May 27, 2008   16:02 ET

• LCBO customers want to help the environment and we are making it easier for them to make a positive change when shopping at the LCBO. LCBO staff are asking customers to bring any reusable bag, instead of using plastic or paper bags. If customers don’t have a reusable bag, LCBO staff encourage them to choose from a range of inexpensive reusable LCBO bags or take a free paper bag or cardboard box.

• LCBO believes Ontario consumers are ready to switch from plastic and paper bags to reusable bags and we will use our staff and promotional expertise to encourage consumers to make this transition quickly and as easily as possible.

• Reducing plastic bag use has been a key part of LCBO's environmental strategy since 2004. In the past six months alone, LCBO has reduced the use of plastic in LCBO stores by 30 per cent. LCBO was using approximately 80 million plastic bags a year before it embarked on its plastic bag reduction strategy.

• LCBO is now accelerating this strategy by encouraging customers to bring their own reusable bags. 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.

• LCBO customers can also return these plastic bags, along with their empty beverage alcohol containers, to The Beer Store for recycling. Through the “Bag it back” deposit return program, LCBO customers have access to an efficient and effective way of recycling plastic bags.

• LCBO has offered a reusable shopping bag since the early 1990s and was one of the first major Ontario retailers to do so. LCBO currently offers two different reusable bags: a polypropylene bag which carries up to six containers for $1.95 and a canvas Enviro bag with pockets that holds four containers for $3.95. With the Enviro bag, 50 cents from each sale goes to LCBO’s Natural Heritage Fund to help restore and rehabilitate wildlife and wildlife habitat in Ontario.

• Later this summer, LCBO will also offer a new reusable bag suitable for larger items (such as beer six-packs) that do not easily fit within the pocketed four- and six- container bags. At $.95 cents, this new bag will provide an inexpensive, durable alternative with handles for customers who may have forgotten to bring their own bag.

• For more information on LCBO’s environmental strategy to encourage customers to make informed choices to benefit the environment and help LCBO reduce its environmental "footprint", visit www.lcboenviroreport.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Chris Layton, LCBO Media Relations Coordinator
Tel: 416 864-6772; Cell: 416 587-3729; Fax. 416 864-6850
E-mail: chris.layton@lcbo.com