Stop & Shop plans to donate half of the 10-cent fee on paper bags to a nonprofit dedicated to protecting the local environment.
Five cents will be donated to Connecticut Fund for the Environment (CFE)/Save the Sound, which promotes a healthier, more sustainable environment across Connecticut and the Long Island Sound region, including its rivers, forests, beaches and coastal marshes. The donation will be made with paper bag purchases at all 91 stores in the state of Connecticut and will be capped at $100,000.
“Since the elimination of single-use plastic bags at checkout just one month ago, Stop & Shop has seen a substantial increase in number of customers using reusable bags,” says Rudy DiPietro, SVP of Operations, Stop & Shop. “We’ve placed a 10-cent fee on paper bags to further encourage our customers to make the switch to reusable, and we’re excited to share that we’re donating a portion of that fee to help protect Long Island Sound and keep Connecticut’s waterways free of pollution.”
CFE/Save the Sound has been making environmental change in Connecticut and around the Sound for 40 years, using science, the law and people power to protect and restore the region’s land, air and water. Its team of experts monitors and analyzes coastal water quality, reopens rivers to migratory fish, enforces laws to protect drinking water and more.
“In 17 years of coastal cleanups in Connecticut, plastic bags and packaging are some of the items our volunteers find most—which is bad news for the birds and fish that eat those bags or get tangled in them,” says Bill Lucey, soundkeeper at CFE/Save the Sound. “That’s why it’s so inspiring to see customers committed to reducing their plastic use, and companies encouraging use of reusable bags. The support from Stop & Shop’s paper bag fee will help us continue safeguarding our shoreline and strengthening the laws that ensure clean air and clean water for all Connecticut residents.”
This article was originally printed in The Shelby Report.
