Paper, corn or bamboo? Grocers in London, Ont., hunt for single-use plastics alternatives
CBC
Small grocery stores in London, Ont., are searching for single-use plastic alternatives after the federal government announced a ban in June.
By the end of 2022, businesses will not be able to import or manufacture checkout bags, cutlery, non-recyclable takeout containers, stir sticks or straws — with some exceptions. Sales will end a year later, all part of the Liberal government's goal to reach zero plastic waste by 2030.
"Change is always a struggle, but we're doing our best," said Will Willemsen, owner of Sunripe Freshmarket, a grocery store with three locations in London and Sarnia.
Reducing plastics has been an ongoing effort at their store. They "just keep working on a project at a time, trying to solve it incrementally," he said.
Switching to biodegradable corn-based shopping bags is currently in the works. They've been testing options for over a year and are "pretty confident" they've found a keeper, said Willemsen. He's found paper bags to be too bulky to ship and store.
Customers have been patient during shopping bag trials, he said.
"When things don't work out, bags tear or they can't get them open, they understand we're learning and we're trying."
Tests are also underway for wax-coated cardboard takeout containers and a bamboo replacement for plastic cutlery. Soup already comes in a glass container, he said.
Despite its challenges, "the best place to solve the problem" is at the beginning before it ends up in the landfill, Willemsen said. "Whatever we can do to help."
The pandemic also delayed the process of reducing plastics as customers wanted more plastic protection on their produce.
"COVID kind of confused the whole issue, but we're still working towards limiting as much as we can," he said.
At Berries Market on Wharncliffe Rd. S., owner Husam Mohammed is also looking for solutions to adapt to the changes.
"I cannot imagine how it's going to work without the plastic," he said.
So far, he's been saving cardboard boxes customers can load their groceries in and has seen it work at other stores.