Have we passed a Gladwellian
"tipping point" in our attitude towards plastic bags?
Canwest writer Tiffany Crawford thinks so. She muses in an
article this week that "double-bagging has become the new double-dipping." As long as a year ago
Crawford preciently speculated that "Plastic bags could be a thing of the past." At that time all she could point to was actions by a single grocery store (Whole Foods -- a Gladwellian "outlier") and a couple of tiny communities that had banned the use of plastic bags. But this past year many little things seem to have made a big difference, and Canada's retail industry has seen the handwriting on the wall (isn't that what marketing departments are for?). They committed to
cutting plastic bag use in half in 5 years.
This is a risky move for retailers, especially at a time when they are hard hit by a recession.
But while retailers are ready to solve the problem, the plastics industry is still in denial, continuing to push for taxpayer-funded recycling programs as a solution to the plastic bag problem.
Our local stores and communities will share in the benefits of Zero Waste. The plastics industry still has to learn how to adapt.
The plastics industry has funded a scientific study that concluded that reusable bags "pose a public health risk." Read the Vancouver Sun coverage here ~ and don't miss the comments from the readers.
