Re:Loblaws to take bag fee national
Nov. 28
Everyone applauding the move by the grocery chains to impose a 5-cent fee on plastic bags is overlooking an important reality. Most people I know reuse these grocery bags for pet waste, kitchen garbage, diapers and the like. Unless people officially switch to paper bags for these uses, the problem of plastic bags in the landfill sites will not change. Instead, the types of bags in the landfill sites will now be of the more expensive kind marketed by companies like Glad. We will all be forced to buy these types of bags in larger quantities, as we decrease our use of "free" grocery store bags. I see the grocery chains and the plastic bag manufacturers as the big winners here, and the consumer, as usual, the loser.
Pauline Hammerstrom, Newcastle, Ont.
The recent announcement that the City of Toronto will require vendors to charge for plastic bags I suppose is a move in a positive direction. However, reusable bags are not always an option, so why not go for a revolutionary old idea? Namely, paper bags.
Certain grocery chains in Montreal offer the choice of paper bags, and my experience is that two well-packed paper bags often hold as much as 10 plastic ones. They are made from a renewable resource, are biodegradable and recyclable, and support the pulp and paper industry in Canada.
John Attas, Mississauga
While I think the news about plastic bags is good for the most part, I'm wondering what I will be using for my "wet" garbage in the future. I live in a condo and can't just dump my food peelings down the chute.
Helen Goldfarb, Toronto
