Customers at HEB Grocery Store are encouraged to drop off their old plastic shopping bags at this recycling bin, located at the front entrance of the store. On Tuesday, the store will offer free coupons good for a reuseable grocery bag to customers providing five or more plastic shopping bags.(HERALD photo/Steve Reagan) 

From 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. Tuesday, anyone who brings five or more plastic shopping bags to the store for recycling will receive a coupon for a free reusable shopping bag.

Store Director Dave Sandle said the reusable bags are already popular items among customers.

“We’ve already been making a big push for the reusable cloth bags — we have several hundred in stock,” he said. “They’ve been selling surprisingly well ... and, of course, we encourage our customers to bring their plastic bags to our recycling bin.”

Plastic bags brought into the store can be from any retailer, store officials said. No purchase is necessary, but there is a limit to one free reusable bag per customer and the cloth bags will only be available while supplies last.

Shoppers can purchase the reusable bags for 99 cents (plus tax).

Five cents from each bag sale will be contributed to a grant program H-E-B is establishing through Keep Texas Beautiful. These grants will be open to eligible KTB affiliates looking to fund local recycling programs, store officials said.

“H-E-B is calling attention to an important way people can make a difference for the environment,” said Cathie Gail, KTB executive director. “Earth Day is the perfect occasion for educating people how they can change their day-to-day habits when it comes to shopping bag reuse and recycling.”

H-E-B’s daily contribution to the recycling effort includes its plastic recycling bins, which are placed in front of the stores. These bins accept most No. 2 (high-density polyethylene) and No. 4 (low-density polyethylene) plastic products.

Among the products acceptable for recycling are: Newspaper delivery sleeves, dry cleaning bags, plastic shopping bags, six-pack soda can rings and outer wraps from products such as paper towels and bathroom tissues.

Plastics dropped into the bins are recycled into “plastic lumber,” which has a range of uses, including playground equipment, decks and fencing.