Eco-friendly shopping bag launched by Minister Beache

In an effort to ensure a cleaner environment and to reduce the amount of plastic discarded throughout the country, the Ministry of Tourism and some local supermarkets have embarked on a project where shoppers will purchase a canvas shopping bag, and each time they use the bag, they will be credited the cost of the plastic bags they would have used.{{more}}

The project, which was conceived by the Ministry of Tourism’s communications unit, was launched on Monday, December 15th, at the Ministry’s conference room at the Cruise ship terminal.

At present, four supermarkets have signed on to the initiative: CK Greaves, Food City, Randy’s Supermarket and Corea’s Mini Mart. The Ministry is hoping that more businesses would soon embrace this initiative.

The bags are made in Trinidad, and the first 1,500 of 5,000 are already in the country. The bags are dark green in colour and have the St Vincent and the Grenadines tourism logo on one side with the slogan ‘We are an environmentally friendly people’. Each bag is expected to hold what three regular sized black plastic shopping bags would hold.

Minister of Tourism Glen Beache said that he expects the idea to catch on. He said so far the feedback has been very positive and that the programme would soon be extended, with other agencies like the Solid Waste Management Unit collaborating.

John Thom, of CK Greaves and Company Ltd, told SEARCHLIGHT that it is a great idea and that his company had a similar idea and they are pleased that the Ministry of Tourism has come forward with the initiative. The supermarkets will be given the bags by the Ministry and they will be sold to the customer at a cost of ten dollars each.