'Got Your Bags?' Campaign Kicks Off in Sacramento Statewide effort to promote reusable shopping bags and increase plastic bag recycling Published on Sep 18, 2009 - 7:50:16 AM
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 18 2009 - Today non-profit, government and business groups joined together to kick off the "Got Your Bags?" campaign -- a public education and outreach effort aimed at encouraging Californians to use reusable bags for shopping and bring plastic bags back to the store for recycling.
California state law (AB 2449) requires grocery stores and pharmacies with more than 10,000 square feet of retail space to provide bins for the collection and recycling of plastic shopping bags. Yet research shows that consumer awareness remains low, and shoppers often forget to bring their bags back to the store. The same holds true for reusable bags.
"Our goal with this campaign is to give consumers that extra reminder so they translate good intentions into action," said Christine Flowers-Ewing, Executive Director of Keep California Beautiful. "We all play an important role in increasing plastic bag recycling, stopping litter and helping to make California the most beautiful and cleanest state in the nation!"
In Sacramento, the "Got Your Bags?" campaign is working to bring together a coalition of partners that will help spread the important environmental messages in a number of creative ways. For example, 15 Save Mart stores in the Greater Sacramento area -- Sacramento and the cities of Carmichael, Davis, Elk Grove, Folsom, Orangevale, Rocklin, and Roseville -- today will give away up to 15,000 reusable bags to their customers.
"We encourage our customers to recycle their single-use plastic bags in our stores and to utilize our reusable bags every time they shop. Our durable reusable bags close the loop: they are manufactured from recycled material that is also easily recycled when the bags are worn out," said Alicia Rockwell, Director of Public Relations with Save Mart Supermarkets. "Our company works hard to educate our customers to Reduce-Reuse-Recycle and the 'Got Your Bags?' campaign is a great extra push to reinforce and remind us all."
"Choosing a reusable bag over a one-way paper or plastic bag is a simple choice we can each make that benefits the environment," said Margo Reid Brown, chair of the California Integrated Waste Management Board. "We are pleased to partner with Keep California Beautiful and others on 'Got Your Bags?' It's the call to action we need to remind us to bring our reusable bags with us while shopping."
The American Chemistry Council, which includes the Progressive Bag Affiliates -- a group of leading manufacturers and recyclers of plastic bags and plastic resins in the United States -- also are participating in the effort. "We are delighted to work with Keep California Beautiful to help promote access to convenient recycling for Sacramento residents," said Tim Shestek, Senior Director of State Affairs with the American Chemistry Council. "Plastic bags are too valuable to waste and should be recycled. I'm excited to provide plastic bag holders to Save Mart Supermarkets customers for today's event to provide an easy way to collect and store plastic bags for recycling. Recycling these bags and wraps allows them to have a second life as new products."
The "Got Your Bags?" campaign originated as a grassroots effort with the Mariposa County Public Works Department (MCPWD) and the Mariposa County Unified School District, who worked together on a pilot stenciling project in local supermarket parking lots. MCPWD staff created the "Got Your Bags?" slogan and logo stencil design. The stencil painting was then incorporated into a lesson plan on recycling for summer school students.
To learn more about the "Got Your Bags?" campaign, visit www.keepcaliforniabeautiful.org, or call 916-368-9301.
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