Troop 451

Seth Payson Eagle Project

Price/budgeting

UpCycling Bags

Definition of Recycling: to treat or process (used or waste materials) so as to make suitable for reuse

Definition of UpCycling: Upcycling is a component of sustainability in which the use of waste materials to provide new products. It is generally a reinvestment in the environment. This process allows for the reduction of waste and use of virgin materials.

"Upcycling is the practice of taking something that is disposable and transforming it into something of greater use and value."

Project:Upcycling used T-shirts to make bags for carrying personal items, groceries, whatever someone would usually need to carry in plastic or paper bags like from the grocery.

Why I chose to Upcycle: This is my effort to help the environment.

Plastic bags have been found floating in the ocean where they choke, strangle, and starve wildlife-quoted from NationalGeographic.com

According to data collected by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2001, the US uses between 500billion-1 trillion plastic bags each year. (NationalGeographic.com)

"We want to make it cool to carry reusable shopping bags” (National Geographic.com)

Items needed:

T-shirts, thread, scissors, sewing machines, items to decorate bags that are plain, work tables, trash bags and boxes to store bags in.

Cost: Cost of T-shirts, I am checking for places to donate T-shirts. I will be placing donation boxes at the troop meeting, at South West Institute of Healing Arts and SOY. I have also placed a request on two of the local Freecycling lists. Freecycling is an internet based free trading group that allows people with stuff to connect with people who can use it. I will be checking with places like Goodwill, Salvation Army to see if they would donated unsalable shirts, if not I’ll have to buy them. I planning on between 100 and 300. Goodwill has good used t-shirts 50% off every other Saturday, so I’ll buy them and fund it through donations that I am asking of friends and family. I have thread and will make stencils for decorating  the t-shirts. I will need to purchase acrylic paint at under $2.00 a bottle I think I will need about 10 at a cost of approximately $20.00.  The only other cost is for food to feed the scouts on the day of sewing. For that I have asked donations from Bashas’, as well as family and friends. Lunch will be something that is not messy and the cost will depend on how many scouts sign up and attend, but plan on spending about $40 for pizza and drinks.

I will need to instruct the older scouts on how to use the sewing machine, thread it, how to prepare fabric for sewing-right sides together. This project can be used by scouts towards their textiles merit badge.

I’ll have to instruct other scouts on how to cut t-shirts for use. Then last is decorating them, if they need it.  I will instruct the scouts on using stencils to paint on the fabric.

Starting tonight I will be placing donation boxes in several locations. Prior to the Saturday event I will collect all of the donated shirts from various sites. First I will wash all of the T-shirts so make sure they’re clean. These activities should take 10 to 30 hours.

I’ll have work stations set up for the event on January 21:

Station 1:

Sort by size, those that need decorating and those that are fine without additional stuff on. They’ll also cut the T-shirts to prepare them for sewing. Large shirts will require having 5 inches removed from the bottom all shirts except tank tops need to have sleeves removed and necklines enlarged.

Station 2:

Sew the bags. I am planning to borrow 3 sewing machines to use. Older scouts and adults will be sewing across the bottom of each shirt to form a bag.

Station 3:

Shirts that are plain will be decorated with stenciled recycling messages and logos. Each shirt will include a flyer with information on the dangers of plastic bags, the importance of reusables and instructions for creating bags from t-shrits to encourage recipients to make their own bags  and share the idea with others. Packing the shirts to distribute.

Date to work: hoping for January 21 from 9AM til finished. Estimate 7 or 8 hours. Need at least 8 scouts for making the bags. I will provide lunch.

Date to distribute:  Hoping January 28 at Bread Box-Mesa’s Farmer’s Market-on Lindsay and University from 7:30AM till 11:30 or all are distributed. Also Gilbert Market on SW corner Ash and Page in downtown Gilbert from 9AM-1PM. Need at least 8 scouts for 4 hours. 4 scouts at Bread Box for 4 hours, 4 scouts at Gilbert Market for 4 hours. Will need at least 2 adults for each site. Leftovers can be passed out or sold at the troop’s Rummage Sale.

Hours worked, not including planning, calling, organizing project:

Saturday Jan 21 9AM-5PM = 8 hours X 8 Scouts = 64 hours, plus at least 2 adult for additional 16 hours =80 hours for workday.

Saturday Jan 28  9AM-1PM = 4 hours X 8 Scouts =32 hours, plus at least 4 adult X 4 hours = 16 additional hours for total of 48 hours.

Total of 128 hours worked without planning, calling and organizing added to it.

Cost: Possible $50 for T-shirts if not donated, or if I do not collect enough from family and friends. $40 for food on workday.