Two women from West Seattle have taken the help of friends to launch a very eco-friendly product called ReUsies. It is reusable cloth bag meant for carrying snacks and sandwiches and 700 of these have already been sold. Becky Harper and Karen Whorton have now set up their website and are looking for a commercial manufacture.

The two women had a very small scale beginning and Harper had taken on the task of sewing the bags together because, as Whorton says, “I approached Becky because she knows how to sew.” So far Harper was working in her basement with a sewing machine and serger. Both had collaborated to work on the design and formed the concept in three months. Harper and Whorton are both part of the “green team” at the Lafayette Elementary School in the Admiral District and the reusable sandwich bags were actually part of their work with the team. Harper says, “We sold everything we made” Even now the duo plans to give back 20% of their sale proceeds to the Green Team.

The bags come in sizes snack and sandwich and have different prints for different people even though the basic construction remains the same. Bags meant for little girls have different prints than those that a man can carry to work. The idea seemed to work well and as Whorton says, “My youngest daughter considers hers a fashion statement.”

Harper has decades of experience with sewing and said she had worked on making the bags very sturdy, “I use a four-thread serger stitch. We estimate this gives them a one to three year lifespan.”

Priced at $6.50 and $8.50 these bags are a great way to replace disposable plastic bags.