Save Mart Schedules Reusable Bag Giveaway

ELLIOT ZWIEBACH

MODESTO, Calif. — Save Mart Supermarkets here said it plans to give away free reusable shopping bags Thursday to the first 300 customers at each of its 17 stores in central California — 13 in Fresno and four in Clovis — as part of an effort to highlight the benefits of reusable bags to customers and the environment.

Local dignitaries, including the mayors of the two cities and members of the city councils, are expected to serve as celebrity baggers at selected stores, the company said.

According to officals, the bags are made of recycled material; they are stronger, easier to carry and larger than single-use plastic and paper bags; and they can be recycled at the end of their lifespan.

Each reusable bag can replace up to four single-use plastic bags, the chain pointed out, "meaning that if customers consistently re-use just half the bags given away, more than one million single-use plastic bags will be eliminated from landfills," a chain spokesman said.

Commenting on the giveaway, Al Smith, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Fresno Chamber of Commerce, said, "The Chamber is very pleased Save Mart is making a strong effort to educate consumers about the benefits of reusable bags and to jump-start their adoption in our area. A cleaner environment [makes] our cities a better place in which to live and do business."