Phoenix grocery stores encouraged customers to use reusable shopping bags by distributing 30,000 free bags supplied by the city of Phoenix at 85 stores on Saturday, Nov. 17. Stores offered special displays announcing the Bag Central Station program and handed out reusable bags with the assistance of Mayor Phil Gordon, Vice Mayor Dave Siebert and Councilman Greg Stanton.

The distribution was part of an effort by the city of Phoenix and major retail outlets to address the problem of plastic bag litter and the dumping of “film plastic” bags in city recycling containers. The city residential recycling program does not accept the bags which damage mechanized sorting equipment.

All major Phoenix supermarkets are now accepting used plastic bags at convenient in-store locations, regardless of their origin. Shoppers should look for containers with the Bag Central Station logo, a common citywide theme created in partnership with the Arizona Food Marketing Alliance and Wal-Mart.

Phoenix officials began working with the Arizona Food Marketing Alliance early this year to address ways to reduce, reuse and recycle the plastic bags. Annually, more than 300 million plastic bags are consumed by Phoenix residents. The solutions, announced during a Nov. 15 America Recycles Day news conference, included easy recycling opportunities near store entrances and the promotion of reusable bags.