Reuse Rack - PD2a

When you go shopping, how often do you forget a reusable bag? Over 60% of grocery shopping trips are unplanned. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a system in place that let you use shopping bags in an environmentally sustainable way, that is just as convenient as disposable bags?

This project began with a simple problem:

Considering the billions of plastic bags generated each day, it’s clear that reusable bags are good.

From this, it’s readily apparent that

The most sustainable bag is the bag you use

If we have are collecting so many reuable bags that just sit around collecting dust, we may be harming the environment more than we are helping it. So,

How do we make using reusable bags as convenient as using disposable bags?

I envisioned a system inspirred by the Pfand - a system that allows people to bring their extra, unused disposable bags bags to a store, leave them there, and let other customers use them. This way, people who forget their bags have a reusable bag waiting for them. And when they intend to come to the store, they can bring their extra bags, and let new customers use them. This helps ensure these bags are actually helping the environment, by ensuring they are actually getting used.

The Reuse Rack is a modular system designed to be able to be placed anywhere, suited to the store’s needs. Additionally, they can be combined to create a freestanding tower that acts as a focal point for this initiative. With 3 different sizes, and 5 different colors, stores can better store the bags that they are most likely to use, as well as displaying their unique personalities.