Reuseable Shopping Bag Use on the Rise

Are you using reusable shopping bags instead of those ubiquitous plastic bags? I am. (at least for small to medium size shopping trips.) It seems that I’m not alone. Whole Foods Market estimates reusable bag use has tripled since last year and more than 150 million plastic bags have been kept out of landfills and our environment since that company became the first grocery to ban plastic grocery bags last Earth Day.

“At first we wondered if shoppers would just switch to paper but to our great surprise, people have been truly excited about using reusable bags,” said A.C. Gallo, Co-president and Chief Operating Officer for Whole Foods Market. “I think Whole Foods Market has also helped that along by offering various versions of stylish, affordable 99 cent bags that have become quite popular – our shoppers have been inspired to make a positive environmental change and have really incorporated the reusable bag mindset into their daily lives. Eliminating plastic bags was definitely the right move at the right time.”

Need additional bags? Earthbound Farms is currently giving a bag if you sign up for their newsletter.

(photo credit: Newscom)