Frequently Asked Questions

Since mesh bags are breathable, produce will not 'sweat' and rot but rather become more dry if kept for a long time. This is especially suitable for more hot and humid climate, like Queensland and New South Wales.

We make our bags as light as possible but without sacrificing durability. 12 grams weight can potentially add extra 1 cent for produce costing $10. However, most stores have 'tare' option on the scales and weight can be easily subtracted; also bag weight is clearly printed on the label in case they do not. There might be lighter reusable bags on the market but this comes at a cost of durability and no reusable bag can be as light as a single-use plastic one.

They will comfortably hold at least 3kg. We tested them fully filled with water bottles weighing a total of 3kg. After carrying those from the shop (in jogging mode on the drawstring over the shoulder, with keys also in the bag) we left them to hang for a few days.. nothing happenned.

Our bags do not tear or pull easily, so can easily handle sharp bits in fruit and vegetables or pointy objects like lego pieces or even keys. Unless the objects are really sharp and intend to cut, like knives, nails or pointy scissors.

Yes, the drawstring is very strong but still surprisingly comfortable. You can easily carry several bags at once and not need a shopping tote, but the shoulder will be sore after a while!

Anything! Some of the more common users are:

• Laundry bag
• Web bag for small beach/pool items
• Shopping bag - not just produce, even as a handbag/shopping bag combo for a quick nip to a milkbar
• Drying herbs
• Storing pantry items - just hang be bags on the wall
• To hold Christmas presents

Polyester bags are more affordable, will dry quicker and last longer. But organic cotton is the ultimate eco-friendly choice and your veggies will be very comfy in them. These bags even smell great!

It is bad. In some ways worse than polyester - see next question...

Suprisingly, polyester is in fact more earth-friendly than non-organic cotton. We also sell organic cotton bags but they do cost more. Source fibre only accounts for a part of its environmental impact. Other factors to be taken into consideration are impact of manufacturing process, product lifespan before it needs replacing, disposal and most often overlooked cost of care (which accounts to 50-80% of total footprint).

• Polyester requires less resources and energy to care - easier to clean, quicker to dry. And this particular product will get washed a lot!
• It is durable, so polyester products can be reused a lot more
• Polyester is in fact fully recyclable, a lot more so than natural fibres

References:

• Polyester vs. Cotton — Which Is Better for the Environment? by Gail Baugh, Lecturer in Apparel Design & Merchandising from San Francisco State University
• "Polyester Recycling" by London's Chelsea College of Art and Design.
• "How 'Green' Is Your T-Shirt" by The New York Times.
• "Could Polyester be the next Eco-Friendly Fabric?" by Ecouterre, an eco-fashion website devoted to the future of green, sustainable, and ethical fashion design.

We do understand it may still be a concern and so we now also offer organic cotton option. Of course it is more expensive than polyester but we managed to still keep it affordable, and Jillby Eco store might just be the only place where you can find them in Australia. We chose not to use non-organic cotton to save on cost as it is one of the least eco-friendly fabrics contrary to popular perception due to extremely high level of chemicals used in its production.

You might have heard of recycled polyester fabric, made from discarded plastic bottles. While this sounds like a great idea, we decided not to use this for the following reasons:

• Primary purpose of our bags is to store food. Melted resin from discarded plastic bottles contains contaminants and would not meet food grade requirements.
• Studies have shown that harmful substances (mostly antimony) can leak from plastic bottles, especially at higher ambient temperatures, and antimony is used in the recycling process itself.
• Fabric made of recycled polyester is still essentially made of plastic, contributing to our dependence on it.

References

• "Are Recycled Plastic Bottles Products Really Eco Friendly?" by Green Talk
• "Is recycled polyester fabric RECYCLABLE?" by O EcoTextiles
• "Antimony leaching from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic used for bottled drinking water" Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Arizona State University
• "Migration of antimony from poly(ethylene terephthalate) bottles into beverages" by Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging
• "Contamination of Canadian and European bottled waters with antimony from PET containers" by Institute of Environmental Geochemistry, University of Heidelberg
• "Will the antimony in polyester fabric hurt me?" by O EcoTextiles

While better than plastic bags, both of these are still not the answer since they are generally not reused, requiring resources to manufacture to be used just once. Biodegradables bags pose further problems. They do not break down fully but rather into very small pieces, and if they are sent to landfill and break down without oxygen they will produce methane, a greenhouse gas 21 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. The best bags for the environment are reusable ones.

References

• "Plastic Bags Factsheet" by Planet Ark's 'Recycling Near You' initiative

Bamboo is a very durable natural product and there will be no issues if toothbrush is left to dry naturally after use, but we don't recommend keeping it submerged in water for long periods in time.

Only size. Child toothbrushes are a little smaller - adults can use them too!

While much stronger than ordinary glass and more heat-resistant than tempered glass there is still a possibility that borosilicate glass may break, but it is more likely to crack or snap than shatter. With this in mind these glass drink bottles are protected with neoprene and silicone sleeves.