by Elyse Myrans
You probably already got the memo about plastic grocery store bags, but just in case, here it is again: STOP using single use plastic bags and switch to reusable cloth or mesh bags. Most grocery stores sell them for about $0.99, and if you get in the habit of using them now you will avoid having to do it later, because trust me, the plastic-free wave is coming.

In 2007, over 7 million plastic bags were used daily in Ontario! Millions of barrels of oil go into producing these petroleum based bags yearly, and at a time when there is already such a high demand for oil, do we really want to keep pumping so much of it into the bags we use to get our groceries home? Even worse, these things don’t biodegrade. Instead they break into tiny pieces of toxic waste, poisoning our soil and water before working their way into the food chain for us to eventually consume. Not cool, I know.

Last year the Ontario government committed to cutting plastic bag consumption in half by 2012, and if they use strategies anything like those of Ireland, Australia, China, and South Africa, then we can expect to see a tax on bags, and perhaps eventually a total ban on plastic bags in some cities. Shocked? Don’t be, this isn’t going away. And in case you were wondering, yes, the plastic bag tax really works. Ireland was one of the first countries to impose a plastic bag tax in 2002, and the mere $0.33 charge dropped plastic bag consumption by over 90% immediately!

In Canada, stores like Ikea have already imposed their own plastic bag tax. You may have thought it strange when the girl in the baggy yellow shirt behind the Ikea cash register asked you how many plastic bags you wanted to buy last time you were there, I certainly did. But it not only made me think twice –I shoved my new candles into my already overstuffed purse and walked out with my new wine rack in hand- but seeing as Ikea distributed 90% fewer plastic bags in Canada since adding this mere $0.05 charge, it seems other Ikea shoppers got the message too.

So the moral of the story is this: rather than be a follower later, be a trendsetter now and get into the reusable bag groove. And if you don’t want to sacrifice your style by carrying a dull looking bag, you can splurge and get one with a witty phrase or trendy design.