How these Vernon sisters turned ratty old T-shirts into reusable bags

VERNON – In a bid to reduce the use of plastic bags two Vernon school girls have begun making reusable shopping bags from old T-shirts.

The two sisters, Sophie and Sarah, have been making the bags from old T-shirts provided to them from the Canadian Mental Health Association's Georgette Thrift Shop.

When the girls became aware of the harm that plastic can do to the environment they decided they wanted to do something about it, according to a media release from Vernon and District Canadian Mental Health Association.

"We have always been a bit earth-conscious and do what we can. The trigger for us was the whale that died with 88 pounds of plastic found in its stomach," the girls’ grandmother, Ria Hakker said in the release. "The more we know, the more we need to do something. This is a simple step anyone can do and we are all pretty excited about it."

The reusable T-Shirt bags are available from the thrift store by donation.

"Every year we save a large amount of waste from entering our landfills," store manager Art Harrigan said in the release. "We are really happy to partner with Sarah and Sophie to reduce the use of plastic in our community."

Named after the founder of the CMHA Vernon Brach, Georgette Andres, the thrift store was founded in 1966 and selling donated clothing to fund the association's programs and services.

Donated clothing that is not able to be resold can escape the landfill as cotton is turned into rags and sold to local businesses and jeans and other suitable clothing are cut into pieces for volunteers to make into quilts for sale.

Located at 3100 28 Ave., the store is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. For more information go here.

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