On Earth Day 2009, Canadian Grocery giant Loblaws began charging customers 5 cents for plastic bags.
Loblaws took advantage of a bylaw enacted by (the People’s Republic of) Toronto to take the scheme national, recognizing an opportunity for increased profits through Greenwashing. Plastic bags used to be a cost to retailers, but through the power of Greenwash they became a profit generator. Going Green is good for business, right?
In Eastern Canada, however, rival grocers Sobeys continued to give its customers free plastic bags. The result? Loblaws ‘suspended’ the 5 cent charge, indefinitely.
Loblaws is concerned enough about the environment to charge customers for bags unless it means they lose business, then it’s screw the planet and drop the Greenwash:
Karen Anthony said she switched grocery stores after Superstore introduced the five-cent-a-bag fee. She found it a bother to bring her own bags. “I know it’s important to the environment. I know we should do it and I do have the bags,” said Anthony. “But when you forget them, it bothers me to have to pay the five cents.”
Ontarians are still charged for grocery bags because Loblaws’s competitors all jumped on the Greenwash trail to easy profits, but now we know the first retailer to offer free bags again will reap the rewards, and the rest will be forced to follow.
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Do you know why the 5 cents idea is so great for politician and retailers?
The truth is that politician can say that they are helping the green cause and the retailer are just benefiting the extra profit that people are forking out for bags. Yes you guessed it, according to the official document from city of Toronto, the 5 cents actually goes back to the retailer to do what ever they want. Consumers are basically forced to fork out 5 cents, because the Government told them so or they will be fined. In turns, Retailer will not fight back the idea, for them they will have less expense (giving out less bags or actually making $$ for giving out bags).
I personally am lucky to live on the border of Toronto/Markham, I would just go shop at grocery store in Markham and get my free plastic bags from there. God knows what is happening in this City… thank goodness election is coming, hopefully the new politician will be able to clean up this mess.
“I live in the People’s republic of Toronto.. :-( I find this sort of thing is getting so bad I am thinking of leaving the place where I was born and grew up.” I’m already 1 step ahead of you on that. I used to live within the kawartha lakes region and moved to eastern Alberta
I live in the People’s republic of Toronto.. :-( I find this sort of thing is getting so bad I am thinking of leaving the place where I was born and grew up.
I used to use the plastic shopping bags as household garbage bags.
when shopping, I would bring my own, older style, cloth bags; the ones that can be washed. I would get a few plastic bags for the stuff that did not fit. – these would double as my household garbage bags.
Now, I just bring all my own shopping bags, a few extra as I need room to fit the box of smaller garbage bags that I now buy; replacing the plastic shopping bags that I used to use.
Not sure how this is a net benefit since the end result is the same… the same number of plastic bags are still going to the land fill…..
My thoughts are the same with the drive to ban bottled water in stores (or charge for them here in Toronto).. If I want something to drink at the store and I don’t have a choice of bottled water I will buy…. another drink, which also comes in….. a plastic bottle…. – net result… same number of plastic bottles going to the recycling centre, or landfill, if that person can’t find a recycling bin..
Another thing, who gets the 5 cents from each bag sale?? The city of Toronto or the grocery store… does any of it go towards “green” initiatives, or is it only another source of income for someones coffers?
The 5 cent per bag thing is making it’s way west too. I know the bargain shop around here joined the greenwashing crusade, and No frills (also owned by lablaws) charges 5 cents per bag, but offers free boxes to carry the stuff in, so that little initiative shoots itself in the foot because why would you pay 5 cents for flimsy plastic bag, when you can get something alot more sturdy and carrys more stuff for free?
Talk about self-defeat.