Paper or plastic? Fogo Island grocery store sticking with paper bags

The manager of a store on Fogo Island says he's happy running a business without plastic bags, and he has no plans to bring them back.

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Brad Cull, manager of Cull's Foodland in Joe Batt's Arm, said following the bag ban on the island last year, his store now only uses plastic bags for wine and liquor bottles.

"Most of our locals do miss the plastic bags, but we get a lot more positive feedback than we do on the negative," he said.

Cull said he's gotten very positive feedback from tourists as well, and only a couple of customers have been against switching to paper.

• No more plastic bags for shoppers onFogoIsland

According to Cull, many customers use reusable bags. The store also keeps cardboard boxes to pack up items for customers.

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Cull said the lack of plastic has kept his property, and the rest of Fogo, cleaner and tidier.

"In our parking lot, I have noticed a big difference there's no bags blowing around."

Ditching plastic isn't just good for the environment, Cull said it also saves his business money.

"Our biggest advantage is it's a bit of a cost savings [measure] on our part," he said.

"I know paper bags are more expensive, but the volume we use is a lot less."

Cull said a few stores on Fogo Island have gone back to plastic bags, but Cull's Foodland is sticking with paper. Even though the manager admits he does miss having extraplastic bags to put in his garbage cans at home.