The five stores partnered with the city in 2011 for its Reusable Shopping Bag Initiative, which is part of its effort to encourage residents to stop using plastic bags in favor of reusable bags.
Plastic bags are used for an average of 12 minutes and take up to 1,000 years to degrade in landfills, if they break down at all, according to a city press release. A half-million plastic bags are used every minute in the United States.
The city launched a reusable bag design contest among White Plains High School students, which Crawley won in May.
A limited number of bags will be available Saturday, but more will be distributed in 2013, according to a press release.
City Council member Milagros Lecuona is the chair of the city’s Sustainability and Environmental Enhancement Committee.
“Reducing the usage of plastic bags has been one of SEEC’s goals for a long time and this Reusable Shopping Bag Education & Awareness Initiative is in perfect alignment with that mission,” she said in a statement.
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