Kids & Family
Survey Reveals Most Shoppers Use Disposable Bags
According to the survey by the Prince George's Sierra Club, only 7 percent of shoppers in the county are using reusable grocery bags.
A large part of the discussion about a is behavior modification and how people—regardless of whether they support the tax—should take reusable bags to the store.
Martha Ainsworth of Bowie, a member of the executive committee of the Prince George’s Sierra Club, recently organized a survey to study shoppers' use of bags at local grocery stores.
The results showed that of 7,897 shoppers surveyed, only 7 percent used reusable grocery bags and 93 percent used disposable bags—virtually all of them plastic, according to a release from the Prince George's Sierra Club. The survey was conducted over four weekends from Jan. 28 to Feb. 18.
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“This survey provides evidence that more needs to be done to reduce the use of single-use disposable bags,” Ainsworth said in a release.
According to the survey:
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The highest reusable bag use was found in the northern part of the county – Greenbelt (15%) and Hyattsville/College Park (14%) – while the lowest rates were in the southern county – Accokeek, Brandywine, Ft. Washington, Oxon Hill, and Upper Marlboro (collectively 2.5%). Bowie and Clinton were in the middle, with 8.6% and 7.2% of shoppers, respectively, exiting with a reusable bag.
Do you use reusable bags when shopping at the grocery store? If not, leave us a comment to tell us why you don't use them.
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