Sault opens doors to bag ladies. And gentlemen

Sault Ste. Marie retailers are going yet another step to persuade us to reduce the number of one-time plastic bags we use.

Today the Shopper Loyalty Project launched at the Civic Centre, with a proliferation of reusable bags strung up and laid out all over the place.

Participating merchants and organizations, in partnership with the City of Sault Ste. Marie and the Recycling Council of Ontario (RCO) are offering incentives to customers to reduce use of one-time bags and to recycle or reuse the ones they have at home.

"Sault Ste. Marie is demonstrating environmental leadership by retailers, organizations and schools participating in this program," said Sarah Mills, RCO's manager of special programs. The planning committee is also welcoming the help of area youth through school participation, said Ward 1 Councillor Steve Butland, who emceed today's launch.

"Cash prizes will be awarded to the elementary and high schools that collect the most plastic bags by weight per student," said launch committee member and Glassworks owner/operator Charlie Thomlinson [shown].

The contest will continue at schools from October 1 to January 9.

Thomlinson said the first phase of the contest will see students bringing in one-time use plastic shopping bags for recycling in cooperation with the waste diversion office of the City of Sault Ste. Marie.

Results will be posted on the City website monthly throughout the duration of the contest, so students and their families can keep up with how their school is doing.

The second phase of the contest involves shoppers.

Students will be asking family members and neighbours to tell retailers what school sent them shopping with a re-usable bag.

Retailers will mark receipts with school's name and the receipts will count toward plastic bag credits on the schools' monthly scores.

"This means we not only have plastic bags recycled and diverted from the landfill, we have students encouraging the use of re-usable bags too," Thomlinson said. "There will also be prizes for both the schools and for individual students."

Thomlinson said the launch committee has almost been overwhelmed by interest in this part of the program.

"We've got retailers and organizations coming forward to donate really cool stuff like bikes, bags, gift cards, and of course, cash," he said.

The third phase of this contest asks participating schools to submit an environmental plan for bag credits.

The winning high school will score $1,000.

There will be $500 and $300 prizes for the elementary schools.

Participating retailers and organizations will also be offering various promotions over the next six months for people using reusable bags.

Some of these include raffle tickets, discounts, bags and even pastries said Randy Roy, the City's waste diversion supervisor. "So the committee wants everyone to remember to refill and repeat using their reusable bags," said Butland.

Just to make sure people remember their reusable bags, Robin Thompson and the folks at Life's a Stitch even put together a jacket made of reusable bags from local retailers and organizations.

The jacket will be touring the area over the next six months, said Maureen Webb, marketng director at Station Mall.