You knew it was coming

[moshquerade]

This is in Toronto, but I can see it hitting the states too.

Toronto approves 5-cent fee on bags

Dec 03, 2008 04:30 AM


Toronto shoppers will start paying 5 cents for throwaway plastic shopping bags starting June 1, Toronto council has confirmed.


Retailers will be required to accept reusable bags or containers from shoppers starting next June.

Mayor David Miller said "free" shopping bags come at a cost. "There's a cost to the city and the people of Toronto in disposing of them, there's a cost to the environment and there's a cost to the retailers," he said after the vote.

Canada's biggest grocery companies had negotiated the 5-cent bag fee with the city beforehand.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/547484

 

[CptCrunch]

My local retailers have started to offer 3 cents off per plastic bag you bring back, so I was waiting for this to start somewhere.

Edit: need more coffee

 

[DarrelSPowers]

It was like this when I was in ireland.

Personally, I approve of this 100%, but that might be the dirty hippie in me talking...

 

[sdifox]

I just use the corrugated cardboard box the supermarket leaves near the counters. Boxes are fairly strong and easy to deal with. Just recycle when you get home. Easier to do than deal with plastic bags.

 

[SSSnail]

This is nothing new, in parts of the world.

I think it's a brilliant idea, saves the planet as well. Certain stores will have reusable bags that you can purchase to... reuse while shopping. There's absolutely no reasons why we should waste all the resources into making all these bags, paper or plastic.

 

[ViviTheMage]

of course ikea is like this, but a lot of other places do this now too...well reusable bags at least, not the 5 cent bags yet.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

The Safeway here sells the reusable bags for $0.99/ea and gives you $0.03 off per bag each time you use them. I like them because they hold more and I don't need to worry about the handles breaking and stuff falling out nearly as much. So if you use them 30 times, they're free. Reusable bags ftw!

 

[Scarpozzi]

If they're afraid of bags negatively affecting the environment, why don't they just switch back to paper?

 

[mrrman]

this has been in Canada for the longest time now

 

[RKS]

I usually take extra for dog poop.

 

[slag]

Originally posted by: sdifox
I just use the corrugated cardboard box the supermarket leaves near the counters. Boxes are fairly strong and easy to deal with. Just recycle when you get home. Easier to do than deal with plastic bags.

not for me.. not at all

1. Our stores we go to dont stack used boxes near the counters. thats just trashy
2. Are you seriously telling me its easier to break down a cardboard box and recycle it than it is to mash up a small plastic bag and store it with other bags? lol When we shop for the family, we buy $100-$150.00 worth of groceries. That wont fit in the trunk of my car if its in corrugated boxes.

I use the used walmart bags to bring my lunch to work. I go through one a day and then throw them away at work. They are perfect for that.

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: mrrman
this has been in Canada for the longest time now

not in Toronto

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: slag

Originally posted by: sdifox
I just use the corrugated cardboard box the supermarket leaves near the counters. Boxes are fairly strong and easy to deal with. Just recycle when you get home. Easier to do than deal with plastic bags.

not for me.. not at all

1. Our stores we go to dont stack used boxes near the counters. thats just trashy
2. Are you seriously telling me its easier to break down a cardboard box and recycle it than it is to mash up a small plastic bag and store it with other bags? lol When we shop for the family, we buy $100-$150.00 worth of groceries. That wont fit in the trunk of my car if its in corrugated boxes for them since they don't have to flatten it and you don't have to take bags with you and the box get one more use, what is there to complain about?

I use the used walmart bags to bring my lunch to work. I go through one a day and then throw them away at work. They are perfect for that.

I can carry 4 16" tires in my puny trunk (02 Protegé5) without flattening the back seats. I don't buy more grocery than that volume. Boxes are easy to take down. just jump on them. The supermarket is going to recycle the box any way but this method allows one more use out of the box, so that is a plus.

I have those reusable bags too, for smaller purchases they are good. I prefer boxes because they are rigid and won't topple over like bags do.

 

[Descartes]

I've been taking my own bags for months now. I think it's a great idea.

 

[daveshel]

I've been using a reusable bag for years. These grocery employees, you'd thing they get paid by the bag they use so damn many.

 

[imported_Imp]

I'm all for it. I remember way back when we had an entire drawer in the kitchen devoted to plastic bags. After we started shopping at Costco and No frills (they've been charging 10 cents per bag forever), we cut down on them a lot. I usally refuse a bag when I go shopping nowadays, unless it's clothes or wouldn't fit in my purse. Lucky I hump an oversized backpack occasionally now.

 

[clamum]

While I always use the plastic bags at the store, I would welcome this change if it came to where I live.

 

[NoCreativity]

Most bags that I notice have the recycle sign on the bottom, forget which number. Anyway, they go in our recycle bin when we are done with them.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
The Safeway here sells the reusable bags for $0.99/ea and gives you $0.03 off per bag each time you use them. I like them because they hold more and I don't need to worry about the handles breaking and stuff falling out nearly as much. So if you use them 30 times, they're free. Reusable bags ftw!

Yeah, Stop & Shop here gives you $0.05 back per bag for using reusable bags.

 

[GTaudiophile]

German grocery stores have been charging for years or at least since I recall using a German grocery store for the first time in 1988 or so.

The current charge in Germany is ?.20 per plastic bag or about $.25 USD.

I personally use my own cloth bags to go grocery shopping and save $.05 on the bill.

I also personally believe that all plastic and styrofoam containers/bottles should be made illegal and replaced with recyclable paper, glass, or EcoFlex Plastic products.

The status quo is simply too harmful.

 

[amdskip]

I need to get me some canvas bags from Jewel.

 

[Genx87]

Originally posted by: SSSnail
This is nothing new, in parts of the world.

I think it's a brilliant idea, saves the planet as well. Certain stores will have reusable bags that you can purchase to... reuse while shopping. There's absolutely no reasons why we should waste all the resources into making all these bags, paper or plastic.

You really think 5 cent bags is going to save the planet? All it will do is introduce a regressive tax on the poorest ring of a nation. All this is govt grabbing more wealth in the name of the envrionment. You will note they didnt ban the bags. Instead created a new revenue stream.

 

[nanette1985]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
of course ikea is like this, but a lot of other places do this now too...well reusable bags at least, not the 5 cent bags yet.

My local ikea no longer has any plastic bags at all. They stopped having them about a month ago. You can buy their big carry bags if you need a bag.

 

[Rill22]

I fully approve. I've been experiencing this in Germany for years and in Australia earlier this year.

I'm glad to see that most stores in the States have caught on to at least offering the reusable bags, and I won't complain when they take the next step and start charging for the throw-aways.

I had trouble remembering to bring them with me when I first started, but once it became habit, I really appreciate not having a zillion plastic bags piling up in my apartment waiting to be recycled.

 

[Turin39789]

Originally posted by: Genx87

Originally posted by: SSSnail
This is nothing new, in parts of the world.

I think it's a brilliant idea, saves the planet as well. Certain stores will have reusable bags that you can purchase to... reuse while shopping. There's absolutely no reasons why we should waste all the resources into making all these bags, paper or plastic.

You really think 5 cent bags is going to save the planet? All it will do is introduce a regressive tax on the laziest ring of a nation. All this is govt grabbing more wealth in the name of the envrionment. You will note they didnt ban the bags. Instead created a new revenue stream.

fixed.