BYOB: Bring Your Own Bag. Simple idea. Difficult to execute. I've got several reusable shopping bags and about half the time I run out the door to go shopping and forget to take them to the market. But I'm getting better. And so are some retailers.
Whole Foods announced today it's going to stop using plastic shopping bags by Earth Day, April 22. And for one day only, today, it is giving away reusable bags. I hope it keeps a spotlight on that goal, so that this doesn't just lead to a spike in the use of paper bags as replacements. What percentage of people bring their own bags to the market? I'd take a wild guess and say it's probably under 2 percent, but maybe this will help it grow. It's an easy fix, even though behavior is hard to change.
"...We estimate we will keep 100 million new plastic grocery bags out of our environment between Earth Day and the end of this year alone," Whole Foods President A.C. Gallo said.
- Samuel Fromartz
I mostly use reusable bags. For some time I also forgot to carry bags into the store as often as I remembered. I try to keep them with my purse in the car and had home and I always keep some in the trunk so it's now rare to not have bags with me.
I started doing this a few years ago when I had a plethora of plastic and paper bags hanging around the house. I'm always skeptical that the platic bag "recycling" bin contents really are dumped into the trash.
I noticed when traveling that many grocery stores in other countries don't even provide plastic bags (nor do they pack the bags for the customers) or else they charge for the bags (which are usually sturdier and very reusable. Paying extra for bags is certainly a good option to help people remember to reuse their bags.
Posted by: Anna salvesen | January 22, 2008 at 08:23 PM