In Bellingham,Washington, stores are now offering coaching classes and reusable bags to help people transition from a life with plastic to one without.

Stores in Bellingham Gear Up

The ban prohibits the use of plastic bags in stores and other retail outlets. Most stores will also charge customers a 5 cent fee for a paper bag. The charge on paper bags is being imposed so that people are encouraged to use reusable bags. The ban is not restricted to grocery stores although they will be most impacted by the change.

Promotional Reusable Bags at Established Stores in Bellingham

If you haven't yet bought reusable bags, numerous stores in Bellingham are offering them as a promotion to kick start the ban. Target is giving out bags to the first 5,000 customers for free. Diehl Ford is giving its first 500 customers free reusable bags.

Other stores that are giving out promotional reusable bags include NW Handspun Yarns and Labels consignment stores which will hand out promotional bags as well.

To further encourage the use of reusable bags, stores like Target and Fred Meyer will give shoppers credit worth 5-cents for each bag used per shopping trip. Village Books is selling reusable bags and offering a 15% discount for all items that fit into the bag.

Fourth Corner Quilts is holding classes for people who are interested in learning how to make their own canvas bags. These classes will be held in the first week of August for a few hours in the morning. The classes are inexpensive and charges include the materials cost. Making your own bags is a great way to customize you bags to suit your requirements.

Shoppers are encouraged to be innovative and vary the designs and colors of the bags so that using them is a fun experience. A large number of cities are banning the use of plastic bags, which is leading to an increase in the demand for reusable and paper bags. Although paper bags are not harmful to the environment, reusable bags are more ideal.

It is important to remember that reusable bags need proper maintenance and should be washed and dried regularly. For better use, it is ideal to use separate bags for different products, for instance a separate bag should be used for meat and poultry while another one should be assigned for dry products and vegetables.

Source: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/07/31/2234376/bellingham-stores-offer-reusable.html