Sobeys ditches single-use plastic bags in Halifax and across Canada

You won’t find plastic shopping bags at the end of the check-out aisle at Sobeys anymore.

January 31 marks the first day the grocery chain is officially transitioning to a reusable bag model at its 255 stores across the country.

READ MORE: Sobeys announces plan to remove all plastic bags in 2020

“Sustainability is an important initiative for Sobeys. We want to be leaders in this space,” said the director of support services, Dave Sobey.

The move is expected to keep 225 million plastic bags out of circulation each year.

“I think it’s a great idea, I really do,” said customer Debbie Arnold who brought her own reusable bags with her. But Arnold says she’d like to see the chain go further in eliminating plastic.

“The stuff that they wrap the vegetables and stuff in, I think they can do less with that. There’s got to be an alternative,” she said.

Her concern is something brought up by many customers who are trying to reduce their own plastic foot print.

READ MORE: Plastics in our oceans – How one Canadian is trying to clean up

Paul McCormick says he always uses a reusable mesh bag for produce and brings usable bags for shopping but he still ends up with too much plastic.

“I’d like to see a lot less plastic use in packaging, the amount in my household garbage that is plastic containers and wraps, it’s a problem,” he said.

Sobey says they’re aware of these customer concerns and are continuing to look at new ways to reduce the amount of plastic in their stores.

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“This is where it’s so critical for us to have that collaboration and communication with our supplier partners to see what are some of the options we can do to eliminate unnecessary plastics,” he said.

1:56 The widening push to single out single-use plastics

Already the store has introduced it’s own line of produce mesh bags made from recycle water bottles, and are looking at different pilot projects across the country to further reduce their plastic use.

“One which includes using reusable containers in our deli and our fresh departments, where we don’t use plastic containers and customers bring in their own reusable containers,” said Sobey.

READ MORE: Canada-wide ban on many single-use plastics on track for 2021, minister says

Sobeys is not the only company tackling the plastic problem. A number of restaurants including KFC and Harvey’s have ditched plastic straws.

“We all have to do our bit,” said Halifax resident Alice McCarthy, “I think pretty much every store will be moving that way.”

Whether or not stores want to change, the days of single-use plastics are limited. In June, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his government would be banning single-use plastics by 2021.  On Thursday Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson confirmed the national ban is on track.

“We will be moving towards a ban on harmful single-use plastics and we will be doing that in 2021,” he said.

While there are still no details about what items will be included in that ban it is expected to include plastic bags, straws, bottles and some styrofoam containers.