“Would you like a separate bag for the meat?”

“Would you like one more bag for the milk?”

These are the two common questions I hear when I check out in Safeway, which sound quite friendly to the customer. But wait, another bag?

Safeway is the supermarket I would like to choose when doing grocery. I like it because the large amount of products to choose from, the fairly low price as well as the discounts. However, one other reason why it is particular to me compared with other supermarkets is: it is the only supermarket I found in Vancouver that provides free plastic bags.

On August 29th, I arrived at YVR Airport and started my study trip with two friends in Vancouver, Canada. After settled down in the hostel, we went out for the whole afternoon and went to IGA to buy something to eat for dinner. However we forgot to take a bag, as we did not buy much and it is not worthy to pay extra money for a plastic bag, we put most of them in our backpacks and took the rest in our hands. I thought like any other supermarkets in China or the Netherlands, the plastic bags in these large supermarket chains would cost few money in order to let citizens to take their own shopping bags when doing the grocery and reduce the plastic bag consumption.

Until one day, I went to the Safeway near my place just after lectures, however this time I need a plastic bag to carry the products I bought. After I went out, I could not find the plastic bag price on the receipt. “Plastic bag is free in Canada?” I thought, but then I found Safeway is probably the only supermarket that provides free plastic bag in Vancouver.

Ten years before I would question why the supermarket charge the plastic bag, but right now I am confused why Safeway provide the plastic bag for free. As we all know, the plastic bag is one of the most difficult thing to degrade and charging the plastic bags is one common way to discourage people to reduce plastic bag consumption and also reuse the bags. But is this a really useful way for the limitation or just to alert people?

The plastic bag here is 5 cents each. In China, the plastic bags in supermarkets are from ￥0.2 to ￥0.5 (about 3 cents to 10 cents). Although the policy of plastic bags limitation in China started 9 years ago,  ironically, the supermarkets earned a lot from the plastic bags’ profit. In the Netherlands, the price of the shopping bag differs from its size, from €0.35 to more than €1, which are relatively expensive. According to the report from the Dutch government, there are 70% less plastic bags cross the counter and 40% less plastic bags as litter. They are designed to be reused for future shopping and they are in really good quality, but I still saw some people pick it easily at the cashier and even sometimes they appeared in the trash bins as trash bags.

I admit, you could still find free plastic bags in some stores or on the market in the Netherlands or in China, but I do not think it is possible to find free plastic bags in large supermarket chains in these countries. On Safeway’s website, the company states that they cares about the sustainability and dedicate themselves to reduce plastic bags usage, but I kind of doubt it as they do not even try to charge the plastic bags and connive customers to take them freely.

After these experiences in different countries around the world, I start to think: Is this policy really effective? Who gets the most benefit from it: the environment, the government, or even the supermarket chains?

“I don’t need a bag, please.”

“Excellent!”, said the cashier.

Well, regardless of others’ habits, we should be responsible to our own behaviour.

 

(This article reflects the personal view of the author)