Safeway, CVS team to create reusable bags for D.C.

Washington, D.C. Safeway and CVS Caremark Corp. are partnering with Washington, D.C., to provide reusable bags to the city as part of a campaign to get residents to stop using disposable plastic and paper bags, according to the Washington Business Journal.

This summer, Washington D.C. created a new 5-cent disposable bag fee aimed at keeping trash out of the city’s waterways, such as the Anacostia River. The program will begin Jan. 1, 2010.

Before the new law goes into effect, the District of Columbia Department of the Environment will distribute at least 122,000 free, reusable bags to D.C. residents.

The city is planning an advertising campaign to promote the reusable bags, which it will finance using the fees it collects. About $3.6 million in tax revenue is expected in the program’s first year.