Grocers seeing change in mindset
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Sentry Foods clerk Katie Fraunfelder bags Carol McKeown's groceries in a reusable cloth mesh carrier that she brought with her to the store.
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Reusable canvas bags are available for sale at the Sentry and other area grocery stores.
JANESVILLE — "Did you remember your bags?"
Someone suggested putting the reminder on signs in Woodman's parking lot, and Clinton Woodman, vice president of Woodman's Food Market, thinks that's an excellent idea.
How many of us find ourselves in the grocery checkout line only to remember we left our bags in the trunk?
But Woodman said people are getting into the habit. He's seen a huge change in consumer attitudes about recycling.
Woodman has been in the business for 20 years, and he remembers people asking cashiers to double-bag their groceries.
Then, about five years go, people started bringing in their own bags.
"We bag our groceries in whatever the customer wants," Woodman said.
He figures Woodman's in the last year has sold 50,000 to 75,000 reusable green bags at the Janesville store alone.
"It's been fantastic," Woodman said.
"We've seen a large decrease in the use of plastic and paper bags because of the canvas bags. Everything you hear from the customers, they love them."
The store sells the reusable bags for 79 cents or four for $3, which Woodman said is close to cost.
"They're a big hit overall—for us and the customers," Woodman said.
Woodman's pays about 4 cents for plastic bags and about 6 cents for paper bags.
Rob Terry, manager of Daniels Sentry Food Store on East Milwaukee Street, has noticed the same trend.
"It's a lifestyle," Terry said. "It's in our conscience, in our mindset … It's a habit-forming thing."
Twenty years ago, the store might have sold 50 insulated recyclable canvas bags a year, he recalled.
Now, Sentry sells about 25 large and small canvas bags a week.
"What we try to do is encourage reuse," Terry said.
The store offers a 5-cent refund per purchase on any paper bags or canvas bags reused and a 2-cent refund for plastic.
A plastic bag costs Sentry 2 1/2 cents. The store's sturdy paper bag costs 11 cents.
"What's nice is, people's habits are changing, and it's for the better," Terry said.
Both Woodman and Terry doubt that plastic bags will ever be eliminated. They are useful in the freezer sections and sometimes necessary in the vegetable and meat departments.
And both men prefer that the use of recyclable bags be encouraged rather than mandated.
Woodman said a ban could cause a backlash among consumers.
A ban "takes away people's choice and our ability to offer a choice to the consumer," Terry said.
"But at the same time, we all have to think about what to do with our resources."
Committee studies recycling options
A ban, education or recycling bins?
The Sustainable Janesville Committee will research those options as it prepares to make recommendations to the city council to discourage the use of plastic bags.
So far, the committee has studied what other cities have done and has asked staff to research the following options:
They are:
-- A ban on the plastic bags shoppers get at the checkout.
-- Mandatory recycling of plastic bags.
-- Voluntary recycling.
-- Limiting plastic bags to those that are recyclable.
-- Education and public awareness efforts.
One or more of the options could be recommended at the same time, said Tom McDonald, committee chairman and council member.
For instance, education and public awareness will be a part of any choice, McDonald said.
The city council asked the committee to research the issue as one of its first assignments.
"The committee wants to be very careful of what they send out—that what we send out is legal, that it's feasible, that it's cost effective," McDonald said.
McDonald didn't think committee members are leaning toward recommending a ban.
A ban could be politically divisive, but that's probably something the council should worry about and not the committee, McDonald said.
Another option would be a non-binding referendum question in April.
The committee should have the city staff's report by Dec. 2.
Nov 12, 2008 at 7:19 p.m.
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I like all my bags...lol. The plastic bags I use for wrapping up my holiday decorations. The paper bags I use for kitchen scraps and recycling, and the reusable bags I use for everything, from library books to a picnic lunch. I'm always running back to the van because I forget them. A sign is a good idea. I like the Aldi quarter shopping carts and think that's a great idea for all stores. Has anyone noticed that a trip to Walmart for a few things ends up being 10 plastic bags? Hahaha, I swear I can't just buy what I came for. And it seems the check out people only put 4 things per bag. Probably because the quality of the bags has really deteriorated. My shopping habits are changing now. My first trip WITH GROCERY LIST! is going to be to DJ's Dent and Bent. Then I'll head to Aldi and what I can't find at those two stores I'll get at Woodmans. With a family of 6 we really have to plan out menus and watch how we shop. It's really time to buckle down. *sigh* No more eating out for us. We did take advantage of Applebee's free entree for Veterans yesterday. Kudos to Applebee's for recognizing our Vets!
Nov 12, 2008 at 7:13 p.m.
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We personally prefer paper. You could argue till the cows come home over which is best for the environment and energy - just like the argument over diapers. I would guess that 95% of paper bags have a second life as a waste basket, newspaper recyling holder etc. I would guess that 95% of plastic bags go right to the landfill. Plastic also is a longer lasting eyesore blowing around town. I will not buy canvas, Made in China, bags. They are one of those feel good things that just send jobs and pollution overseas. All that being said, I have no right to expect the city to pass a law forcing my views on others. That is another senseless suggestion from the city council that would only discourage business and the public from working together. I do like the Sentry idea of a 5 cent discount for reusing paper.
Nov 12, 2008 at 6:44 p.m.
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Why are plastic bags bad again? They contain almost no plastic, and I don't see a lot of them stuck to bushes and fences around town. I'm not against recycling, and I know that we have to do much more of it to survive in the future, but isn't there some lower hanging fruit we can concentrate on first? I've read over 80% of garbage is biological, like paper, cardboard, food I suppose, and anything that came from a living thing. Maybe that's changed since I read the article, but getting the fiber out of the waste stream would seem to give you the most impact for your recycling efforts. Sometimes the public is a strange beast. I remember back in the '70s when people would complain fast food places were wiping out the trees with all the paper bags, and burger wrappers they use. Then I saw Styrofoam boxes in those restaurants, and thought it was horrible that we'd waste oil on that instead of trees. In the late '90s I saw a return to paper because the public got mad that Styrofoam was filling up their landfills. Fast food places are now "green" by using renewable paper.
Nov 12, 2008 at 2:38 p.m.
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I use my Woodman's bags wherever I need to use recycled ones. I don't think Walmart is well set up for these as they have those carosel's and it's hard for some of the clerks to place the bag where it's not in the way, then try to fill them. Recycled bags are definately worth it, if I can remember to bring them with me. :)
Nov 12, 2008 at 2:27 p.m.
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onelife2live--Did Sentry not let you use them? I did that once on accident, no one said anything--the Sentry employees loaded up my groceries in my Woodman's bags and I still got my discount. What does it matter where you buy the bags? I think it's the idea that you are reducing, reusing etc that's important!
Nov 12, 2008 at 2:07 p.m.
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Pump your own gas, Take your grass to the landfill, bag your own groceries. Services are decreasing, and costs increasing. A sure sign of a declining civilization.
Nov 12, 2008 at 1:09 p.m.
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How about JVL taking the plastic bags as part of the recycling pickup. I don't understand why other cities with recycling programs take all numbers 1-7 and JVL only takes 1 & 2. Even if they are to expensive to recycle, can't ALLIANT burn them with the coal. They are all made from petroleum products anyway.
Nov 12, 2008 at 12:48 p.m.
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cfox, experts agree that paper and plastic are about the same impact on the environment. The better choice is reusable bags.
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I don't recommend using those mesh laundry bags as in the photo. I've had too many of them break on me just carrying clothing around, let alone halfway home from the grocery store!
Nov 12, 2008 at 12:04 p.m.
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Walmart sells the reusable bags now also
Nov 12, 2008 at 11:41 a.m.
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When you purchase these re-usuable bags, look and see where they were made. The 6 we have- all made in China.
Nov 12, 2008 at 11:22 a.m.
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I made the mistake of taking my Woodmans bags into a Sentry store. Oh well, I should have bought non labeled bags. Maybe ones with my initials on them, theres an idea.
Nov 12, 2008 at 11:04 a.m.
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I think that recycling bags is a great thing, but if you think about stores like Wal-Mart that don't use paper, how many plastic bags do they use in a year? It's great if some stores are doing this, but all need to follow through. I know if I get groceries at Wal-Mart I end up with tons of plastic bags. I appreciate stores like Woodman's that offer you an alternative.
Nov 12, 2008 at 10:02 a.m.
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You know what I always wondered, who designed Woodman's gas pumps? They are so close together only one car can get in between 2 pumps. I remember people ripping on Aldi for charging for bags and telling the customer they could save money and bring in the old ones, seems the idea has finally caught on. I also think the 25 cent cart "rental" is great too. Look around at the laziness of people and see how many carts are left in stalls. If everyone had the quarter system it would save our cars from dings and the baggers (or whoever) wouldn't have to run all over to collect carts.
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