Reusable shopping bags used as incentives for shoppers across the U.S.

Reusable shopping bags are being used as incentives for shoppers, either as giveaways or a way to get cash from stores offering rebates.   About 25,000 reusable shopping bags will be given away in Los Angeles this week during the fourth-annual “Day Without A Bag” at various stores and libraries around the city.

In California every year, the average person uses about 500 single-use, plastic bags. When using a reusable shopping bag over two years, each person has the ability to prevent 1,000 plastic bags from going to the landfill or lining the coast.   During the busiest shopping days of the year, reusable shopping bags are given out for free to remind consumers about responsible shopping practices while ensuring that the cost of buying a reusable shopping bag isn’t a roadblock for anyone looking to use one.

Target stores throughout the United States have also started offering discounts for shoppers who bring in reusable bags. For each reusable shopping bag brought to the store for a shopping trip, customers are given a nickel. According to a recent December press release, the five cent rebates are a part of Target’s commitment to environmental sustainability. The Target chain currently has its sights set on Canada, but won’t be opening locations for at least a few years.

Other stores in the United States have offered similar rebates to customers.   These gestures, while small, go one step further to help municipalities and businesses better encourage the use of reusable shopping bags instead of simply coming up with ways of making the alternative less desirable, such as charging for plastic bags.