So far, a total of 18 shoppers using their reusable bags won Naf 100 on the spot. "I didn't believe it at first," a winner explained. "I just use the bag because it holds so much. My home has stairs and it is easier to walk once with one bag than three times with 10 plastic bags." Due to the great response, the GEBE Supermarket Challenge will continue the program into March. "We have another nine certificates to give out," explained Giselle Dirckx-Williams, GEBE Corporate Communications Officer, "So we will be coming to a supermarket near you with more prizes, but only if you are using a reusable shopping bag."
The GEBE reusable bag program is aimed at reducing the amount of plastic bags in our environment by encouraging shoppers to walk with their own bags. It is estimated that St. Maarten uses hundreds of thousands of plastic bags per year; all of which end up on the landfill and in our environment. But changing behavior can be difficult. Many shoppers leaving with plastic bags were less thrilled to learn that they did not win. Especially those who had forgotten their reusable bag either at home or right in their car. "It's hard," explained Barbara Cannegieter, a St. Maarten Pride Foundation volunteer, "First you have to remember to put the bag in your car and then you have to remember to bring it with you in the store."
"We still have a way to go in educating the population on the drawbacks of plastic bags," Dirckx-Williams explained, "The majority of shoppers still use plastic bags, but we are seeing a gradual increase in the amount of customers shopping with reusable bags."
Plastic bags have an enormous impact on our environment. They litter our beaches and surroundings, end up in our landfill and since they do not biodegrade, the plastic stays in our environment for up to 1000 years.
Reusable bags are on sale by most major supermarkets, such as Cost U Less and Le Grand Marche, who recently launched their own brand of reusable bags that sell for $2 of which proceeds go to the various environmental organizations. Other non-profit organizations such as the Animal Welfare foundation also sell reusable bags as a way to raise funds for their cause.