Putting single-use plastic alternatives to the test: CBC's Marketplace cheat sheet

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They're taking over your cupboards, the backseat of your car and your kitchen: Reusable grocery bags.

With plastic bag bans at all levels of government across Canada, shoppers are faced with a plethora of choices at the grocery store. Is it better to grab the flimsy cloth-style bags, or shell out for a heftier tote? Marketplace set up a test to find out.

The Canadian government counts bags containing plastic as reusable if they can withstand 100 trips of 53 metres each while carrying 10 kilograms, without breaking or tearing.

Although this regulation is on hold while the plastics industry challenges it in court, Marketplace wanted to find out which bags sold at Canadian stores met that benchmark. We purchased bags from Sobeys, Real Canadian Superstore, Dollarama, Walmart and Metro, and tested a single-use plastic bag for comparison.

On a running track in Whitby, Ont., student athletes were each assigned a bag, and a selection of commonly purchased groceries weighing 10 kilograms. To simulate a typical trip to the grocery store, students would unpack and repack the bags every 53 metres.

All of the thinner cloth reusable bags failed before 100 trips. One of them, from Sobeys, only made it five trips before tearing.

Read more from the Marketplace team.

Single-use plastic items are a substantial contributor to litter across Canada, but compostable alternatives can follow a similar path, Marketplace has found.

As various levels of government ban many single-use plastic items, compostable products are rising in popularity. But Marketplace found these alternatives are not as great for the planet as their green packaging seems to suggest.

To simulate what would happen to compostable items if they ended up in our environment, Marketplace buried items in the ground, in a backyard composter and submerged them in a lake.

After 14 weeks, only three out of 30 products completely broke down.

"It's single-use garbage," said Karen Wirsig, from the advocacy group Environmental Defence. "What companies are trying to do is continue to use the same convenient-for-them, single-use packaging, and just try to get rid of it in a different way."

Read more from the Marketplace team.

Health Canada is pushing back against U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that Tylenol use during pregnancy and childhood is linked to autism. 

The government department said acetaminophen, the generic name for Tylenol, is a recommended treatment for pain and fever during pregnancy, and should be used as directed by a doctor, at "the lowest effective dose for the shortest duration." It noted untreated fever and pain can pose health risks to a fetus. 

"There is no conclusive evidence that using acetaminophen as directed during pregnancy causes autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders," Health Canada said Wednesday in a posting on its website. 

Here's how many 'risky heat' days climate change added to our summer this year
All 12 heat waves this summer 'much' or 'far' more likely due to climate change: Environment Canada.

Liberal government frees Canada Post to end home delivery, close some post offices
Non-urgent mail will be allowed to move by ground, increasing delivery time from 3-4 days to 3-7 days.

Blood donors surprised Canadian plasma products being sold abroad
Spanish drugmaker Grifols using donated plasma byproducts to manufacture albumin.

Have you gone to extreme lengths to lose weight? How has our health-care system helped or hindered your weight loss journey? We want to hear from you. Write to us at marketplace@cbc.ca.

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Data Journalist, Marketplace

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