Compostable is Better!

Within the next few months we are going to halt the use of plastic shopping bags in favor of 100% compostable, biodegradable bags made from corn starch. These bags biodegrade naturally when they are exposed to the earth’s elements. This month’s feature article tells you all about it. We are excited and pleased that advances in shopping bag technology now give us a bona fide solution to the challenging question of how to reduce the use of plastic bags.

Unfortunately, these new bags will cost the company significantly more than traditional plastic ones—almost 4 times as much per bag. We conducted an informal customer survey to help us decide how to cover this significant additional cost. Fully 80 percent of the customers surveyed said they would prefer to pay ten cents per bag rather than see increased prices.

We are happy that Down to Earth customers care about the environment so much. We are going to contribute our part, too. Along with charging customers ten cents for the compostable bag, we are planning to increase the credit from five cents to ten cents every time you re-use your compostable bag or bring your own bag to the store.

Meanwhile, we encourage you to also consider using the canvas bags we have been selling for decades or the collapsible recycled plastic bags we have been offering in more recent years. And, soon we will be adding a new line of re-usable bags that provide additional options. We hope you will join us in embracing the latest in compostable technology and, for those of who don’t already do so, begin re-using your bags as well.

Together, we will contribute to a cleaner and safer environment.

As always, thanks for shopping at Down to Earth.

Mark Fergusson