King Kullen Receives an F on their Reusable Bag Practices

A Long Island nonprofit group has released a report grading local supermarkets like King Kullen and Stop & Shop on their reusable bag practices and policies.

In a report released Thursday, Citizens Campaign for the Environment gave Stop & Shop an A-plus grade but gave King Kullen an F.

King Kullen, which sells reusable bags and provides plastic bag recycling bins but does not offer a credit when customers reuse shopping bags, responded to the report in a statement released Thursday.

"King Kullen encourages all customers to recycle their plastic bags by bringing them right back to the store and depositing them in the recycling bins," said King Kullen Vice President Thomas Cullen. "We also hope King Kullen shoppers will purchase the reusable bags we've made available at every store — but that is the customer's decision. We believe in offering a choice."

While King Kullen is the only supermarket in the Bayport-Blue Point area, there is a Stop & Shop in nearby Sayville.

"Stop and Shop has long taken a proactive approach to working with federal, state and local officials to support efforts that will make a real difference in this area," said Faith Weiner, director of public affairs for Stop & Shop.

The report assessed supermarkets on nine criteria, including availability and cost of reusable shopping bags, signage in stores, windows and parking lots, discounts for reusing bags, cashier training, and willingness to participate in the consumer study.

"Grocery stores have helped create the problem of disposable bags and now we need them to help solve this problem," said Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment. "We hope all stores use this report as an opportunity to implement policies that encourage consumers to make the switch to reusable bags."