CVS rewarding green bag users

WOONSOCKET, R.I. CVS/pharmacy is paying shoppers to reduce plastic bag waste through the new "GreenBagTag" initiative, which is a new feature of its ExtraCare loyalty card program.

The GreenBagTag rewards members of CVS' ExtraCare rewards program for opting not to use disposable plastic shopping bags when making a purchase at any of the retailer's more than 7,000 stores nationwide.

The GreenBagTag retails for 99 cents and is a leaf-shaped scannable card (made with 100% green corn-based materials) that attaches to a reusable shopping bag, keychain or purse. Each time a shopper opts not to use a disposable plastic bag for his or her purchases at CVS, the cashier will scan the GreenTagBag along with the shopper's ExtraCare card. For every fourth time the tag is scanned, the shopper will earn a $1 ExtraCare Buck that will print on the receipt.

ExtraCare Bucks are "CVS cash" that can be used on just about anything in the store. There now are more than 55 million existing cardholders.

In the coming weeks, there also will be a charitable component, where a portion of the proceeds from GreenBagTag sales will go toward environmental causes. According to the company, the details have yet to be finalized.

Citing some reports, CVS stated that approximately 100 billion plastic shopping bags are used in the United States each year, and only roughly 1% to 3% of those bags are recycled.

Meanwhile, Target is taking a similar approach by offering its shoppers a 5-cent discount for each reusable bag they use to pack their purchases, according to published reports. The Target program will roll out on Nov. 1 at all 1,700 Target stores nationwide.