Some of you may remember the days when your dry cleaning was wrapped in paper. In the 1970s and 1980’s dry cleaners switched to using thin plastic.  It is now estimated that dry cleaners  produce about 300 million pounds of plastic per year in the U.S. alone!!!  That is a lot of plastic!! Sometimes these bags are called poly bags as they are made from a kind of plastic known as polyethylene. About 96% will end up in a landfill or the ocean where it will then break into particles (micro and nano plastics) and likely eventually end up in the food chain, inside animals and then humans. 

We McSisters don’t often need to use the services of a dry cleaner. On occasion, though, we have clothes, curtains, bedspreads etc. that do need dry cleaning and we know many friends who often need their professional clothes dry cleaned.  Thankfully, we learned from a friend, who is also working to curb her plastic use, that some dry cleaners offer an alternative.  

Windsor Cleaners in my home town offers reusable bags. The owner, Sonny who is delightful to talk with and very camera shy , sells the bags at cost.  She wants to incentivize her customers to use these bags for two valuable reasons.  Plastic has become very expensive so using reusables cuts her costs and she knows it is much better for the environment.  Each time you go to the cleaners, you bring your own bag.  

Our research taught us that switching to reusable dry-cleaning bags not only saves the planet from unnecessary single-use-plastic, it could easily save the dry cleaner business thousands of dollars each year by not having to buy the plastic.

What can you do?

• Ask your local dry cleaner to provide reusable bags for their customers and be willing to purchase that bag.

• Be informed. You can read this article for more information about the history of dry cleaning, the practice of using single-use-plastic to cover cleaned items, and the difference it will make if we change our habits. https://www.fastcompany.com/90774987/its-time-for-dry-cleaners-to-stop-using-plastic-film

• Download this dry cleaner resource guide to share with your local dry cleaner. https://www.beyondplastics.org/dry-cleaner-guide

• Better yet PRINT OUT THE ONE-PAGE HAND OUT Click here to download our one pager about the guide to leave behind with any dry cleaning businesses you visit.