The grocery bag suggestions

Several years ago I was in a London supermarket, and at checkout I was more than a bit surprised that the store didn't automatically supply bags to carry your purchases out, rather you had a chance to purchase x-amount of plastic bags after which you could then fill them with your purchases and leave the store.

 

On reflection now, of course, I imagine it was just something that people got used to after it was implemented, and I imagine that the same situation will happen here if Greenrock's proposals to implement a charge-per-plastic bag at local grocery stores comes to fruition.

 

One of the major issues that many have with this proposal is that it seems a bit misplaced; while many people do indeed use the plastic (and paper, to some extent) bags only a single time, to several others, those bags see reuse. Many a Bermudian has used a paper bag as a text book cover when growing up, for example. Plastic bags can get used in lieu of garbage bags, serve as a form of carrying anything from laundry to food when out and about. I've even seen bags used by people in kite construction.

 

There's also the argument that the focus is too narrow/wrong in scope. Why attach a cost to a plastic bag and not, say, promote purchases/giveaways of cloth/canvas bags? Or, why not push for a reintroduction of a bottle bill? Lord knows there wouldn't be *any* Heineken or Elephant bottles scattered in the bushes or ditches around here if people knew they could cash them in.

 

Here's a so-far-undiscussed knock on effect, there are more than a few people, usually school children but sometimes seniors as well, who take on bag-packing duties at grocery stores. They bag your groceries and it's usually customary to offer them a small tip for their service (I think between $1 to $5 or more, depending on volume and how well they groceries are packed). Putting a charge on bags could lead to more people choosing to bag their groceries themselves instead; bag-packers could become in shorter demand. I could be wrong here, but I wouldn't be surprised.

 

What I expect, despite the current Environment Minister giving his support to the venture, is that public sentiment will discourage Greenrock and the supermarkets from implementing this policy. Bermuda is still in a recession, people are still struggling to make ends meet, and to the public they're seeing it as a literal nickel-and-diming of them. After all, as of this date the online petition has fewer than 400 'signatures', hardly enough to be seen as a significant portion of this country's population.

 

Interestingly enough, the two print news media have offered support, both the Gazette and the Bermuda Sun have so far contributed positive endorsements for the campaign. That alone, should give the campaign enough legs to keep the issue prominent for a few months, so who knows. Greenrock has some opportunities, perhaps, to sway public opinion in their favour before it's too late. I'd suggest teaming up with one of the major advertisers/promotors on the island (CellOne? Digicel? Lindo's?), have some giveaways (so yes, they'll need to raise some funds) involving reuseable bags, including stations on the grocery store sites themselves. Get people to buy-in, figuratively and possibly literally too.