LCBO To Stop Handing Out Plastic Bags

Those sturdy plastic bags you get at the liquor store will soon be a thing of the past.

The LCBO said it’s not ordering any more of the totes once its current supply runs out, according to a published report.

The liquor bags are a coveted cupboard item in many households as they’re heavy plastic and good for reusing several times, but in an effort to promote more environmentally-friendly alternatives the province plans to scrap them.

Outlets will provide cardboard boxes and paper bags instead and customers are encouraged to bring a reusable sack along with them when they want to buy some wine, beer or spirits.

According to Environment Canada, plastic bags take approximately 400 years to break down.

The LCBO hands out about 80 million plastic bags a year. It’s estimated some 3.5 billion plastic totes are used across the province annually.

Ontario’s liquor stores are the first to implement a ban on plastic bags but Nova Scotia had the idea first – last month the government there announced liquor stores would stop handing out the bags this fall.

“Our customers want to help the environment,” LCBO President and CEO Bob Peter said Tuesday. “We’re going to make it as easy as possible for them to make a positive difference by encouraging them to bring reusable bags when they shop at the LCBO. We are asking our customers to join with us to make bringing a reusable bag the first choice.”