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It's an economic dilemma that has a lot to do with two kinds of green: the monetary kind and the environmental type. What businesses and you choose may say a lot about your methods of saving the planet. As the move continues to get you to pick alternates to plastic shopping bags in stores, many are turning to something called 'biobags'. They're containers that break down quickly in landfills, returning to a natural state in the earth, unlike their plastic counterparts which can potentially last for hundreds of years.

The new bags, made from vegetable and corn starch, are as strong and durable as their plastic counterparts. But they don't start to decompose until they come into contact with the earth. But there's a catch - they're considerably more expensive to buy than the plastic types, as much as $7 for 25 garbage bags. Some don't mind the extra dough. "It's only a couple dollars and it does help," shrugs one shopper.

Durham is already ahead of the curve on the bags. They're mandatory in the region's green bins. "These bags ... are as strong as the other product," proclaims Peter Watson of the local Waste Management Department. "But when mixed in with food waste they gradually break down, and that's what they're designed to do."

Competition is gradually bringing the prices of the newcomers down, and that's led to mass acceptance from consumers. "It's better than using all that plastic going into the garbage all the time," concurs Whitby resident Don Neal. "At least these dissolve."

That's what attracted places like Toronto's Mountain Equipment Co-op, which has been selling the so-called BioBags for over a year. "It's made of corn starch and it will break down in your home composter probably in about 12 to 24 months," points out the co-op's Dave Robinson. Since they introduced the idea, the store has cut the use of plastic bags by an impressive 55 percent.

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