It didn't take long for the woman in line behind me at the grocery store to notice the tote bag in my hands, 99-cent price tag still attached.
"That's very nice," she said approvingly, asking where I'd found it before sneaking off to get one for herself.
Major chains are rolling out their own enviro-bags
The woman behind her moved up a little closer, also noticed the bag (now filling up with groceries), and asked where she could find one. Soon all three of us were heading out of the store, each looking a little pleased with ourselves and clutching a new, reusable tote.
Over the last two years, a host of major chains have rolled out their own enviro-bags and eco-totes: inexpensive bags created in response to growing environmental awareness of shoppers and a backlash against single-use plastic bags.
The move comes as numerous municipalities, including Winnipeg, debate whether to restrict the ubiquitous disposable bags. Their reusable counterparts have seen a spike in popularity, including high demand last year for designer Anya Hindmarch's I'm Not a Plastic Bag bag.
"I think it may be one of those instances where fashion and environmental awareness converge," said Resource Conservation Manitoba executive director Randall McQuaker.
"Using a reusable bag becomes a kind of symbol for people's sense of environmental responsibility."
Unlike the more common polyethylene plastic bags, the sturdier, "green" tote bags sold by grocery and department stores are made for repeated use.
Typically produced with recycled plastics like polypropylene or polyethylene terephthalate (old plastic pop bottles), the totes are hyped for keeping the standard disposable bags out of landfills. One store says regular use of their bag means 100 fewer grocery bags over the course of the year.
The Free Press checked out the reusable bags on offer by eight companies, from the compact tote sold by Superstore to the roomiest one from Shoppers Drug Mart.
When it came to green credentials, each bag had its strengths and weaknesses: some contained little in the way of recycled material, and others didn't seem likely to last long.
Most of the bags are recyclable, but that's kind of a moot point in Winnipeg, since the city's recycling facility doesn't accept the totes. Some stores do have their own recycling programs, but bags bought at other chains will ultimately end up in the landfill.
Shoppers might be further baffled by the array of alternatives to the cheap totes: organic grocery store Organza, for example, sells an organic, unbleached cotton bag coloured with vegetable dyes for $10, and numerous websites sell bags produced under fair-trade labour conditions.
Outdoors store Mountain Equipment Co-op doesn't sell totes, but their disposable bags are made with corn instead of plastic, and can be composted.
Shoppers seeking the best bag for their buck shouldn't get flummoxed by the variety available, McQuaker said. Bags that can be recycled or even composted are great, but buyers should aim for a bag that suits their needs and will be used regularly.
"An ecologically perfect bag that isn't used probably isn't going to get us that much further down the road to sustainability," he said.
lindsey.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca
THE BAGS:
Real Canadian Superstore: PC Green Reusable Shopping Bag
LAUNCHED: April 2007
PRICE: $0.99
MADE WITH: Polyethylene terephthalate, 85 per cent recycled content.
RECYCLABLE: Yes
IN-STORE RECYCLING: Yes
DESIGNED TO LAST: 50 round trips, or one year of shopping.
CAN CARRY: 10 kilograms
VERDICT: One of the most compact bags, also attractive and easy to fold.
Hbc (The Bay, Zellers, Home Outfitters): Global Mind reusable bags
LAUNCHED: November 2007
PRICE: Four options, $0.79 to $1.49
MADE WITH: Woven or non-woven polypropylene (30 to 100 per cent recycled content) or nylon (no recycled content).
RECYCLABLE: Yes
IN-STORE RECYCLING: Yes
DESIGNED TO LAST: No set time frame
CAN CARRY: 4.5 to 11 kilograms, depending on style
VERDICT: Good variety and nice design, but on the flimsy side.
Sobeys: Green Bag for Life
LAUNCHED: October 2006
PRICE: $0.99
MADE WITH: Polypropylene, 25 per cent recycled content.
RECYCLABLE: Yes
IN-STORE RECYCLING: Yes
DESIGNED TO LAST: Two to three years, under normal use.
CAN CARRY: Nearly 23 kilograms
VERDICT: Sturdy, brightly-coloured bag with convenient beverage pockets, but recycled content is on the low side.
Vita Health: Reusable Green Bag
LAUNCHED: March 2006
PRICE: $3
MADE WITH: Polypropylene, 10 per cent recycled content.
RECYCLABLE: Yes
IN-STORE RECYCLING: No
DESIGNED TO LAST: No set time frame
CAN CARRY: Nearly 23 kilograms
VERDICT: A higher price for a local chain isn't shocking, but these bags have the lowest recycled content and no in-store recycling. On the plus side, Vita Health gives five cents to a local charity whenever customers use the bag.
Shoppers Drug Mart: Eco-bag
LAUNCHED: December 2007
PRICE: Regular $0.99, thermal $2.99
MADE WITH: Woven polypropylene; 100 per cent recycled content for regular bag, 55 per cent for thermal.
RECYCLABLE: No
IN-STORE RECYCLING: No
DESIGNED TO LAST: No set time frame
CAN CARRY: Nearly 16 kilograms
VERDICT: Points for having among the highest recycled content, but a shame the bags can't be recycled.
Canada Safeway: Enviro-bag
LAUNCHED: April 2007
PRICE: $0.99
MADE WITH: Polypropylene, 100 per cent recycled content.
RECYCLABLE: Yes
IN-STORE RECYCLING: Yes
DESIGNED TO LAST: Two to five years
CAN CARRY: 11 to 23 kilograms
VERDICT: A good, basic bag, with all recycled content and in-store recycling.
Wal-Mart: For the Greener Good reusable bag
LAUNCHED: May 2007
PRICE: $0.97
MADE WITH: Polypropylene, no recycled content. A new bag to be launched in April will be made of polyethylene terephthalate, with 85 per cent recycled content.
RECYCLABLE: Yes
IN-STORE RECYCLING: Yes
DESIGNED TO LAST: A year or more
CAN CARRY: Nearly 25 kilograms
VERDICT: Large but a little flimsy, and with no recycled content, not especially green. The new bag should be a more environmentally-friendly option.
Home Depot: Reusable shopping bags
LAUNCHED: Spring 2007
PRICE: $0.99
MADE WITH: 100 per cent recycled content, specific material unknown.*
RECYCLABLE: Yes
IN-STORE RECYCLING: No
DESIGNED TO LAST: 50 plus uses
VERDICT: A flashy bag that gets the job done. Like some other stores, Home Depot could use a recycling program, since Winnipeg can't recycle the bags.
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