It was front page news that Portland will be imposing a nickel per bag fee at grocery stores. I think this is a good measure. At the very least it should cut down on the wanton over-bagging that leads to single-item bags for things like chicken; and may restore some of the craft into packing grocery bags to maximize their capacity; Tetris players take note.
It won’t change the way I shop, as my supermarket has been doing this for years. As was reported back in 2007 Save-A-Lot stores have a national policy to charge for bags, a nickel for the small ones, a dime for the big ones. [By the way does anyone remember the other kind of nickel-bag?]
http://thebollard.com/2007/09/05/save-a-lot-salvation/
But the ecologically responsible practices don’t stop there. Instead of bags most shoppers re-use the cardboard boxes in which the food is shipped; what’s more Save-A-Lot stores are much smaller, stock fewer items, do not offer waste-intensive prepared foods/salad bars, do not use ice, and are located in densely populated low income neighborhoods. (This is not to say there isn’t still room for improvement at Save-A-Lot, there most obviously is.) In contrast, the Hannaford supermarkets in the area are sited for easy automotive access, whereas Whole Foods waits for the development to happen around them.
http://portlandatlarge.bangordailynews.com/2014/01/27/home/the-mid-town-development-can-thank-the-buy-local-campaign/
The point of all this is that our food system is a multi-dimensional matrix from seed (or lab) to compost pile; indeed approximately 25% of food energy is wasted in the home: from things going “bad” in the fridge, to dumping leftovers; to chucking out trimmings which are otherwise usable. Thus, consumers (in a broad sense of shoppers, cooks, and eaters) can exercise a lot power by considering our shopping choices holistically: walk to the grocery store; wash (instead of peel) carrots, potatoes, and turnips; make stock from the bones and drippings of a roast chicken; use bacon drippings and meat trimmings instead of lighter fluid to fuel a charcoal grill, etc.
A nickel spent on each plastic bag is a good reminder that our consumer choices extend far beyond that of conventional vs. organic cauliflower (the leaves of which are perfectly edible, by the way).