Creative intergenerational collaboration: Reusable bags instead of plastic bags

Around 150 tote bags have been sewn in a collaborative project. Hrafnista and Nursery School Norðurberg „Cup-less Hafnarfjörður“, which has been ongoing for one school year. This beautiful initiative is part of implementing Environmental and Resource Policy of Hafnarfjörður.The formal handover of the tote bags took place in the Hrafnista assembly hall today. 

Another step towards a plastic-free Hafnarfjörður

The nursery's pupils, staff and parents collected materials, such as old curtains, tablecloths, bedsheets and more, and brought them to the occupational therapy workshop at Hrafnista. Residents, service users and staff at Hrafnista then sewed fabric bags onto the children's dirty and wet clothes, which will be used instead of plastic bags. At the start of the nursery year, the bags are distributed to the children's coat hooks, and at the end of the school year, the nursery collects them. Parents are then asked to return them clean and ironed for the next children. The aim of the project is to make the nursery as plastic-bag-free as possible. The only items purchased were shoelaces, which are used to tie the bags closed. The sewing project took about a school year, and the children made two trips to Hrafnista to thread the laces through the bags.

This is far from being the first and only collaborative project between Hrafnista and Norðurberg. For six winters, children from Norðurberg have visited Hrafnista once a month. The nursery school has its own friendship group at Hrafnista, which is Bárahraun. They sing songs, chat and enjoy precious time together. Cakes or waffles are often baked and eaten together, and joy is evident on both sides.

Let's take part Plastic-free September

The City of Hafnarfjörður encourages residents and businesses in Hafnarfjörður to actively participate in Plastic-Free September, an awareness campaign designed to make people think about the excess and harmful effects of plastic on the environment. While also pointing out ways to reduce the use of single-use plastic.

^{The photographs accompanying the news story are from Olga Björt, Norðurberg and Hrafnista.}