Published in

Plastic

Rate this post

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars

Tagged as

brownpaperbags, plasticbags, productstewardship

Join the discussion

4 comments

Share this article

Published on October 26th, 2009

Retailers Offer Cash Savings for Reusable Bag Use

by Trey Granger

In a promotion for reusable bags, two of America’s largest retailers, CVS and Target, have developed cash incentive programs for customers that opt out of disposable bags.

Target started with a pilot program earlier this year in 100 stores, in which customers received a 5-cent discount for each reusable bag they brought. The project resulted in a decrease in plastic bag use by 58 percent. In light of the success, the program will go nationwide in 1,700 stores on Nov. 1.

The key is to buy the right kind of reusable bags. However, if the bags are cheap and do not last long, they will end up in the landfill and defeat the purpose of your purchase. Photo: Amanda Wills, Earth911.com

The key is to buy the right kind of reusable bags. However, if the bags are cheap and do not last long, they will end up in the landfill and defeat the purpose of your purchase. Photo: Amanda Wills, Earth911.com

CVS will offer a higher discount, but you have to be a member of CVS’s ExtraCare rewards program. For 99 cents, members will get a leaf-shaped Green Bag Tag card, which can be attached to a reusable bag. The card will then be scanned at each purchase. After every fourth shopping trip, a $1 Extra Buck coupon will be printed on their receipt.

The programs also tie in with recent legislation in California and Florida that look to ban paper and plastic disposable bags from retail stores.

In a fitting twist, reusable bags are often made out of recycled plastic, meaning they not only keep disposable bags out of landfills but also provide another use for recycled plastic bottles. While plastic recycling is steadily increasing, its 27 percent overall recycling rate is less than half that of aluminum and cardboard.

Trey Granger

Trey Granger

Trey Granger is a staff member at Earth911.com.

More articles by Trey


4 Comments

  1. Retailers Offer Cash Savings for Reusable Bag Use « Reusable Grocery Bags

    posted on October 26th, 2009 at 9:28 am

    [...] After every fourth shopping trip, a $1 Extra Buck coupon will be printed on their receipt. For more about this story go [...]

  2. Bring Your Own Bag And Save Money | Sun River Village-St.Peters

    posted on November 5th, 2009 at 8:09 am

    [...] Read more about these two big stores going green… [...]

  3. Going Green Counts | Presidio East

    posted on November 10th, 2009 at 10:15 am

    [...] Read more about these two big stores going green here. [...]

  4. Use a Reusable Bag–Get Cash Savings | Latitudes at the Moors

    posted on November 17th, 2009 at 2:33 pm

    [...] Interested in this?  Read more here… [...]

Join the discussion



Recently Added to Plastic

  • U.K. Tests Dirty Diaper Recycling

    When a new recycling facility opens next year in Birmingham, England, it won’t specialize in typical curbside products or other materials growing in recycling popularity, such as electronics and tires. This site will collect disposable diapers and transform the plastic …

  • Polystyrene Outlawed at San Jose Events

    The San Jose Mercury News reports that the city of San Jose, Calif. has banned the use of polystyrene foam food and beverage containers at large events on city property.

    San Jose is the most recent to join a growing list …

  • Reuse Your Odd Plastic

    Yeah, it’s made of plastic and has a number, and OK, it’s technically recyclable. But while 80 percent of Americans have access to plastics recycling programs in some form, finding one that actually accepts our daily hard-to-recycle items is sometimes …

Advertise with us

Advertise with us