LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
Although Earth Day is quickly approaching, the Langley Commissary started began going green in January with the sale of earth-friendly green bags for 70 cents each.
The reusable bags, which are machine washable, strong enough to hold 30 pounds of groceries and can be recycled, were introduced into various commissaries in October 2007, according to a Defense Commissary Agency news release.
"People are tired of plastic bags," said Arthur J. Lehman, Langley Commissary store director.
Customers have reacted very well to the bags; the commissary sells 500 to 600 a week, according to Mr. Lehman.
Commissaries worldwide have sold about half a million bags in four months, said Rick Page, DeCA's acting director. "Customer demand for the product is better than we expected, but rest assured we are working to get additional shipments to all commissaries as soon as possible."
By using the green bags, shoppers will help save even more money.
According to the January 2008 DeCA news release, commissaries spent more than $20 million on paper and plastic bags combined in fiscal year 2007. Annually, more than $2 million in taxpayer dollars could be saved if just one-tenth of all commissary shoppers switched to reusable cloth bags.
"Commissaries have long been good stewards of taxpayer funds," said Mr. Page. "And with reusable shopping bags, we're applying the same sort of thrifty approach to how we use the earth's natural resources."
The bags not only help save trees and the environment, but also help save cash.
For customers who don't want to buy the reusable bags, there are other environmentally friendly options when having groceries bagged.
Customers may bring in their own reusable cloth, paper or plastic bags as long as the bags are clean, sturdy and in good repair.