With cities around the world banning plastic shopping bags, the switch to reusable cloth bags is one we should consider

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The idea of banning plastic bags was welcomed in Leaf Rapids, Manitoba, just over a year ago. They were the first municipality in Canada to implement the ban, and in doing so, have diverted about 2000 plastic bags a week from their landfills.

The pressure to switch from disposable plastic bags to re-usable cloth ones is on in grocery stores across the country.

At all of the major retailers, and most community-owned Co-op stores, you can purchase a sturdy reusable bag for around a dollar, and some communities - Sackville, for one - have taken the added step of distributing a free cloth bag to every home.

Those who make the switch voluntarily quickly notice just how many of those flimsy plastic bags they were going through. Groceries for a family of four for a week can fit in four to five reusable bags, instead of about 20 plastic ones.

Co-op stores in the region have taken the challenge a step further. Greta Patterson at the Sackville Co-op came up with a promotion last Christmas called the Blue Bag Club.

For every reusable bag used at that store, the customer receives a ballot in a monthly draw for a $25 gift certificate.

The idea was so successful that the Sackville Co-op won an internal Co-op challenge to sell bags, and has caught on in Moncton, too.

At the Record Street and Mapleton Road Co-op locations, using a cloth bag gets you five cents off your grocery bill and a chance at $100 each month.

With incentives like these becoming more common in our region, it is time for our newly-elected councils to consider following in the footsteps of Leaf Rapids, San Fransisco, and beginning June 1, China.

Banning plastic shopping bags is a simple step we can take as a community to reduce the harm we are doing to our environment.

In the meantime, each of us can do our part by purchasing a few bags, stashing them in the trunk and saying "I've got my own bags, thanks."