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Top Reasons Presented by the General Coordinators To Approve the Proposed Phase Out of Plastic Roll Bags at the May General Meeting NOT
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Top reasons not to eliminate roll bags

Aug 31, 2014

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Page 1: Top reasons not to eliminate roll bags

Top Reasons

Presented by the General Coordinators

To Approve the Proposed Phase Out of Plastic Roll Bags at the May General

Meeting

NOT

Page 2: Top reasons not to eliminate roll bags

If this proposal passes at the May General Meeting (GM),

What Is A Plastic Roll Bag?

these bags will no longer be provided by the Coop

Page 3: Top reasons not to eliminate roll bags

High Usage Among Coop Members

78% of Coop members, or 12,500 people, use plastic roll bags when

they shop 

In comparison, only 27%, or 3,500 people, were using plastic grocery bags when

eliminated at the GM in 2007

Page 4: Top reasons not to eliminate roll bags

No Free, Readily Available Alternative

• Any alternative available at the Coop will cost YOU money!

• In comparison, when plastic grocery bags were eliminated, boxes were freely available for members to convey their groceries.

• The Coop strives to make itself economically accessible to all who want to join. Eliminating plastic roll bags will add a cost to people’s membership.

Page 5: Top reasons not to eliminate roll bags

Roll Bags Allow Members to Easily Purchase High Volumes of Minimally Packaged Local,

Organic, Fresh Food96% of items taken home in these bags come from produce, bulk and baked goods aisles.

Members purchase 160,000 lbs. of these minimally packaged items weekly!

Page 6: Top reasons not to eliminate roll bags

The Elimination of Roll Bags May Have A Negative Impact

on The Coop's Financial Health 36% of members surveyed said they

would either forgo or delay a planned purchase in the absence of roll bags, despite availability of alternative bags. In a worse case scenario, this would translate into lost sales.

Page 7: Top reasons not to eliminate roll bags

The Proposed Elimination of Roll Bags Assumes Members

Will Bring Enough Bags (either re-used, reusable or new) with Them EVERY TIME

They Shop

WE DISAGREE!

Page 8: Top reasons not to eliminate roll bags

Ask Yourself These Questions

I don’t have enough

bags…. Should I buy ANOTHER reusable bag?

Will I really bring enough bags with me EVERY TIME I shop at

the Coop?

What if I go to the Coop on

the spur of the moment?

Should I put something

back?

Should I pass on these luscious

local strawberries?

Should I just buy the pre-packaged

salad mix?

Page 9: Top reasons not to eliminate roll bags

It Will Cost You More to Shopat The Coop

Why?If you switch to pre-packaged items,

those items will always be more expensive

You will likely have to purchase alternatives to roll bags

Purchasing items in a heavier reusable bag will definitely increase the cost of your groceries

Page 10: Top reasons not to eliminate roll bags

Roll Bag Alternatives Are Expensive

The Coop spends $1.43 annually to provide the average member with 161 roll bags

The least expensive comparable alternative costs $1.09 for 5 bags

One large muslin bag costs $1.95If you purchased only 20 bags/year,

you will spend $4.36 – $39.00 at a minimum

Page 11: Top reasons not to eliminate roll bags

Heavier Reusable Bags Increase the Cost of Your

GroceriesIn a controlled study of the costs of heavier bags sold at the Coop, using large green plastic or any cloth reusable bags increased the cost of groceries between 5 – 9%

If you spend only $40/week on produce and bulk, the weight of these alternatives adds $104 – $202 annually to your grocery bill.

Page 12: Top reasons not to eliminate roll bags

Eliminating Roll Bags Is Not anEnvironmentally Sound

DecisionHDPE plastic roll bags (like ours) have a smaller environmental footprint than alternatives like cotton or heavier plastic

Reusing and repurposing plastic roll bags further reduces their impacts

Page 13: Top reasons not to eliminate roll bags

Can You Re-use Your Cotton Bag

131 Times?You would have to reuse your cotton or LDPE (heavier plastic) bags at least 131 or 4 times, respectively, to ensure lower environmental impact than an HDPE roll bag

If you shop weekly, you would have to reuse a single cloth bag for 2.5 years to reduce its impact to that of a single plastic roll bagYou would have to reuse these bags more

times if you wash in between uses

Page 14: Top reasons not to eliminate roll bags

Sanitation!As clean as the Coop is, the

checkout belts and shopping carts are not cleaned daily

Some members choose to use plastic roll bags to protect their food for health, sanitary or religious reasons

Non-waterproof alternatives won't meet the needs of these members

Page 15: Top reasons not to eliminate roll bags

Other Plastic Bag Bans EXCLUDE Plastic Roll Bags

San Francisco ban EXCLUDES produce roll bags because of sanitary considerations

In Ireland, EXEMPTIONS include “heavier weight reusable plastic bags; bags used for meat, fish, or poultry; bags for unpackaged produce, ice, or other foods without packaging.”

Page 16: Top reasons not to eliminate roll bags

Bans Don’t Actually Change Behavior

According to reuseit.com, “Bans shove, not nudge, people

to change their behavior.” Nudging (and educating) is what results in long-term changes in

behavior.

Page 17: Top reasons not to eliminate roll bags

Summary We provide plastic roll bags because they allow us to

provide good quality, inexpensive, healthy and environmentally friendly food in keeping with the Coop’s mission

The roll bag elimination will force a shift to alternatives that are harder on the environment, some significantly so. The shift will also cost members who use alternatives significantly more money

We are committed to continually reducing the Coop's environmental footprint. Banning roll bags is not the way to achieve that goal

We believe Coop efforts should be focused on the reuse and reduction of roll bags, not elimination

Please come to the May 28 GM and vote against the elimination of plastic roll bags

from the Coop