Reducing Food Waste With The Swag Bag

Food is one of the world’s biggest problems, when it comes to management of waste. Reducing waste in the first place is always the goal – shop to a list, store and use leftovers and try to put your food scraps into the compost or green waste bin. If you compost your food scraps, you can make a large difference, as well as creating perfect compost for your garden. However, food scraps thrown in the usual garbage, leads to rotting food in landfills. As it breaks down it creates excessive methane gas. This is far worse for our environment, even more than Co2. It is also no good for your pocket! Who wants to be throwing away masses of food?

This fantastic invention – the range of Swag bags from Swag Australia – enables everyday households around the world to live waste free, and, plastic free, through providing an innovative range of simple, effective and 100% natural solutions for food storage. Sincs launching, they have expanded their ranges to include tea swags, produce bags, lunch bags and more – all available in my little store here. 

The Swag is a revolutionary and patented fresh produce storage range, made out of 100% unbleached, unseeded cotton materials. It keeps your fruit and veggies fresher 2-4 times longer – naturally. We have been using them now for a couple of years and it is a must have in our kitchen. There are a range of sizes, so you can fill them with different fruit and vegetables. I transfer produce once we get home, or sometimes take them shopping and use them as the carry home bags. You need to lightly wet the outside of the Swag bags before storing in the fridge. You also need to keep an eye on them and wash them in your usual washing machine and hang out to dry.

Founder, Peita Pini, says she was fortunate enough to grow up in a rural area on the outskirts of Sydney where they had acreage, loads of animals and a huge veggie garden. “We didn’t even have a garbage collection service back then, so we were very conscious of our waste. My organic and low waste upbringing has definitely had an impact on me, however it only really only came to the forefront once I had children of my own,” explains Peita.

When The Swag launched, Peita was working full time in media sales. “I was good at my job and even passionate about it however I found my work life empty and meaningless. When my children were born I decided it was time to do something that would make a difference, something to change the world and leave it in a better place for all our children,” she says.
the swag bags australia - reducing food waste and single use plastic bagsPeita’s dream started purely out of being a frustrated consumer. “Being a mum, who was working full time, I was simply sick and tired of throwing out rotten fruit and veggies (and my hard earned money with them). My girlfriends were all complaining about this problem too and for some crazy reason I became acutely aware and attentive to this global issue. Then it dawned on me, I wouldn’t last long sealed in a plastic bag or container without air or water. Fruit and veggies are alive too (just like us) and to stay fresher for much longer, they need an environment where they can breathe and hydrate,” she explains. Once she realised this, she says that the problem and solution found her all at once, and then the universe conspired to make sure she did something about it.

Peita actually developed the basic product idea, prototypes and even the name The Swag, in 2004, ten years prior to starting the product testing, patents, trademarks, manufacturing and refining. “I was expecting someone would launch it before me however that never happened. That’s why I feel that this invention was always meant for me. I launched The Swag whilst working full time in a high pressure media role. I became ‘alive’ every time I worked on The Swag. There was a driving force behind everything I did whilst working on The Swag. It was a feeling of euphoria and this kept me going thought thick and thin,” she says.
the swag bags australia - reducing food waste and single use plastic bagsDo you have any tips for other people wanting to create a sustainable home?

  • Compost your food scraps and if you live in an apartment lobby to install a compost bin for your block.
  • Buy in bulk and avoid plastic like the plague.
  • Try to reduce your meat intake and instead opt for vegetarian inspired meals a few times a week.
  • Shop at your local farmers market and buy local, seasonal produce.
  • Avoid buying anything that’s single use or individually wrapped small portions of food.
  • Recycle correctly

reusable tea bags with the tea swag - sustainable and plastic free tea bags

reusable lunch bag - no need to wrap your food in plastic anymore!

Swag reusable produce bag for your fruit and vegetables - ditch the soft clingy plastic bags and go plastic free!

reusable tea bags with the tea swag - sustainable and plastic free tea bags

Everyone at Swag Australia is passionate about ridding the earth of single use plastic and living in a world where there is no food waste, and no-one on this beautiful earth goes hungry.
You can find the Swag ranges here in my store along with the tea swags, lunch swags and more
Helen

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