Plastic Bags and Urinals
by Tao Oliveto
Some things are so simple.
For instance, clean-up at public urinals is a disproportionate problem in many places. Then someone in Europe decided to strategically place a small drawing of a fly inside the basin as a “target”. The problem decreased by a measurable 80%.
Hmm. This makes me think of the issue of plastic bag use. Years ago, Whole Foods stores started offering a nickel back for bringing your own bag and over a decade, has encouraged approximately 20% of their customers to reuse. Ho Hum. As an new and enthusiastic employee back then, I suggested that charging a nickel for bags instead would be a stronger motivational message and decrease bag use even further, saving waste and the company dollars. I also thought we should sell our reusable canvas bags at cost in compensation for any perceived “inconvenience” to customers. Nobody agreed.
Wouldn’t you know it…a decade later (as reported in Fast Company), Ikea stores in the UK decided to charge their customers 5 cents for every bag they took. Plastic bag use dropped by 90% in less than two years! When the same policy took effect in U.S. stores in Mid-March, 2007, bag use dropped by 50% in less than one year - more than anyone expected. Ikea also dropped the price of their re-usuable bags to 59 cents at checkout - and those sales increased 10 times.
Can green guidelines live happily with customer service and profits? It sure looks that way.
For better or worse, we humans are a predictable bunch - and more willing to Change than marketers realize.
Simple as that.
April 4th, 2008 at 8:30 am
yeah! when i studied in italy during university, the local stores charged 25 cents for each bag you took. i loved that! so most everyone brought their own bags.
Also- on a fair trade delegation to East Timor in 2006, this awesome family took us in as we had to avoid Dili during some uprising. I was able to capture this photo of our friend who supports our anti-plastic bag idea…….
http://picasaweb.google.com/chelsbay/506EastTimorFairTradeDelegation/photo#5074191799547438834
April 6th, 2008 at 4:07 am
California stores all seem to have started selling cheap bags by the checkout, even though they don’t charge for plastic ones. I am finding myself much more likely now to either bring in a bag or buy one of the cheap store bags and then reuse it now.
Sometimes it’s just having them available that makes the difference.
April 7th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
I agree, Donna - In sight, in mind. I also think it would help if cashiers could encourage you to buy the bags in a friendly, non-pressure way - instead of automatically saying “paper or plastic”. We have to change what we perceive as “normal” before we can reach the tipping point of Change.
Thanks for sharing,
Tao
April 7th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Thanks for sharing the photo, Chelsea. $.25 sounds more like it to me!
Tao