Back at the beginning of the year I talked about fighting food packaging as a key zero waste step, with some lil tips for avoiding all that plastic when you do your next food shop. I talked about investing in some cloth bags for buying fruit, vegetables, bread or anything else you’re able to find loose and then a few weeks later I discovered the incredible Bag Me, who provide everything you could need to shop zero waste all in one kit!

Bag Me is run by Zuzana; a Czech native now living in Frankfurt, Germany with her husband and three children. Zuzana fell in love with the zero waste lifestyle, and decided to start creating things that were easy to use, pretty and could help aid the zero waste shopping experience by providing alternatives to plastic and unnecessary packaging. Everything that she sells is made by hand and sold on the Bag Me Etsy page, I was so happy to get my hands on a vegan zero waste shopping kit when I discovered it.

My set comes with five bags and this cute pouch to carry them all in. The kit includes 3 lace bags, one lace bag with a drawstring and one water safe colourful bag. The lace bags are perfect for fruit and vegetables because they weigh basically nothing; adding no extra weight to your shopping whilst still being transparent so cashiers can see what you’re buying with no trouble at all. The water safe bag is great for carrying anything that might leak, whilst I also find it useful for carrying bread as it’s a little larger. The check out person at Lidl even complimented me as I bought bread zero waste in my lovely patterned bag! Because they fit so easily into the small pouch, this is the perfect zero waste kit both for having what you need, and for being ideal for on the go, busy lifestyles.

But that’s not all, Bag Me uses high quality materials like japanese bio fabric, but also recycled materials such as old curtains and jeans, so zero waste becomes part of the manufacturing as well as the purpose. The lace bags may differ depending on the curtain material, whilst the zipped pouch is 100% cotton and can come with a cotton or polyester lining (mine is cotten) and the waterproof bag is 100% polyester. The pouch also comes with a nifty key chain which means that you can transport it super easily by clipping it to your bag, bike, or anything really.

I completely love my little kit, if you’re looking to reduce your waste I would definitely recommend this as an item that will revolutionise your plastic footprint (and shopping experience) overnight with barely any added effort for you. The designs are fun and playful without being over the top, and because everything packs up so small it’s ideal for city living or minimalists because it can so easily be stored without taking up any room. I also find that these kits are such brilliant conversation starters. As soon as people notice you aren’t using the usual plastic bags it’s a great chance to talk about the ideas of zero waste and trying to live a more sustainable lifestyle, hopefully raising awareness in others and helping them to become more conscious of their own choices. Small conversations that can lead to big outcomes!

Oh and did I mention? These kits are super affordable! Considering these are all handmade items that will last essentially a whole lifetime, they’re a great investment whilst still being affordable and making life so easy. So grab one for yourself or as a gift for someone you know who doesn’t know how to get started with reducing their waste, and you’re on to a winner.

And if you’re not vegan, Bag Me also make beeswax food wraps which can be used as a replacement for cling film or foil; wrapping up food to keep them fresh in zero waste style. Definitely worth checking out if it’s your kind of thing.

Basically, I love Bag Me, and I’m really happy to have come across such a wonderful little company working to make the world a better place. I’m super happy to have my hands on this kit, and I shall be using it for many many years to come.

Until next time, stay magic y’all.