Yesterday I popped to our local supermarket to stock up. Usually I would avoid shopping on a Saturday at any cost but after a really busy week I realised that I wouldn’t be able to make much of the carrots, apricots and butter which was all we had in our fridge. So off I went to Sainsbury’s with my usual collection of (cotton, canvass etc) tote bags.
When I was paying at the checkout the lady on the till asked “How many bags have you recycled?” At first I thought this was polite chit-chat and wasn’t sure that I’d heard her correctly. Then she pointed to my bags and said again “How many bags have you recycled?” So I answered “3″ – which I had. Then she said “Well, you get points for not using carrier bags you see. It’s a new reward scheme” and handed me 3 mini fold-out leaflets, which turned out to be vouchers for days out to various UK attractions and theme parks. “Also, you’ve got some money off fuel on your receipt which you need to use within 7 days”.
I can see the positive side to this, really I can. And you could say that shopping at the supermarket isn’t the greenest option, I know that (I talked about this a little in my ‘Is is safe to go back to the supermarket?’ post). However, wouldn’t a really great way to reward recycling be to help customers do another green thing? So, instead of money off fuel, give money off train tickets. Instead of vouchers for theme parks give vouchers for organic treats.
Personally I don’t think that people recycle in order to get some kind of reward. Additionally there is probably some economic reason that Sainsbury’s have chosen the particular scheme that they have but to me it just feels like one step forward, two steps back. Is it just me?
Oh, by the way, the vouchers are printed on FSC paper. I thought it only fair to mention that.
July 29th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Family members had told me that various supermarkets were offering points for recycling bags which like you I thought was great – but money off petrol and theme parks! Thats ridiculous. They defintely should be green incentives, perhaps you could write to them expressing your concerns. When I get time I will try!
August 11th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Green incentives are not only a great idea, but also the most practical! I live in the U.S. just outside of NYC and my local grocery store (Shoprite) offers a $0.05 return on each re-usable bag used when you shop. I still try to shop at the local farmer’s market as often as I can, but it is nice to know that the supermarket is offering some kind of incentive.