In keeping with Canada’s move to eliminate single use plastics more Canadian grocers have announced their plans. The federal government is hoping to remove plastic that is difficult to recycle and reduce plastic pollution  as well as mandating a minimum of 50% recycled content in plastic packaging this year.

Fortinos is saying goodbye to plastic bags this month and parent company Loblaw is reducing them on an ongoing basis.  Metro has already phased them out in their Food Basics stores with Metro banner stores following suit this spring. Walmart and Sobeys have already eliminated them company wide as has Shoppers Drug Mart.

Most retailers will allow the use of personal bags that consumers bring to the store themselves.  Some will offer reusable bags for purchase but other innovations are being tested.

Loblaw will offer their PC Express customers reusable plastic boxes for purchase that they can swap out for sanitized boxes with every grocery order. Walmart is trying a system in Guelph, ON where customers check out clean, reusable bags for a fee and return them to an in store kiosk within a month so they can be sanitized and recirculated. Sobeys held a contest in Atlantic Canada to find an alternative to the plastic wrap it uses on its meat and seafood and are working with the winner on a fibre replacement.