Langford store B.C.'s first to ban plastic bags
CanWest News Service
Published: Friday, November 09, 2007VANCOUVER -- Shoppers at the Real Canadian Superstore in Langford will notice a big change when they check out their groceries beginning next Thursday: no plastic bags.
As part of the national retailer's green initiative, the grocery chain has selected the West Shore store -- which is being relaunched next week -- to be what it calls the first major grocery and general merchandise retail store in B.C. to eliminate traditional plastic bags at the checkout.
As part of the plan, each household in Langford will be mailed a complementary reusable "green bag" and a coupon for a free "green box" with a minimum $25 purchase. The green box fits into a shopping cart and holds the equivalent of three to five plastic bags worth of groceries.
Until Dec. 8, shoppers will be offered a buy-one-get-one-free deal for the green bag and $1 off additional green boxes.
As well, shoppers may bring in any reusable bag, even from another retailer, for their purchases.
According to its news release, Loblaw Companies Ltd. made a commitment in April to reduce one billion plastic grocery bags from Canada's landfills within one year.
It said that reducing the number of plastic grocery bags offered in stores and offering more sustainable choices, will help achieve this goal. Currently, the release stated, Canadians use about 10 billion plastic bags per year.
IN THE BAG
- Estimated number of plastic bags that are handed out worldwide each minute: one million.
- Estimated number of plastic bags that end up in landfills each year worldwide: 500 billion to one trillion.
- Estimated volume of plastic bags that end up in Canadian landfills each year: 28 million kilograms.
- Number of plastic bags Canadians use each year: 10 billion.
- Number of plastic bags that Loblaw Companies Limited hopes to reduce from Canada's landfills in a year: one billion.
- Estimated energy equivalent saved when one tonne of plastic bags is reused or recycled: 11 barrels of oil.
