Alberta stores and the province are taking aim at plastic bags, and hope to get rid of half of them within five years.
Four major retail associations signed a voluntary agreement with the province Wednesday to reduce by half the number of plastic bags they distribute. The deal, to be implemented at the industry's expense, would see Alberta stores cut bag use in half, relative to 2008 levels, by 2013.
The four groups — the Retail Council of Canada, Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors, Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, and the Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores — represent about 90 per cent of all retail sales in Alberta.
Retailers gave out about 900 million plastic bags in 2008, said Trevor Gemmell, spokesperson for Alberta Environment — about two per cent of the province's trash, or 257 bags per Albertan. Those bags break down into tiny particles that can contaminate soil and water.
"Plastic bags are a public nuisance," said Peter Pilarski, provincial director for the Retail Council of Canada, "and more and more consumers are raising concerns about them." Consumers drive bag demand, so the first step to reducing use is teaching them about the alternatives.
"It's very much a consumer-driven issue."
Giving bags the sack
Municipalities have started banning plastic bags, Pilarski said, creating a hodgepodge of regulations that makes it tough for retailers to operate across Canada. Those bans have also had unintended consequences: Ireland ended up with more plastic in its dumps after its ban since people started using heavier trash bags in their kitchens instead of shopping bags.
Retailers favour voluntary reductions, he said, and have signed similar agreements in B.C., Ontario, and Manitoba. These bans are not meant to promote paper bags, as those take more energy and water to make than plastic.
Stores will be encouraged to offer cheap reusable bags and boxes, Pilarski said, and to use stickers for big items. Costco already uses scrap cardboard instead of bags for its sales, he noted, while Loblaws has started charging for plastic bags.
St. Albert's Home Depot has charged customers a nickel a bag since last June to discourage their use, says associate manager Chris Huitema. "It has reduced the number of bags quite significantly," he said, "because a lot of people don't bother to pay the five cents." The nickels go toward environmental charities, he added.
Most stores will recycle plastic bags if you want to get rid of them, said Leah Jackson, the City of St. Albert's environmental manager. Many people use the bags in garbage cans, but the cans don't actually need bags to hold most forms of trash. Residents will have to go partially bag-free anyway if the city brings in organics recycling, she noted.
Retailers will have to give regular reports on the five-year transition, Gemmell said, and may face regulation if they don't show progress.
The transition will give stores a chance to ditch their stock of bags and customers time to find alternatives, Pilarski said. "I'm sure in the coming years you'll see several retailers go bag-free."
