Commencing next Monday, May 6, Coreas Food Mart will give each customer a free reusable bag on the purchase of EC$50 or more in goods.
Every time a customer reuses the reusable bag, the customer will get a chance to participate in a monthly raffle, the company said in a press statement.
“We will continue to bag our customers’ purchases. However, we will make a concerted effort to reduce the use of plastic bags.”
Coreas Distribution Ltd., owners of the food mart, said they are “joining the fight to stop the destruction of our environment and save our planet from the pending destruction.
“We are, therefore, appealing to our customers to join the effort to create a greener St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” the press statement said.
The company said reusable bags will also be available for purchase at cost price.
“We look forward to the support and cooperation of our customers in our effort to reduce the number of plastic bags we put in the environment, by using our reusable bags. Go Green with Coreas Distribution Ltd and help us to save the environment. Our action is in keeping with global trends for the protection of our planet.”
The press statement said:
“Our oceans and rivers are polluted and our landfill is overcrowded with plastic bottles and bags which are either non-degradable, or take several years to degrade. These bags are harmful to the environment and to our very existence.
“It is estimated that over five trillion plastic bags are discarded every year. It is also estimated that one person can eliminate more than 20,000 plastic bags from the environment in a lifetime, by using only reusable bags.”
Coreas has become the second grocery outlet in St. Vincent and the Grenadines to announce an effort to reduce the number of plastic bags used.
In May 2018, Massy Stores announced that in July of that year, it would introduce a charge for plastic bags issued to its customers.
All grocery stores should be legally compelled to charge cents for a plastic bag which would see a huge decrease in their use as people bring in their own bags or re-use plastic ones several times.
This government is all talk and no action on environmental issues.
Somehow my opinion that a fee of 25 cents per bag should be charged was omitted.
This levy would seem high to most people but would certainly result in a quick change of behaviour since most people have lots of cloth and heavy plastics bags stored at home.
Of this 25 cents, the price of the bag to the grocer should be deducted with the rest (nearly 20 cents) remitted to the government as an environmental levy devoted to habitat issues.
Charging for plastic bags will have to be an amount that impacts the consumer’s purse to the extent where they will feel conned. I am not convinced that the five cents we pay in North America has made much impact in urging the ‘bring your own bag’ option.
I believe that the grocery outlets maintain an inventory that can identify sales on plastic bags etc., therefore, a percentage from the plastic bags sales can be inflicted toward the ‘fight to stop the destruction of our environment initiative’ which, will also make the grocery outlets eligible for a rebate.
We all are in this climate change crisis together no matter where we reside in this world.
I agree totally with your message.
The fact that there are few replies here or on Facebook tells me that most of our people have no regard for or precious and fragile environment.
Neither does this government or either of the two main parties. If they did, relevant legislation — as in the First World — would have been passed years ago.
The concept of charging for the plastic bags in an effort to reduce the use/demand is in my mind acceptable. However I totally disagree with the concept of another government fee. We have enough government involvement in our daily lives and this will just additional cost to the business to track and remit to the government. This does not work just look at the amount of VAT outstanding.
There should be no “additional cost to the business to track and remit to the government” as that should already be the process of reporting annually to the excise and tax department. I am sorry to disappoint you but with progress come accountability and transparency not only to the government but all inclusive.
Yes C BEN-DAVID, it would appear that the reality of ‘Climate change’ has yet to be taken seriously by most. What are they really waiting for?
Elma, the reason for Climate Change measures is so that governments and banks can soak more money from the people and make it look like they care. At the same time the politicians and banksters do far worse things to contribute to destroying the environment. It is certainly a big hoax. Considered by the most intelligent thinkers to be the biggest fraud ever perpetrated on mankind by the establishment. The climate anomalies are caused over 99% by things we as of yet have no control over. We should absolutely stop the terrible pollution we humans cause but realize that the “money changers establishment” have polluted our minds more than anything else!