Reusable bags finally starting to catch on in OKC
My wife and I have been doing this for quite some time now, I'm glad to see a broader push for these in OKC, even though we are well behind our peer cities in sustainability. I wish we'd be like the more progessive cities and do an all out ban against cheap plastic throw-away bags.
Cloth grocery sacks are bagging up success
By JaRena Lunsford
Business Writer
My little brother hates to see my husband and me coming his way. In fact he said a lot of his co-workers feel the same way.
It's nothing against us, he told me. His problem is with the cloth bags we tote to the grocery store. My brother, a cashier, said the bags slow him down.
My response to him is simple: tough. We are saving the world or at least the part of the world that would eventually be filled with millions of plastic grocery bags.
I'll admit it wasn't my idea to start bringing my own bags to the grocery store a year ago. It was the television queen herself, Oprah. After watching an episode about decreasing your "carbon footprint, my husband and I dashed to Hobby Lobby in search for the largest, sturdiest bags we could find.
Yes, we knew we'd probably go through plastic bag withdrawal, especially when we went to replace the trash bag in the bathroom only to find there was no bag small enough to fit it. But we knew opting for cloth instead of paper or plastic was a smart move. And it's a move we aren't making alone.
Reaction surprises retailers
Bruce Harroz, owner of Crest Discount Foods, started selling reusable cloth bags about two months ago.
"They went so fast, Harroz said. "I would have never dreamed it would go over that big.
Harroz and his management team initially ordered 40 cloth bags from Edmond-based Brown to Earth Bag Co. Crest sold the bags for $1 each. In a week, the bags had sold out, and Harroz was ordering more, 40,000 more.
"Hopefully we'll have them in about two weeks, Harroz said of the new order of cloth bags, which will bear the Crest logo.
Emilie Rider, co-founder of Brown to Earth, said she's not surprised cloth bags are catching on with shoppers. "People are tired of having 4,000 plastic bags and paper sacks crammed into their cabinet, said Rider, who started the company with her sister, Valerie Suttee. "It's becoming more socially acceptable to be more responsible when it comes to the environment.
Hey, little brother, did you hear that? My bags are socially acceptable and I'm responsible.
Local retailers aren't the only ones leaning toward more eco-friendly bags. In celebration of Earth Month, Wal-Mart will be giving away 1 million reusable bags beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday. The reusable bags are made from recycled plastic bottles, Wal-Mart spokesman Bill Wertz said.
"We are trying to encourage more customers to use the reusable bags, Wertz said.
Background for decision
Like Crest, Wal-Mart usually sells the reusable bags for $1. Wertz said the bags are not only convenient, but also an alternative to traditional plastic bags, which can take up to 1,000 years to degrade.
"The only thing you have to do is remember to take them with you, Wertz said of the reusable bags. "The more people we can encourage to use reusable bags, the better.
Along with saving the environment or at least attempting too Harroz expects the reusable bags to save his company money. He said Crest pays about 4 cents for each paper bag it uses. Although he doesn't know how much the reusable bags will save the company, he anticipates they will have an economic impact.
Although Earth Natural Foods does not sell reusable grocery bags, the Norman store does reuse plastic bags brought in by customers.
"The customers like it because it gives them a place to bring their bags, the Earth's Geoffrey Burch said. The Earth also gives a 10 percent discount to customers who walk or ride their bikes to the store.
Walking or biking? Well, I don't think I'm ready to go that far. I'll stick with the cloth bags and annoying my brother.
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Originally Posted by EvokeCoffee
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