Reusable Bags Catching On in Saipan

According to the Saipan Tribune today, the reusable bag trend is catching on fast. The little island came into the eco-age thanks to some deft cooperation between their Department of Environmental Quality and a popular local supermarket, and it sounds like their proactive approach is finally starting to pay off.

As part of the Department of Environmental Quality’s Green Business Initiative, the organization gave 100 tote bags to Joeten stores and Carmen Safeway for consumers to use instead of plastic bags for groceries, DEQ spokesperson Reina Camacho said.

Each time a consumer uses a reusable bag, they are eligible for a $25 drawing each week to use at the store. The initiative has ended at Joeten, but will continue at Carmen Safeway through December, Camacho said. She said consumers have finally started noticing the bags and are using them more.

Camacho alluded to the reusable bag switch being a slow start, noting that consumers need to “see it several times before it clicks in their head.” She also hesitates to cite specific causes without polls and scientific explanations, though she did mention hope that it has at least a little bit to do with the environment.

“I’m hoping that the real reason that people are wanting to use tote bags are because they’re realizing they are using a lot of plastic bags, that the reusable bags are better for the environment,” she said.

The $25 savings might also be luring consumers, she added.

Whatever the reason, however, at least seems to be working. At this point in time, that’s more environmental headway than most countries can say.

Photo via Flickr!

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008 at 9:33 am and is filed under The Daily. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.