It's fine that you don't like plastic bags but in business the customer is boss. What do your customers want to get their produce in? Tom

Ths can be a hard sell. People seem to like their plastic - i.e. convenience.

I'm thinking you'll have to offer some kind of incentive. Perhaps give a discount if people bring their own bags, whatver kind they are. This will at least get people to re-use plastic, if that's what they have.

Or perhaps give a discount it they will take a cardboard box instead of a bag, and a further discount if they bring back the box. If you can find boxes that once held food, or something "clean" like paper goods, etc., re-using the boxes may not be so bad. I wouldn't put food in a used motor oil box, lol, but I wouldn't have a problem with food in say, a paper towel box or a banana box, as long as the box is very clean.

You can find the cheapest source for cloth bags, and get them imprinted. You may have to give them away, or sell very cheaply, but you can think of it as advertising -IF the folks will use them! And perhaps over time, especially with incentives, people may come to love the cloth bags and may buy some. Maybe give one away and then if they want more they pay...?

As far as green bags, there is paper. I know it takes more energy to produce up front, but IMHO, I'd still rather use paper than plastic. At least the paper can be composted and will degrade.

I also know there are compostable/degradable bags out there made, I think, from cornstarch. Whether these fall into the category of taking corn away from the food supply, I'm not really sure. I haven't done enough research.

Try googling for green container options. I think you'll find a few.

Other than that, it takes training the customers, lol. Some will be open to new, green ways. Others will never budge.

I don't use plastic at my stand at the market. I use paper bags with handles - pretty expensive, but I felt it was worth it. Most people don't seem to mind, but then again I'm a small vendor and don't make huge produce sales - I have mostly flowers.

Good luck - and kudos to you for your efforts!
:)
Dee

"I also know there are compostable/degradable bags out there made, I think, from cornstarch. Whether these fall into the category of taking corn away from the food supply, I'm not really sure. I haven't done enough research."

Federal subsidies just for corn production in 2005 exceeded 9.5 billion dollars. We sell corn cheaper to Mexico than it costs to produce. You won't be taking any corn out of the food supply with your cornstarch bags......the ethanol boom has already done it.

Go with the flow, but don't give in. Put posters on your market walls endorsing the green movement. As a producer, you are in the grass roots end of it so why shouldn't you endorse greening up and away from plastic bags? Our local orchards make you bring your own pokes for the fruit, or you pay a surcharge for the paper bags, boxes or baskets.

Years ago, when bags first became a green issue, a chain of stores in Berkeley, California called The Coop bought bags back from customers. They reused the bags for purchases made by other customers. Paper bags were favored over plastic in those days. The unexpected result of that seemingly environmentally friendly practice was that cockroaches were spread all over the city! The store changed the policy such that bags for reuse could only be used by the customers bringing in their own bags.

If recycling of cardboard is not available in your area, customers might not want to be filling their trash collection barrels with cardboard. It has been pointed out in another thread that a lot of people do reuse the platic bags for various purposes. Offering a bag credit might induce your customers to bring their own bags. Wild Oats offers a five cent bag credit for each bag a customer brings in to use for their own purchases. I have an oversized cooler bag I use, because I live thirty miles from the store. They give me a ten cent credit for the cooler bag because it is so large. Good luck with your new business!

Lorna

I think the health department might try to crawl up your butt on this one with sanitary issues.

Good luck tho!

You go, moo!

If people bring in their own bags for produce, it is not a health department issue. I do it all the time.

My food coop was selling cotton mesh bags (smaller mesh than typical string bags) which are good for root crops, apples, oranges, etc. You could sell them to customers at cost, which might be in the $1- $2 range if you bought in quantity. Then also give them a 5 cent rebate for every bag they they reuse and set your pricing so that people who use new plastic bags are covering the cost (that is, price every thing 1-2 cents per pound higher, which the reusable bag folks don't pay).

Below is a link I pulled up in a Web search for "cotton mesh produce bag". You can probably find more.

Here is a link that might be useful: Reusable Bags