On Monday, Loblaws started charging $0.05 for the use of plastic bags in Toronto. By April 22nd (Earth Day), all the stores across Canada will be charging for plastic bags.

Personally, I think this is a great idea, and I applaud them for making the effort to do something that would reduce waste in our landfills. I already bring my own canvas bags and grocery bins. But if I didn’t already, would this encourage me to? I don’t know. I’m a little skeptical that 5¢ is going to make much of a difference. It’s the whole convenience factor – spend 5¢ or bring your own? Yes, it would add up quite quickly – imagine for a four person household how many plastic bags would be used per week for grocery shopping… but are they charging enough to make people want to change their habits?