A couple months back, I called on the city of Decatur to ban plastic grocery bags prompted by liberal standard-bearer San Francisco. The posting was a combination of silly and serious, as I chided myself about trying to remember to recycle the plastic bags that piled up in my garage.
Well today, its not a city but a company that has banned the plastic beasties. Whole Foods Market announced this morning that it will do away with plastic grocery bags in all of its stores worldwide by Earth Day on April 22nd. While its no surprise that Whole Foods would lead the charge on yet another eco-friendly initiative, its example will hopefully encourage other grocery store chains to do the same.
You may be wondering, what are the alternatives? Here’s the answer…
In place of the fly-away plastic bags scorned by many environmentalists, Whole Foods will offer several options: free paper bags in four sizes made from 100% recycled paper, reusable bags 80% made from recycled plastic bottles for 99 cents and canvas bags selling for $6.99 to $35. It encourages consumers to bring their own bags by taking 5 cents to 10 cents off the bill for each.
Hopefully this issue can continue to gain traction on both the governmental and business side, though it will be difficult to implement in other communities and stores that serve a broader segment of the population, as paper apparently costs twice as much as plastic to produce. Such a change could lead to higher prices on the shelves.
Personally, I reuse the small paper Whole Foods bags for my lunch everyday. Each one can last at least a month before ripping and dropping my sandwich on the sidewalk.
Publix? Kroger? Decatur? Anyone want to follow suit?
UPDATE: AsianCajuns has a great beginners guide on how to stay fashion-forward, while lugging food to your car.
h/t: My Wife 
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Whole Foods Market first tested this concept in (where else?) Austin before launching it nationwide. As part of that program, they doubled the bag rebate from 5 to 10 cents. I had a feeling they were bringing it nationwide when they upped the rebate here earlier this month.
Kudos to Whole Foods for an environmental conscious which is usually absent in corporate America. The BYOB movement is about to go mainstream (we can only hope!). There are a lot of reusable options out there. In reality any old bag will do, but if you’re looking for something more functional and stylish, check out http://www.minusbags.com. They are 100% cotton, lightweight and made in the US.
I try to remember to bring my own bags when I shop at Kroger (the one at N. Decatur and DeKalb Industrial), and it never fails to earn me scornful looks and passive-aggressive bagging from the cashier/bagger. When I forget my bags and ask for paper, this usually results in the bagger telling me he or she is out of them. When I point out paper bags in the next aisle, then the scornful looks and passive-aggressive bagging kick it. Also, the bags they use are terrible and rip before they even manage to get them in the cart. I have talked the the Kroger manager about this at least three times. He always promises to talk to the staff about it. The crappy quality bags are out of his hands, though, cause they get ordered by corporate.
I think you’ve hit on something PG. I bet a major unspoken reason that people are reluctant to bring reusable bags to the grocery store has to do with the way baggers respond. I guess when you actually have to think about placement of items in a larger bag, you can’t zone out as much, which brews resentment.
So (kinda) surprisingly this plastic bag ban is also about customer service. Who’s employees are willing to go the extra mile for their customers. An easy step for Whole Foods is a whole lot more difficult for Kroger.
I love the term “passive-aggressive bagging” BTW.
Thanks for posting about this problem. The plastic bag issue really does need to be addressed, and I hope that the other local grocery stores and the Decatur/Atlanta community will follow the example of Whole Foods. I love Whole Foods’ $0.99 bags. They’re cheap and absolutely bomb-proof. I hope that other stores begin to promote reusable bags in the same way–by placing them on every aisle, selling them for a low price, and making them the source of discounts.
P.S. I should add that the cashiers at the DeKalb Farmer’s Market are totally cool with it if you bring your own bags. Although, their security team has started to enforce the “check your bags” rule with an iron fist.
I use cloth bags I bought at Kroger for 99 cents a pop. The thing that surprised me the most after making the switch was how much easier it was to handle my groceries. The big, flat-bottomed bags are easier to fit in the car and easier to haul into the house. So for anyone considering changing over, rest assured it’s not really a sacrifice, and it doesn’t have to be expensive.
On a related note, Intown Hardware on Scott also carries cheap cloth grocery bags.
BTW, there are arguments out there that paper bags are WORSE for the environment than plastic - as I remember they revolve around the huge amount of chemicals dumped into the environment by paper-making. I’m not qualified to judge, but those who fall back on paper might want to check into it.
The paper vs. plastic argument (with plastic winning) was popularized in the late 80’s as the plastic and petroleum industry successfully pushed their products hard. Yes, a reusable bag is always the best alternative, and paper isn’t perfect. Paper is nevertheless a renewable resource, however, and the bags do not cause harm to wildlife if improperly discarded. At the end of their life, paper bags are recyclable, whereas recycling plastic bags is almost impossible (don’t assume that leaving them in the designated container at a chain grocery store means they’ll actually be recycled; they may instead end up being sent to China or India for incineration).
Echoing what Carl said, paper also has the advantage that it won’t end up contributing to the giant trash heap at the North Pacific Gyre (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Pacific_Gyre).