One Small Step on the Litterbug

I stopped at Minii Zakh, one of the prominent chains of grocery marts in Mongolia, on my way home today. I was ecstatic to see bok choy on its produce shelves and bought a bunch, thrilled with the idea of leafy greens and some meal variety. I later turned this into a slightly creative yet delicious tofu salad, more or less.

I had forgotten my grocery bag at home and my book bag was stuffed to the brim with papers, so I opted for plastic. I don't see a lot of families bringing their own shopping bags to stores and often feel like I stick out like a green sore thumb. However, I was pleased to learn that Minii Zakh charges for bags! It's not much: 60₮ each (about 4 cents USD). But it's a start!

Litter is an unfortunate problem here and inflated grocery bags tumbling down an alley like a tuft of tumbleweed is disheartening. But in my meeting with the Chamber of Commerce's public affairs representative a few weeks ago I learned that litter is a shared concern among city officials. He told me that there's been an effort to eliminate plastic bags entirely, offering paper only. He said stores were supposed to be following suit since last June, but the stores reportedly don't mind breaking the law if it's cheaper and plastic bags are cheap. Despite the four or so Mongolian companies producing paper bags, there hasn't been much success in the program's implementation. In personal observation, I confirm that statement as I certainly haven't seen any paper bags around the city's stores.

In any case, the baby-steps of good intentions are there.