Not sure if I love the new plastic bag rule at the food co-op. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for reducing waste and I know those bags are wasteful (except as a parent of toddlers and cats those plastic bags come in quite handy when it comes to diapers and kitty litter).
Tonight I worked a double-shift and saw some things that just didn't seem right.
- An older man who did not speak such good english, kept digging around in the box area where there were a couple of padded bags that really weren't good for much. He said to me "no bags?". I guess he didn't get the memo.
So, what's the big deal about people using boxes for their groceries? Well, I'm a young, energetic, incredibly strong (yes, laugh here) co-op member and I hate carrying a box to the bus stop, regardless of how light or heavy it is. You use different mucles to carry the box (imagine the carryer with arms out at the waist, or worse, box held on the side and let's hope it doesn't break en route) and it's more difficult on your body than slinging a bag on your shouders or over your back. So, if it's a pain for me, what about the older co-op members who don't have my strength?
- I saw an older woman with a box that was pretty wide and not sure how far she had to go, but inevitably that would not be easy for her
- Saw a middle-aged woman with a backpack for most of her stuff, then an old plastic bag for her overflow, which was in the process of ripping. That was not going to be a fun trip home...
Since we left Park Slope, we just make really big shopping trips less frequently and take car service home, so I'm not as directly affected. But the people at the co-op who are on welfare obviously don't have the extra change to get a car service home, and probably don't want to pay the extra $1 for a reusable bag with the nice co-op logo on it.
So, someone said its just an adjustment time..and people will get used to it. Maybe, but maybe there's a better way to do it. The Foodtown near us lets people drop their old plastic bags in a bin for recycling. I'm sure there are some serious hardcore co-op'ers out there who would love to recycle the plastic bags they can't avoid getting, and share them with the other people who might actually need them. I've gotten so many of those reusable foodtown bags by now, that I would even be willing to share that with my follow co-op members. Maybe it's even a bag share system, I don't know.
It just doesn't seem right to limit the thousands of people who shop there, all from different backgrounds and in different life situations. Might be silly to make such a big deal about a plastic bag, but I saw it make a big difference to enough people tonight.
Next...egg carton stacking like you've never seen it before...
