waste globally each year.
Founders of the original Boomerang Bags in Burleigh Heads, Jordyn De Boer and Tania Potts, realised that by diverting textile waste from landfill and giving it another life in the shape of a bag, they could also drastically reduce plastic bag waste. Putting a call out to friends, family and community they gathered donations of recycled fabric and mobilised volunteers to turn that fabric into bags. Community sewing bees were formed and so began what is now a worldwide initiative that has diverted an estimated 180,000 kilograms of waste from landfill since its inception in 2013.
Tools of the trade and labels used to identify which region the bags were made in.
Boomerang Bags now has over 1,100 volunteer communities around the world, including the Blue Mountains group, which supplies bags to the Cancer Wellness Support Op Shop in North Katoomba, Terry White Chemmart Wentworth Falls and the Food Co-op in Katoomba. The Blue Mountains group is hoping to supply more shops as they enlist more volunteers.
“Boomerang Bags Blue Mountains is about getting together, making friends, socialising and doing something for the environment all at the same time… and feeling good about it!” – Maria De Luca
She pointed out that Boomerang Bags takes a nuanced approach to the carry-bag problem, noting that other alternatives such as paper bags or newly made re-usable bags have their own negative impacts on the environment. According to the UN Environment Programme, “Paper bags contribute less to the impacts of littering but in most cases have a larger impact on the climate, eutrophication and acidification.” Newly made re-usable bags may also have significant production, transportation, and disposal impacts on the environment.
Using, and importantly reusing (as many times as possible), a bag made locally from diverted textile waste drastically reduces all of these environmental impacts.
Alison and Maria admiring the various fabrics donated to the group.
While the plastic bag is a classic symbol of a throw-away culture that has become largely accepted and hard to escape, the ‘Boomerang Bag’ may be seen as a symbol of sustainable culture that embraces forgotten skills and old ways.
Alison Cameron, who joined the group in 2019 because she loved to sew and wanted to do something for the community and the environment, commented on the changes she has observed in her lifetime: “All this has been introduced within our lives. We used to use cloth napkins, we only had one doll, etc. Then things were introduced to make life ‘better,’ and now at this end of our lives we are trying to return to the old ways.”
Alison sewing a label onto her bag.
The group inspires younger generations to ‘return to the old ways’ by teaching newcomers with little or no experience how to sew. Young children have even attended the group with their parents, learning a skill that will help them embrace sustainable habits and feed their creativity along the way.
“The kids wanted to learn how to sew, and without a machine at home or a clue myself, I wasn’t sure how to do this,” said Erin, who attends the sewing bees with her young daughters.
“Boomerang Bags helped us all to make a bag, and the kids are keen to come for every session. The group is welcoming and it’s lovely to be able to learn with the kids. As well as learning how to sew and doing something for the environment, we have gained some great friendships through Boomerang Bags.”
Erin and her daughter Bree learning to sew at Boomerang Bags Blue Mountains (photo supplied)
At Boomerang Bags Blue Mountains, all material has been donated by individuals or local op shops and is put to maximum use. “We get as much out of the material as we can,” said Maria. “Even if the material is threadbare, we’ll still use it by screen printing the labels on it, to minimise waste.” Leftover scraps are collected and used for filling in other projects, such as a homemade ottoman Maria is currently working on.
Most of the volunteers are so dedicated to the cause that they sew bags at home as well as during the monthly sewing bees. Often leaving small, individualised marks on their work, they find great joy in spotting their bags being used by the community. “Sometimes I find myself looking around the shops for my bags,” said Alison, “then I get really excited when I see someone using one of them.”
Left: Alison and Maria with their latest creations. Right: A bundle of bags ready to go out and be used (and reused).
Maria, who is also the Korowal representative for the Blue Mountains Sustainable Schools Network, was recently nominated for a Blue Mountains City Council ‘Binfluencer’ Award for her work with Boomerang Bags and her efforts in waste management as Teacher Librarian at Korowal School, where she has introduced two initiatives to reduce waste at the school: Return and Earn and Simply Cups.
She encourages the community to grab a few Boomerang Bags and use them as much as possible, donate fabric to the group, and come along to the monthly sewing bees to learn how to sew, make friends, and be part of the solution.
“Come and have a chat with me,” she said. “We’ll talk rubbish… literally.”
Take Action:
- Join the Boomerang Bag movement by participating in sewing bees at Korowal School on the first Saturday of every month.
- Donate unwanted fabric to Boomerang Bags Blue Mountains (must be the size of a pillow-case or bigger).
- Use and reuse (and reuse and reuse and reuse) Boomerang Bags to minimise associated carrier-bag impacts on the environment.
- Check out Blue Mountains City Council’s Textile Recycling Initiative
Share this article:
This story has been produced as part of a Bioregional Collaboration for Planetary Health and is supported by the Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (DRRF). The DRRF is jointly funded by the Australian and New South Wales governments.
More from around the region
Some of the most popular activities we`ve run over the last year have been our plant-based cooking demonstrations. If you`d like to learn more about how to prepare meals that are cheaper, healthier and better for the planet, Teja Brooks Pribac from PlantInspired will be demonstrating how to use pantry essentials to create delicious and healthy plant-based meals tomorrow: Friday 6 December at Junction 142 in Katoomba. Ph. 0434 691 496
#plantbased #planetaryhealth #planetaryhealthdiet #cookingclass #katoomba #bluemountains
If you`ve heard about how inspiring and fun our Skillshare Saturdays are with our free Upcycling Fashion workshop from 9am to 3pm, our Wildlife Exhibition from 9am to 1pm, and our Bushcare to regenerate the Planetary Health Precinct at 1.30pm, there`s still one more opportunity in 2024 to come along and join in, this Saturday 7 December. Well be having some delicious Christmas nibbles to celebrate the end of a very productive year and all are welcome. The Planetary Health Centre is at 33-39 Acacia St Katoomba. Bookings for Upcycling essential (link in profile). To find out more about joining Bushcare ring 0407 437553 #upcyclingfashion #bushcare #planetaryhealth #learntosew #patternmaking #katoomba #bluemountains #natureconnection #wildlifeexhibition #birdphotos #wires
The inspiring Lyrebird Festival kicks off in the Megalong Valley this evening and runs until Sunday 17th November. Enjoy a weekend of music, art, food, wine, talks and nature walks as The Bowerbird Collective brings together art, science, conservation and world class music performances. All events can be booked separately or together with a Festival pass. Pricing includes a `Pay what you can` option.
The Lyrebird can be heard in the Megalong Valley imitating the calls of hundreds of other species, as well as producing their own thrilling sounds. The festival also includes a very special film screening of The Message of the Lyrebird on Sunday afternoon.
Tickets available here: https://bit.ly/3AON8In
(or at link in profile)
#megalongvalley #lyrebirds #lyrebirdfestival #bowerbirdcollective #bluemountains #planetaryhealth
In April 2021 Blue Mountains City Council became the first local government in Australia to adopt a motion to integrate Rights of Nature principles into its operations and practices. Today the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Initiative, the Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute and lawyer Kingsley Liu, had the great pleasure of workshopping further ways to implement Rights of Nature with this inspiring group of Law students from the University of New South Wales.
#rightsofnature #UNSW #lawstudents #planetaryhealth #bluemountains
At our World Animal Day event we launched the Community Supporting Community Program with a plant based cheese degustation. Teja Brooks Pribac from PlantInspired is now offering interactive classes in which you can have fun learning new techniques for using vegetables to create delicious meals that are good for your health and the health of the planet. Small groups: 6-8 people. $65.50pp. Bookings essential.
Classes currently on offer:
Plant-based cheese making & demo
Saturday 9 Nov, 1-3pm. Lawson NSW: https://www.facebook.com/events/1274663973560691
[DATE CHANGE!] The Tastemaster: how to turn your average vegetable into a mouthwatering masterpiece
Sunday 17 November, 11am-2pm. Katoomba: https://www.facebook.com/events/517611447925601
End of year special: plant-based cooking essentials 2-class bundle
Saturday 30 November, Sunday 1 December, 11am-2pm. Katoomba NSW: https://www.facebook.com/events/1116156823213312
Cooking with seitan
Saturday 7 December, 11am-2pm. Katoomba NSW. https://www.facebook.com/events/1553960262666738
PlantInspired is also offering interactive plant-based cooking classes and demos for individual clients, private groups and businesses. Choose from a range of preset classes or get in touch to tailor your own.
All profits utilised to help vulnerable members of the community through the Community Supporting Community program. Check the website for more info: www.plantinspired.com.au (link in profile)
#plantinspired #plantbasedcooking #vegan #community #planetaryhealth
Skillshare Saturdays literally offer a `breath of fresh air` at the Planetary Health Centre on the first Saturday of the month! At our free Upcycling Fashion workshop this month you can learn more about all types of zips and how to do basic pockets and pocket flaps. You can bring your own sewing machine or use one of ours. And at Bushcare in the afternoon, you can immerse yourself in the bush at the Planetary Health Precinct as you help restore habitat and protect biodiversity (while meeting some great people and enjoying time in nature). Bookings essential for Upcycling Fashion at Eventbrite here: https://bit.ly/4dZWUoM (link in profile)
If you`d like to join our Bushcare Group contact Karen Hising at khising@bmcc.nsw.gov.au or call the Bushcare Office on 4780 5623
#upcyclingfashion #skillshare #planetaryhealth #bushcare #community #togetherwecan #zerowaste #regeneration #circulareconomy
As 190 countries gather for the @cop16colombia UN Biodiversity Summit, to focus on how we can protect the world’s flora and fauna, we’d like to thank all those local individuals and organisations dedicated to the same goal who came together for World Animal Day at the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Centre on Saturday 5 October. They offered ways for everyone to learn more and take action. From the Blue Mountains Bird Observers, who led over 40 people on a guided Breakfast with the Birds walk, to many others who offered information stalls, talks, workshops, a Wild Life exhibition, live music, plant-based food and hands-on Bushcare. We also launched the Community Plant Based Cooking Project with the first class to be held on Saturday 9 November at @roseyravelstonbooks in Lawson. Places are limited. Learn more here: https://plantinspired.com.au/
#worldanimalday #biodiversity #plantbased #planetaryhealth #bluemountains #katoomba
Did you know that old lino, window putty, and adhesive can contain asbestos? Yesterday the Asbestos & Hazardous Materials Management Conference kicked off with a pre-conference workshop at the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Centre. It included hands-on `spot the asbestos` and asbestos sampling sessions. This year`s theme is `Working together for a safe and healthy future`. #asbestos #hazardousmaterials #conference #planetaryhealth #bluemountains #katoomba
Delicious plant based and gluten free pastries courtesy of Clean Cravings at World Animal Day today at the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Centre. Such a lovely day! #planetaryhealth #worldanimalday
Paul Nagle and other members of the Blue Mountains Bird Observers leading 40 people on a Guided Breakfast with the Birds as part of World Animal Day at the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Precinct. It`s a stunning day. Lots more to come at 33-39 Acacia St Katoomba.
A huge thank you to Josh Logan from Logan Signs, Lithgow, for installing our Circular Water Signage in time for our World Animal Day Celebration today at the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Centre (33-39 Acacia St Katoomba). We have a full program of events with lots of information on how to prepare for the summer ahead and how to create urban areas that help us share our home respectfully with all species. It will be a fun family day too with storytime, craft and live music for kids! (Link in profile) #worldanimalday #planetaryhealth #familyday #katoomba #bluemountains
And our Wild Life exhibition is now up for World Animal Day tomorrow at the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Centre. Photographs by Warren Hinder, Merryl Watkins, Holly Kent and Tracy Burgess. Check out all the other events from stalls, talks, possum box demo, kid`s craft and animal storytime, plant based food and live music to Bushcare. @33-39 Acacia St Katoomba Link in profile. #planetaryhealth #worldanimalday #katoomba
