Mar 28, 2007
This product, Hand-Ease - which Whole Foods gives away for free - is a remarkable waste of natural resources, as well as money.
I couldn't figure out why there were cardboard disks at every register, so I had to ask the cashier. She proceeded to chuckle (acknowledging the silliness of the product) as she told me that they're intended to make it more comfortable to carry multiple heavy plastic bags - which often crease your hand... I asked her if they charge people for them (which would be consistent with them taking $0.05 off for each plastic bag you don't take) - she said no. I asked if many people use them & she laughed when saying "people love them!"
For a company that brands itself as an environmentally friendly, this is a disgusting & hypocritical move. They should take note of what was done today in San Francisco (the first city in the US, but far behind many other countries...) - where they passed a ban on plastic bags. Supermarkets will be required to offer paper bags or reusable cloth bags. By offering these discs, Whole Foods is going completely against the ban in San Francisco by making the use of plastic bags more convenient, rather than curbing it all together.
Note: After visiting Melbourne, Australia and Kingston, Ontario, I noticed a trend: everyone brought a cloth bag with them to the supermarket. Why? Because in Melbourne, they don't offer plastic bags, and in Kingston, if plastic bags are offered, you must pay $0.05 each. Since then, I started carrying a shoulder bag with me everywhere, and refuse the plastic bags no matter which store I'm at. You should try it too.
Labels: environmentalism, green, ridiculous
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