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Starting today, Canada's largest grocery retailer, Loblaw Cos. Ltd., will charge Toronto customers five cents for each plastic bag they request – as part of its "respect the environment" initiative and in line with a City of Toronto bylaw scheduled to take effect later this year.

The policy will be extended to all Loblaw stores in Canada this spring.

The move, while widely supported, is not universally popular, Loblaw concedes. However, Loblaw's executive chairman, Galen G. Weston, says his company is committed to taking a leadership role in promoting the adoption of reusable bags, and diverting plastic bags from landfill sites.

Currently, Canadians take home 55 million plastic bags a week, Loblaw calculates.

"We believe this important move will inspire and help Canadians to more fully embrace reusable bag practices and it represents the next natural step forward as we continue to acknowledge and respond to Canadians' desire to support environmental initiatives," Mr. Weston said in announcing the move.

Whether you agree or not, Loblaw has taken a tough decision on a serious issues. That's why we at globeandmail.com are pleased that Mr. Weston was online to take questions from readers. Your questions and his answers appear at the bottom of this page.

As executive chairman, Mr. Weston is responsible for the strategic development and management of the company. Before this appointment in September, 2006, Mr. Weston was senior vice-president of corporate development with the corporation. His experience with Loblaw includes senior management roles within operations, President's Choice Financial and e-commerce. Mr. Weston joined the corporation in 1998 and holds a B.A. from Harvard University and an M.B.A. from Columbia University.

Loblaw Cos. Ltd., a subsidiary of George Weston Ltd., is Canada's largest food distributor and a leading provider of drugstore, general merchandise and financial products and services.

Loblaw is one of the largest private-sector employers in Canada. With more than 1,000 corporate and franchised stores from coast to coast, Loblaw and its franchisees employ more than 140,000 full-time and part-time employees.

Editor's Note: globeandmail.com editors will read and allow or reject each question/comment. Comments/questions may be edited for length or clarity. HTML is not allowed. We will not publish questions/comments that include personal attacks on participants in these discussions, that make false or unsubstantiated allegations, that purport to quote people or reports where the purported quote or fact cannot be easily verified, or questions/comments that include vulgar language or libellous statements. Preference will be given to readers who submit questions/comments using their full name and home town, rather than a pseudonym.

Virginia Galt, globeandmail.com: Good morning, Mr. Weston, and thanks so much for joining us today.

You are are introducing this initiative at a tough time economically, when consumers are becoming more cost-conscious. Why are you moving forward now -- even before the new City of Toronto bylaw requiring retailers to charge 5 cents per plastic bag takes effect?

Galen G. Weston: Thank you for inviting me today.

In 2006 we committed to diverting 1 billion plastic shopping bags from landfills by end of 2009, and we are steadily working towards that goal. In 2007 I went on TV to communicate that objective. In 2008, 300 million fewer bags ended up in landfills than in 2007.

Our goal is not to collect money; it's to reduce the number of plastic bags. This program will reduce waste, reduce cost and reduce the impact on the environment. We believe that this is good for the customer, for business and the environment. So why not start now?

And remember, no customer will be forced to buy a bag, if they forget their reusable bag. We will lend any customer a Green Box, with a fully refundable deposit.

Dale Jeffries, Toronto: I support Mr Weston's decision to charge for plastic bags - I hope the money collected will be directed to a good cause and not just adding to corporate profits. Perhaps it can be used to find ways to reduce the excessive plastic packaging used by Loblaw for products like meat, apples and potatoes.

My question for Mr. Weston: Why offer plastic bags at all? It just re-enforces lazy behaviour.

It would be far better if the client was trained like the ones that go to Costco to either bring your own bags, or re-use the packaging material used to deliver the products. It would also look like a green decision, and not just a grab for another nickel from a tapped out customer.

And a subsidized roll of plastic bags available for purchase near the cash would help the person that wants the bags for their groceries or for ... um ... cleaning up after their dog ... the usual destination for the bags.

Mr. Weston: Thank you for your support. Yesterday, we were pleased to announce a multi-year partnership with WWF-Canada to jointly help Canadians lower their impact on their environment. Partial proceeds from the charge for plastic bags will be donated to WWF-Canada.

You are right on the mark about the excessive packaging. We are focused on it, but it does take time. Although, don't forget that packaging plays a critical role in ensuring food safety, particularly in our fresh areas such as meat and produce.

Regarding moving to no bags, we have 5 bagless stores across the country as part of this initiative already.

In terms of cardboard boxes, many of our stores, like No Frills, have been doing exactly that for years.

This program won't take us all the way zero yet, but with our target of a 55 per cent reduction in plastic bags and diverting 1 billion bags from landfill we believe this is the right way to go.

Rachelle Bellair, Charlottetown, P.E.I.: Good morning Mr. Weston.

While I do use my cloth bags all the time - unless I forgot to put them back in the trunk of my car, in which case I usually will buy one or two more bags - I was reading this article wondering just how many 'unhappy' customers will leave their full grocery cart and walk out the store without their food! (and shop elsewhere ...)

I applaud your effort.

Mr. Weston: Rachelle, that's great. Really glad to hear it.

Not many. Like you, the vast majority of Canadians support this effort, which is great.

In the Toronto pilot, we have lots of signage in the parking lot and in the store. We even have "green greeters" making sure no one has that awkward moment at the cash register.

And, if they do forget their bags, remember they can always borrow our Green Boxes for a fully refundable deposit of $4.99. We plan to roll-out this out across the country on April 22, 2009, Earth Day.

A Person, Toronto: Toronto residents must put all their compostables into plastic bags before placing them into their green bins.

How does denying customers a thin, reusable plastic bag at the grocery store help us to reduce plastic garbage if we will now just have to buy a thicker, non-reusable plastic refuse bag to replace the one we used to get with our groceries?

Mr. Weston: Hello. Our approach to plastic bags is built around the reduce, reuse and recycle philosophy. Our main objective in this program is to reduce the number of bags going to landfills.

We have made our bag thicker, making it great for reuse, after which you can use it to reline your green bin.

It is also worth taking a look at some of the alternative solutions available for lining your green bin, which can cut down even more on the amount of plastic ending up in our landfills (Although, they do come at a cost).

Benjamin Roebuck, Ottawa: Have you considered using bio-degradable plastic bags such as those used by CO-OP grocery stores in the UK? You could still apply a surcharge, but customers who opted for the bags would not be causing as much harm to the environment.

Mr. Weston: Benjamin, yes, we've evaluated the use of biodegradable bags and feel this is not the right solution.

The reason is that the environmental impact of shopping bags on our landfills will not be solved by making them biodegradable because when something biodegrades it means that the waste is being added to the air instead to the landfill.

Biodegradation is wasting resources that could be reused or recycled with major savings of energy compared to making new products out of virgin raw materials.

As I've said, the solution lies in the 3R's, with reducing plastic bag usage being our 1st priority. That's why our efforts are focused on reducing the number of bags we distribute by helping consumers switch to reusable options.

T. Dee, Mississauga: If Loblaw is so concerned about the environment then why not offer BROWN PAPER BAGS ONLY!

Whole Foods gives you the option - plastic or paper.No other grocery store offers the choice.

Mr. Weston: T. Dee, very good question and we are asked this often.

It's important that we dispel the myth around paper bags. Actually, paper and plastic bags have similar environmental impacts and therefore we will not solve problems of energy use, air pollution or waste by switching from plastic to paper.

In fact, according to environmentalist experts the best thing to do is to reduce the number of bags and reuse a bag as many times as possible. Plastic is easier to reuse and is likely to last longer than a paper bag.

We feel we are offering the best choice to our customers.

Great Caesar, Ottawa: I used to shop at Loblaw but have since gone to local Farm Boy stores, Loebs and even Wal-Mart. Reason? Prices.

Loblaw is very expensive on such products as milk, butter, cheese, eggs and so on.

Now it's adding to the cost by charging for plastic bags. Wrong issue. It's not plastic bags; it's the cost of food stuffs at Loblaw compared to other stores.

Get rid of the towels and household appliances (which are far cheaper elsewhere) and concentrate on food.

Mr. Weston: Hello. Prices at Loblaws are lower than ever before, so pay us another visit to see for yourself. Also by buying our quality no name products, you can save even more.

Again, no customer will be forced to buy bags. If you forget your bags, or don't want to use them, you can borrow our Green Box for a fully refundable $4.99 deposit.

Bob Verdun, Kitchener: Practical questions: How will Loblaws deal with the extra step of charging for plastic bags at the self serve checkouts? Are we going to have to wait for an employee to count the bags before we can tally, pay, and leave?

Will our own carry-home bags work at all with the self serve system, which depends on checking weights to prevent cheating?

What about the thin plastic produce bags (the ones that are so hard to open)? Are they no longer free? They are an essential part of the shopping process, even if I bring my own carry-home bags.

Overall, I personally object to this foolishness, because, in our household, we re-use all plastic bags as much as possible, and we collect the rejects for recycling. I am one of Canada's original environmentalists, having started to fight pollution vigorously in the 1960s, and I'm now a volunteer assisting the Government of Barbados to deal with its environmental challenges.

Mr. Weston: Hi Bob. We've made the appropriate adjustments to the self-checkout to ensure a seamless process and produce bags are still available at no charge.

We would be more than happy to share any of our research to help your work in Barbados. Keep up the great work.

I hope you are enjoying the winter.

Virginia Galt, globeandmail.com: Mr. Weston, thanks so much for being our guest today. You have certainly struck a chord with this issue. Do you have any closing thoughts?

Galen G. Weston: It's been a pleasure.

At Loblaw, we do not see a fundamental incompatibility between delivering great value to our customers and living up to our principles.

Reducing waste reduces costs and at the same time can reduce our impact on the environment. In today's tougher economic times, reducing waste while reinvesting to reduce prices is good for the environment, good for business, and good for you, our customers … a powerful combination.

And in many cases like this one, all it takes is a small change in behaviour. Together we can help the environment.

Sorry I couldn't answer all of your questions today given the limited time. If your question was not answered, please forward it to AskGalen@loblaw.ca and I'll do my best to respond. Galen