Northern and NorthMart’s northern customers who gave up plastic bags are going to see $379,000 come back to their communities through the Greener Tomorrow program.

The program helps reduce communities’ use of plastic bags by encouraging the use of reusable bags. It started when Northern and NorthMart gave every household two reusable shopping bags and implemented a fee for plastic bags at the till.

The plastic bag fee is collected all year and then distributed in full to a community-led initiative, chosen by the community leadership, beginning on Earth Day every year. In 2019, Earth Day was on April 22. All funds collected stay in the community in which they were raised.

This year, $379,000 will return to the communities, to support recycling programs, community clean-up, maintenance of parks, breakfast programs, on the land programs, environmental education, sports and wellness, solar energy, and greenhouse and seeds programs. In addition, 16 communities are completely plastic bag-free thanks to the support of community leaders who have decided to eliminate plastic bags.

“The Greener Tomorrow success relies on the willingness and commitment of the people, to work to improve their community,” says Alex Yeo, President of Canadian Retail at The North West Company. “We’re pleased to see acceptance and growth of the program in communities going back eight years now, starting with Nunavut and Nunavik in northern Quebec and is now in northern Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan.”