I'll be opening a green building product store that also sells planet-friendly housewares and would like to offer branded reusable shopping bags. To promote reuse and also to get customers back into the store, I wondered if a reusable bag deposit system might be feasible - similar to the idea of plate deposits at music festivals.
Customers would not need to bring their own bags. They would pay a deposit, use the new or pre-used bag, and return it for their deposit at another time. They would have the option of using their own bags as well.
My goal is also to cap the amount of packaging I introduce in the community, not to mention avoiding the purchase and branding of reusable bags as though they were disposable.
Ideas? Resources? Feedback?
Andrea Jones
Editor, Community Builder
Raising Spaces
Canada
http://www.raisingspaces.com
Store-Wide Reuseable Bag Deposit Systems
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Thanks Ruben,
I would love to hear how your project turns out. I did notice the same challenge you pointed out. What this may evolve into is a local reuseable shopping bag program for a collection of like-minded eco businesses where people may frequent more often. We have an ecostore in Edmonton that will be expanding into local and organic foods, and this would be a fabulous collaboration.
All the best,
Andrea Jones
Andrea Jones
Editor, Community Builder
Raising Spaces
Canada
http://www.raisingspaces.com
...
Hi Andrea,
I saw your question about a deposti system on reusable shopping bags on the FSB website. I think it is entirely feasible to set up a deposit system for shopping bags, and I hope to do a pilot project o demonnstrate that here at Metro Vancouver, probably in 2010.
One barrier I see in your situation is a green housewares store is not going to be a daily or weekly part of your customers lives. You may see them every day during their remopdelling, but it seems likely they will end up with a bag at home, requiring a special trip to get their deposit back.
You might be able to ameliorate this by partnering with a neighbouring grocery store or creating a neighbourhood deposit bag system. Then people could return the bag to any of the stores and get their money back.
Cheers,
Ruben.
Ruben Anderson
Communications Specialist
Metro Vancouver
Canada