Stauffers of Kissel Hill Fresh Foods is going greener and phasing out single-use plastic grocery bags, according to LancasterOnline.

The retailer told the site it will no longer provide the bags to customers starting on Earth Day 2020 on April 22. It’s the first supermarket chain in Lancaster County to banish the bags.

“This will be a very important step as we explore ways to be more earth friendly,” said Eric Stauffer, Fresh Foods chief operating officer.

He said the stores two locations in Rohrerstown and in Lititz use 4.6 million single-use plastic bags every year at the checkouts. Stauffers also will eliminate brown paper bags. It uses 70,000 of those annually.

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Shoppers will have to rely on reusable grocery bags. To assist with the transition, Stauffers will be giving free bags to every customer each time they shop between Sept. 11 and 30.

Stauffer told LancasterOnline the bags are more durable, hold more groceries and are easier to load and unload compared to the plastic counterparts.

After the free promotion ends, Stauffers will sell reusable bags for $1.59 each.

The use of plastic shopping bags has been a hot environmental issue along with plastic straws. Wegmans announced it will no longer use plastic bags in its New York stores ahead of a state-wide ban.