The LCBO announced in May that it would no longer be handing out plastic bags at its stores, to the delight of most environmental-minded citizens, and the scorn of other plastic-loving ones. It was intended that the LCBO would not order any more bags after their supply runs out.

From their news release:

LCBO has stopped ordering plastic bags and expects supplies of the remaining stock to run out by summer. As a result, availability of plastic bags in the next few months will vary from store to store.

Note it said “by summer”. Not “in the summer” or “the end of summer” or “by fall”, but “by summer”, which would mean before June 23, 2008.

The Toronto Star went even further:

The Liquor Control Board of Ontario will announce today that it won’t hand out plastic shopping bags once it exhausts existing supplies, the Star has learned. Some stores have already run out.

So I found it strange that it is now the end of September and the three main stores I go to (Manulife Centre, Hudsons Bay Centre, and Yonge/Wellesley) are still handing out plastic bags. Even busy stores, like Yonge/Dundas, still have a supply. The strangest thing is that some stores seem to have restocked plastic bags, as in, they had run out and now they have them again.

There’s two possible explanations:

1) The program is incredibly successful and everyone is bringing their own bag or asking for paper bags (because you have to ask, since most clerks are still reaching first for the plastic). This means the supply of plastic bags is dwindling more slowly than they first thought.

2) They caved in on the policy and have quietly brought plastic bags back.

I certainly hope #1 is the case. But two things are causing me to be suspicious. First, is the return of bags at the stores that had previously run out. And second, is the quality of the more recent plastic bags - they are thinner than the old ones. Why would the bag change if there was no new contract signed?

Does your local LCBO still have plastic bags?