If you're trying to green up your lifestyle, riding a bike whenever you can is a no-brainer. But hauling groceries or work stuff or your lunch can be problematic, even awkward, without a good set of panniers. The Toocan Juicy is a great way to support recycling and a grassroots women's cooperative business. Made from a hundred PET fruit juice pouches woven together, these panniers are definitely unique. They've got a 'bathtub' sewn waterproof bottom, handles for ease of use off of the bike, a raincover, and reflectors to keep you visible.
Toocan Juicy is a product of Money From Garbage, a ten year old initiative of the women-owned B. Luz Cooperative in the Philippines. The cooperative separates garbage at the source from over 1300 households, businesses and schools. They recycle, re-use, and compost. Supporting them means helping to provide living-wage jobs for Co-op members and funding a community clinic. The cooperative also makes micro-loans to women-owned small businesses.
The weight limit on these is about 15 pounds, and one caveat about them is that they aren't as tough as nylon or full rubber panniers, so hauling a bunch of pointy, sharp-edged objects in them is not a great idea. For most uses, though, they should last for years, says the company. If the Toocan Juicy appeals to you, pick up a pair at Detours (sold singly).
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I love this, but I really want proof that these are recycled. How did they gather them? Did they go door to door? Shuffle through bins? How were they cleaned and screened for damage?
I have a detachable bike basket in the front of my bike. But I have been hunting a trunk options as well. I like this one but how does it attach to a bike?
Sounds like a great company and a great product. I tried following the link to Detours and it wanted a password.
Sorry about the link – It worked the other day, not sure what happened. I did find it at REI, so try this link : http://www.rei.com/product/783858
I love this, but I really want proof that these are recycled. How did they gather them? Did they go door to door? Shuffle through bins? How were they cleaned and screened for damage?
To Nek Nek D’Grassi and fan69:
To some degree your questions are right. Anyway it may be people like you that keep change from happening.
Do you think they would buy the used bottles on the PET market for serious cash? Probably they drank all them bottles while weaving the bags.
On cleaning: they were probably cleaned like everyone would do it: by rinsing them with water. A shopping bag is meant to get dirty, e.g. by shopping groceries. So why worry about residue on the bottles?
Screening for damage in that case may be as easy as handcrafting a product. Who needs computer controlled inspection for a ton of cash when you can control quality with your senses, i.e. seeing and feeling. And for small runs of goods, the old-fashioned way is probably better most of the time.
Y’all have a good one!
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