Paper town, paper bags: Grocer leaves no choice

Shoppers who visit the new Farm Fresh grocery store in Franklin will notice something missing: plastic bags.

Farm Fresh will use only paper bags to pack customers' groceries at the new store, which opens today. Franklin is the first in the 45-supermarket chain with a no-plastic policy.

"We're using this store as a test to evaluate reducing plastic in the environment, and we'll evaluate to see what kind of customer response we get," said Susan Mayo, a spokeswoman for the retailer, based in Virginia Beach.

Franklin, about 40 miles west of Norfolk, is home to a large International Paper mill, which made the city a "natural fit" for the emphasis on paper bags, Mayo added.

Farm Fresh and other retailers have met with Isle of Wight County officials since they discussed a ban on plastic bags last year to address farmers' problems with them tangling in cotton bales and gins.

A ban would require state legislation, which the General Assembly didn't pass this year.

The surrender of plastic in Franklin wasn't a direct response to the concerns in Isle of Wight, but a recognition of wider consumer interest in "green," or environmentally friendly, initiatives, Mayo said.

Farm Fresh has no current plans to expand the no-plastic program to other stores, she added.

Carolyn Shapiro, (757) 446-2270, carolyn.shapiro@pilotonline.com