Whole Foods Bag Discount

You probably already know that effective January 1, 2010, the District will begin charging shoppers 5 cents for every plastic bag used at the grocery or liquor store. Most of that money goes to cleaning-up the Anacostia River, but the general goal is to reduce the number of plastic bags that clog our rivers, waste petroleum and crowd our landfills. If you’re a low-income DC resident, you can get free reusable bags from the city. Get info on bag giveaway days & locations, as well as general information on the bag ban on the Skip the Bag, Save the River website.

Using the carrot vs. stick metaphor, the DC government has chosen to use a stick to encourage the use of reusable bags by implementing a plastic bag fee. Whole Foods, however, is using a carrot to get its customers on the reusable bag bandwagon. Right now, if you bring reusable bags to Whole Foods, they will reduce your total grocery bill by 7 cents per bag. It may not be much, but it’s better than paying extra for plastic bags!

Photo Credit: DC Government