RALEIGH, N.C. - North Carolina has joined "A Bag??s Life" recycling initiative, becoming the fourth state to do so, Progressive Grocer reports. The recycling education program assists consumers in locating the nearly 1,200 retail locations, such as supermarkets and convenience stores, that have plastic bag recycling bins.

"This program demonstrates what public and private groups can do when they work together," said Heather Thompson, director of Keep North Carolina Beautiful, which participates in the campaign. "Recycling plastic bags is a simple earth-friendly practice that can yield tremendous results. By taking the extra time to bring grocery bags back to the store to be recycled, we are giving that bag a second chance to be made into something else, like outdoor decking, park benches or even new bags."

Walmart, Target, Lowes Foods, Kroger, Ingles, Harris Teeter and Food Lion, among other retailers, all participate in the awareness campaign, which uses humor to convey its recycling message to consumers. With such taglines as "Gimme a second chance" and "Don??t treat me like trash," the private-public partnership promotes reusing, recycling and reducing plastic bags.

"While recycling plastic bags is a shared responsibility, retailers recognize they must take a leadership role in the state??s recycling policies," said Andy Ellen, general counsel for the North Carolina Retail Merchants Association, which is a member of the coalition. "Most of our members already have established plastic bag recycling in their stores. A Bag??s Life simply takes those efforts one step further by making it easy for customers to locate the nearest recycling opportunity at their favorite local retailer."