Jan 23, 2008 9:52 am US/Eastern
Whole Foods Bags The Plastic
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
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Whole Foods plans to stop offering plastic bags by April 22, which is Earth Day.
CBS
Paper or plastic?
The inevitable question faced by shoppers at the grocery checkout, how to tote their food home, may soon get simpler.
Whole Foods plans to stop offering plastic bags by April 22 -- Earth Day -- following a trial run at two of its Austin, Texas stores, said Kate Lowery, a spokeswoman for Whole Foods. Shoppers will still be able to get recycled paper bags, bring their own, or buy reusable bags in the store for 99 cents. About 10,000 reusable bags were sold at the stores since the change went into effect in December.
"Hopefully other retailers will catch on to this trend and united we will be able to make a huge impact," Beth Mohan of Whole Foods said.
Plastic bags are a favorite of grocers because of their price, around 2 cents per bag compared to 5 cents for paper. Used widely since the 1970s, environmentalists now estimate between 500 billion to a trillion bags are produced annually worldwide. Made from fossil fuel-based polymers, the bags are virtually indestructible, taking years to break down and commonly ending up in landfills.
But Whole Foods said the decision has nothing to do with money.
"It's about the environment and serving our customers better," said Mohan.
It takes roughly a thousand years for a plastic bag to decompose.
So while Whole Food is bagging the plastic, some customers want to bag to idea because they like the plastic bags.
"I find a use for them at home, I use them as little trash bags," said one customer.
Pet owners find them useful as well.
"For those customers who are concerned about what they are going to do with their dog waste, we are looking into carrying a biodegradable bag just for those shoppers," said Mohan.
Some customers are questioning the company's decision.
"I don't know what the point is, because I will just have to go out and buy plastic bags anyways, so it's not really helping the environment," said one customer.
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