Farmer Irritates Some With Plastic Bag Fee

Few things surprise me when I read the paper, but this story in the Trib about a brouhaha over one local farmer charging for plastic bags, just stuck with me.

I think I feel most sorry for the customer that sustainability expert farmer Henry Brockman outed in the press for strenuously complaining about his decision to charge 25 cents for up to four plastic bags.

Here’s what she said:

“While I admire your dedication to trying to change the environment for the better, I have to tell you I find your plastic bag policy offensive. You are in the business of selling produce. If you don’t provide something for the people to take your produce home with, you are not good businesspeople.”

Um. I’d be humiliated, in the Sunday Trib no less. But, on this one, I’m going to have to side with Brockman.

I’m frankly amazed that any of the farmers have plastic bags without charging. I just got back from Costco and there are no bags there…only boxes to re-use. I loaded my dairy in the same canvas shopping bag I keep in the car to take to the grocery…and my farmers market. And, what about that little German chain, Aldi? Plastic bags are a quarter. A nickel for paper.

Brockman’s well-thought out decision for his bag policy is here.

And, you can’t argue with success:

…Last year I was dumping over 1000 plastic bags into the environment per market, we have been to seven Evanston Farmers markets this year and I still haven’t reached the bottom of my first 1000-count box of biodegradable plastic bags.

Photo from Flickr.