Answers to these Frequently Asked Questions refer to the Coop’s Mission Statement and Environmental Policy.
Q. If our purpose is “Good Food at Low Prices for Working Members through Cooperation,” why should we care about plastic bags?
A. There is much more to the Coop’s principles than can be included in a sound bite. The Coop’s Mission Statement states, in part: “We seek to avoid products that depend on the exploitation of others…. We strive to reduce the impact of our lifestyles on the world we share with other species and future generations…. We try to lead by example, educating ourselves and others…. We oppose discrimination in any form.” As explained below, these principles are all violated by the Coop’s distribution of free plastic bags.
Q. What if I reuse the plastic bags I take?
A. Please do! Coop members are encouraged to keep reusing the plastic bags we have already taken from the Coop, as well as from other stores. This is not a ban on the use of plastic bags; it is an initiative to eliminate their free distribution by the Coop. But be aware: every plastic bag we discard—even after multiple uses—ends up choking our environment. Plastic never biodegrades, and continues to release toxins. “We strive to reduce the impact of our lifestyles on the world we share with other species and future generations.”
Q. Doesn’t the Coop recycle clear plastic bags?
A. The Coop no longer has a Recycling Squad and the City of New York does not accept plastic bags or plastic film under it's new recycling laws. Some big box stores accept "t-shirt" shopping bags, but unfortunately, members are no longer able to conveniently recycle plastic roll bags.
From an environmental perspective, recycling should always be a last resort. Reducing our use of disposable plastic is critical. Plastics recycling, like plastics manufacturing, releases toxins into the air, water, and soil, and consumes excessive nonrenewable energy. Our plastics are often sorted through by low-income workers and reprocessed in low-income neighborhoods—whether in the U.S., in Asia, or elsewhere—with greatly increased health risks as a result. “We seek to avoid products that depend on the exploitation of others….We oppose discrimination in any form.”
Q. What if I can’t afford to spend money on reusable bags?
A. It costs less to invest in reusable bags than to invest in the throwaway plastic packaging of most of our Coop products. Long before plastic was invented— and long before it was freely distributed at the Coop— low-income people and others who lived frugally were able to obtain and maintain bags for multiple uses.
The Environmental Committee is working with the General Coordinators to make a range of low-cost alternatives to plastic bags available at the Coop. “We try to lead by example, educating ourselves and others” …but any member can continue to obtain free plastic bags from stores that are not committed to the Coop’s principles, and use them at the Coop if they wish.
Q. What if I forget my bags at home?
A. This concern was also raised before Coop members voted almost unanimously to stop distributing plastic shopping (“T-shirt”) bags in 2008. Nearly four years later, members have adapted quite easily to bringing our own shopping bags— or purchasing low-cost bags at the Coop when we forget. Reusable bags for produce or grains can be stored and transported inside our main shopping bags— and additional bags (whether cloth or plastic) can be purchased when we forget to bring the ones we already have.
Whatever bags we use, paying for them helps us to remember the catastrophic environmental costs of plastic that are usually not passed along to us as consumers. “We strive to reduce the impact of our lifestyles on the world we share with other species and future generations.”
Q. Shouldn’t we give Coop members what they want?
A. In general, we do—unless what is wanted violates our Coop principles. Also in 2008, members voted overwhelmingly to end sales of bottled water at the Coop, upholding the environmental and health principles of our Mission Statement. Members who want bottled water— or Coca-Cola, or factory-farmed meat, or any other items not in keeping with our Coop principles— are still free to purchase these products outside the Coop.
Q. Won’t there be an increase in theft if checkout workers can’t see what’s in each bag?
A. Checkout workers should glance inside any bag if it appears that shape and weight do not correspond with what a shopper says is in the bag. Theft is a complex, ongoing issue with which we continue to struggle at the Coop. Many approaches to preventing theft at the Coop have not been adopted, because they are seen as discriminatory. It would certainly be discriminatory to suspect those using sustainable alternatives to plastic bags of being more prone to stealing. “We oppose discrimination in any form.”
Q. Won’t this lead to longer, slower lines in an already crowded store?
A. All of us would prefer shorter checkout times and less crowding—but the Coop’s newsletter was called The Linewaiter's Gazette long before the Coop began distributing free plastic bags. Today, using 3,359,520 plastic bags a year, we still face long, slow lines and crowded aisles. While various proposals have been put forward to deal with these problems, no one has yet suggested that members using time-honored alternatives to plastic are responsible for the delays. “We strive to reduce the impact of our lifestyles on the world we share with other species and future generations.”
Speed and convenience are certainly desirable, but they have never been core Coop principles. And again, any member can reuse the many plastic bags previously obtained from the Coop and elsewhere—or purchase new plastic bags if they choose.
* Also available in PDF - Please distribute!
Q. If our purpose is “Good Food at Low Prices for Working Members through Cooperation,” why should we care about plastic bags?
A. There is much more to the Coop’s principles than can be included in a sound bite. The Coop’s Mission Statement states, in part: “We seek to avoid products that depend on the exploitation of others…. We strive to reduce the impact of our lifestyles on the world we share with other species and future generations…. We try to lead by example, educating ourselves and others…. We oppose discrimination in any form.” As explained below, these principles are all violated by the Coop’s distribution of free plastic bags.
Q. What if I reuse the plastic bags I take?
A. Please do! Coop members are encouraged to keep reusing the plastic bags we have already taken from the Coop, as well as from other stores. This is not a ban on the use of plastic bags; it is an initiative to eliminate their free distribution by the Coop. But be aware: every plastic bag we discard—even after multiple uses—ends up choking our environment. Plastic never biodegrades, and continues to release toxins. “We strive to reduce the impact of our lifestyles on the world we share with other species and future generations.”
Q. Doesn’t the Coop recycle clear plastic bags?
A. The Coop no longer has a Recycling Squad and the City of New York does not accept plastic bags or plastic film under it's new recycling laws. Some big box stores accept "t-shirt" shopping bags, but unfortunately, members are no longer able to conveniently recycle plastic roll bags.
From an environmental perspective, recycling should always be a last resort. Reducing our use of disposable plastic is critical. Plastics recycling, like plastics manufacturing, releases toxins into the air, water, and soil, and consumes excessive nonrenewable energy. Our plastics are often sorted through by low-income workers and reprocessed in low-income neighborhoods—whether in the U.S., in Asia, or elsewhere—with greatly increased health risks as a result. “We seek to avoid products that depend on the exploitation of others….We oppose discrimination in any form.”
Q. What if I can’t afford to spend money on reusable bags?
A. It costs less to invest in reusable bags than to invest in the throwaway plastic packaging of most of our Coop products. Long before plastic was invented— and long before it was freely distributed at the Coop— low-income people and others who lived frugally were able to obtain and maintain bags for multiple uses.
The Environmental Committee is working with the General Coordinators to make a range of low-cost alternatives to plastic bags available at the Coop. “We try to lead by example, educating ourselves and others” …but any member can continue to obtain free plastic bags from stores that are not committed to the Coop’s principles, and use them at the Coop if they wish.
Q. What if I forget my bags at home?
A. This concern was also raised before Coop members voted almost unanimously to stop distributing plastic shopping (“T-shirt”) bags in 2008. Nearly four years later, members have adapted quite easily to bringing our own shopping bags— or purchasing low-cost bags at the Coop when we forget. Reusable bags for produce or grains can be stored and transported inside our main shopping bags— and additional bags (whether cloth or plastic) can be purchased when we forget to bring the ones we already have.
Whatever bags we use, paying for them helps us to remember the catastrophic environmental costs of plastic that are usually not passed along to us as consumers. “We strive to reduce the impact of our lifestyles on the world we share with other species and future generations.”
Q. Shouldn’t we give Coop members what they want?
A. In general, we do—unless what is wanted violates our Coop principles. Also in 2008, members voted overwhelmingly to end sales of bottled water at the Coop, upholding the environmental and health principles of our Mission Statement. Members who want bottled water— or Coca-Cola, or factory-farmed meat, or any other items not in keeping with our Coop principles— are still free to purchase these products outside the Coop.
Q. Won’t there be an increase in theft if checkout workers can’t see what’s in each bag?
A. Checkout workers should glance inside any bag if it appears that shape and weight do not correspond with what a shopper says is in the bag. Theft is a complex, ongoing issue with which we continue to struggle at the Coop. Many approaches to preventing theft at the Coop have not been adopted, because they are seen as discriminatory. It would certainly be discriminatory to suspect those using sustainable alternatives to plastic bags of being more prone to stealing. “We oppose discrimination in any form.”
Q. Won’t this lead to longer, slower lines in an already crowded store?
A. All of us would prefer shorter checkout times and less crowding—but the Coop’s newsletter was called The Linewaiter's Gazette long before the Coop began distributing free plastic bags. Today, using 3,359,520 plastic bags a year, we still face long, slow lines and crowded aisles. While various proposals have been put forward to deal with these problems, no one has yet suggested that members using time-honored alternatives to plastic are responsible for the delays. “We strive to reduce the impact of our lifestyles on the world we share with other species and future generations.”
Speed and convenience are certainly desirable, but they have never been core Coop principles. And again, any member can reuse the many plastic bags previously obtained from the Coop and elsewhere—or purchase new plastic bags if they choose.
* Also available in PDF - Please distribute!
Comments
I recognize that details like these are beyond the scope of your proposal, since they would need to be worked out by the General Coordinators and others. However, I don't think that should preclude you from presenting a vision of how things could work. For me this would show that you recognize and have addressed the practical issues involved in making a change like this.
Full disclosure: I don't use our plastic bags, and I don't think anyone should. However, I also recognize that our membership is very diverse and that many will view this proposal as one big pointless pain in the butt. In order to gain my vote, and I believe the vote of many others, I need to believe that your proposal not only recognizes that fact but includes the means to address it, at least to the extent possible.
Questions about member convenience and adjustment are important aspects of our education efforts.
The purpose of the extended Phase Out time period is to allow six months for the Committee and General Coordinators to educate our membership, provide a wider range of light-weight reusable bags for purchase (including less-expensive options), and determine the most equitable and sustainable adjustments for weighing produce and bulk products.
If a member forgets their reusable bags, they may choose to forgo the bag and place items directly in the cart or purchase a low-cost reusable bag.
For the last several years, at the request of members, the Environmental Committee repeatedly asked the General Coordinators to stock additional low-cost reusable bag options. They have only within the last few months begun to look into honoring this request.
Additionally, the proposal in no way prohibits the Coop from setting up a system to sell reusable plastic bags.
Whatever bags we use, paying for them helps us to remember the catastrophic environmental costs of plastic manufacturing and waste that is usually not passed along to us as consumers.
We are always looking for new, creative ideas to share with members! Please tell us what you do when you forget to bring your reusable bags.
Thank you!