Everywhere we go, plastic pervades! We’re talkin’ plastic forks, bottles, caps, food containers, cups, condiment packets, those adorable hotel shampoos, or even just a couple of plastic bags you leave with at the grocery store. What we find absurd isn’t just the fact that plastic lasts forever, harms and kills wildlife, and leeches chemicals that cause serious health issues worldwide. What really bums us out is the fact that the majority of all plastic is used only once. ONCE.



Maybe you have one of those drawers in your kitchen that is overflowing with single use plastic bags. However, the time always comes when you can’t fit even one more bag. And then what? You throw it in your recycle bin and voila, it’s gone. But wait... if plastic doesn’t biodegrade, it doesn’t really go anywhere. Except in to our water ways and eventually the ocean where it breaks down in to a million little pieces that birds and sea life ingest. And then we go and eat those plastic-filled animals. Or the plastic washes ashore, and Earth’s coastlines become littered with styrofoam, cigarette butts, water bottles, and more. Not a pretty sight.



Here at Totes Upcycled, we realized that the cons of using plastic far outweighed the pros, and something changed in us. We began seeing plastic EVERYWHERE. Plastic bags poetically dancing on our freeways and sidewalks and out into the deep blue over and over and over again. What’s the point in that? What’s the point in plastic bags that you are only going to use once but will end up existing forever? There is no point. So we thought that the first step to raising awareness about the ills of plastic was to start at with plastic bags. They make little sense and are hardly reliable, not to mention the fact that they pollute our beautiful bodies and Earth.

So what is Totes Upcyled, you may ask? Well, it’s exactly what it sounds like. They are totes made from tees. It’s that simple! No new resources have to be used to make a Totes Upcycled bag. Just an old t-shirt, some scissors, and five minutes! So take off your shirt, join the anti-plastic revolution, and when the cashier asks you “Paper or plastic?” You can reply with “NEITHER! For I have brought my reusable bag! And not only does it LOOK good, it is just plain ol’ sensible, eco-friendly, and TOTES UPCYCLED!” And the cashier will undoubtedly applaud and shed a single tear. Upcycle your old tees! Do it for that weepy moment with the cashier. Do it because you’re probably not wearing that Hootie and the Blowfish T-shirt anymore. Do it to prove that you give a hoot about blowfish. And turtles. And birds. And Mother Earth. Do it for her!