At The Store

1. Be a Green Shopper - think first! Before you buy anything, ask yourself: “Do I really need it?”
2. Buy in bulk for frequently used items, as larger sizes reduce the amount of packaging.
3. Buy fruits and vegetables loose rather than prepackaged and only wrap them in plastic if you need to.
4. Avoid buying desserts or snacks that come in single-serving containers.


Each Canadian throws away approximately half a kilogram of packaging daily. In fact, half of our solid waste by volume and one third of our waste by weight is made up of packaging

5. Avoid products that are over packaged, or send excess packaging to the manufacturer with a letter explaining why it's unnecessary and wasteful.
6. Avoid buying disposables when there are alternatives (napkins, cutlery, plates, cups and bowls, pens, diapers).
7. Avoid disposable cameras and batteries. Recycle your film canisters, or reuse them for storing small items such as pins, needles, nails, hooks, buttons, beads, etc.
8. Use cloth bags when shopping or reuse the plastic bags you already have.
9. Look for the EcoLogo™ label when shopping to help you identify and select environmentally-friendly products and services.

What does “Green” Mean?

Lots of products claim to be "green" or "earth friendly" but what do these claims mean and are they true? All products have some environmental impact in their manufacture, packaging, use and disposal. But some products are better than others.

Green products are generally those that are durable, repairable, energy efficient, recyclable and made with recycled materials. Environment Canada has approved only one label- EcoLogoTM -to tell consumers that the products and services bearing the label are less stressful to the environment.

Canadians take home more than 55 million plastic shopping bags each week, or almost eight million every day!

In Ireland, a tax on the free plastic bags given away in supermarkets has cut the number of bags in use by 90 percent since it was introduced in 2002.

In South Africa the thin, flimsy plastic bag is now illegal. Shoppers either have to take their own bags with them, or buy new, thick, stronger plastic bags that are easier and more profitable to recycle.

Perhaps Canada should tax or ban the bags, too!