Torontonians Are Forced To Pay Up For Plastic
Standing at the bottom of the grocery conveyor, I watch as my last few items are scanned. $26.49 appears before me on the screen, and I'm asked if I have Airmiles. Tonight, is not a big haul. A frozen pizza, a box of cereal, milk, pita, hummus and tea. Because I don't have Airmiles, I shake my head and pass the gentleman my debit card.
Before swiping, and without raising his eyes to meet mine, he asks the question. You know, those seven seemingly meaningless words that, when strung together, ignite a moral dilemma within many of us.
Will you be needing a bag today?
On November 26th, 2008, The Toronto Star first reported that the city would begin charging a fee for plastic bags at all GTA retail locations, including grocery stores. It wasn't until a few months later that I was actually asked whether or not I wanted to pay. My roommate is all for it. She is the same roommate who, in an attempt to get me to recycle, placed stylish wicker baskets on our kitchen floor, with easy instructions as to what goes where. This I can do. Why? Because it is easy.
Remembering a reusable shopping tote every time I leave the house, on the off chance that I'll swing by a grocery store to pick up a few essentials? Not so easy. And what are my alternatives? Either I pay a nickel for a bag, and feel stupid (both for having forgotten my tote and for paying a nickel for plastic) or I attempt to free-hand my items home, stopping repeatedly along the way to scoop my tortilla shells off the pavement.
Some people think that five cents isn't enough of a price to pay in order to make it worth our while to bring our own carriers, while other's know that nickels add up, and that twenty plastic bags could be a Pepsi. Oh, and by buying that Pepsi and not the bags, it could also impact the future of our planet. Just saying.
WOMAN.ca wants to know what you think about B.Y.O.B. (bring your own bag)? Is it worth your while to lug a trusty tote with you, or don't you mind coughing up a few pretty pennies every time you stock your fridge?
Please, let us know in the comments below.
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Comments (6)
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The comfort comes from the bags that have longer straps to throw over my shoulder or wider straps. I can also carry more in them then a conventional plastic bag. You can also throw them in the laundry to get rid of dirt ,grime and germs.
The convience is that they have been getting better and better at making them able to fold up quite small, so you can just throw a couple of them in your purse. The trick is to remember to put them back in your purse like you would do with your wallet/cell phone/keys/etc.. They have also been making them quite fashionable too. Much more attractive then those ugly plastic bags, plus you get the added bonus of mystery. No one knows what you bought and where, if I can appeal to your vain side. You remain an interesting woman of mystery who, bonus, is doing her part to keep them out of the landfills and oceans. Now how can you say no to that?
Btw, if you are interested in purchasing a couple and being the envy of all your friends, you can pick up some great ones at Binz, Ardenes, and really just about anywhere now a days.
Come on jump on the band wagon!
My only complaint is that while they have made them more attractive to women with even the tiniest of purses, they have yet to come up with a good marketing campain to appeal to men. Any suggestions?
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Still, I can't help but wonder if the whole "nickel per plastic bag" thing is actually accomplishing a whole lot, and I don't think I like it.
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I also wonder where the nickle for a grocery bag is going. Is it being used towards environmental efforts? Is someone just pocketing it?
I don't know how much impact this scheme has on people's carelessness with plastic bags, either.
Lots of questions, things to think about.