Reusable Bags

CHEB Pushing for Reusable Bags

Using reusable bags at supermarkets is becoming increasingly popular throughout the country, and CHEB is encouraging their use by Cherry Hill residents. CHEB has been actively meeting with merchants to encourage making reusable bags available.

Did you you know that 6,349 plastic bags were found on the Jersey shore last year? Did you know that approximately one million marine mammals and fish are killed in the ocean each year from plastic bags? Plastic bags take up a large amount of landfill space, and can take 500 to 1,000 years to biodegrade.

Cutting down on the use of plastic bags is easy. Some area markets, such as Shop Rite, Wegmans, and Whole Foods, sell them at a minimal charge. Reusable bags can be purchased at other locations as well. Even if you shop at a market that doesn't sell them, you can bring reusable bags obtained elsewhere. Reusable bags are often given out at conferences and other events, and can be used when food shopping. In addition to helping protect the environment, reusable bags are generally made of cloth or a heavy plastic material that is much sturdier than flimsy plastic bags used by supermarkets.

If you don't go the reusable bag route, you can still help protect the environment by saving your plastic bags from one shopping trip and simply reusing them the next time. Also, plastic bags can be recycled, which is much better than just throwing them in your trash and having them wind up in a landfill or worse.