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Utah DABC offering free reusable bags for liquor store shoppers

Posted at 10:02 PM, Dec 06, 2016
and last updated 2016-12-07 08:52:37-05

SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control is doing their part to reduce waste by offering free reusable bags to patrons.

The new bags were unveiled this week.

“It’ll hold four bottles of wine or spirits,” said Terry Wood, Director of Communications for the DABC.

While Utah has some unique liquor laws that require drink preparations be shielded behind a “Zion Curtain”, Wood said the bags aren’t about hiding purchases from sight.

“That’s kind of a misconception, there was a law a long time ago," Wood said. "You can actually take product out in cases and boxes, and some people prefer to just have them without it."

The bags will help Utahns go green, and they didn’t cost the taxpayers any green either—as the funding for the bags came from a grant.

The 10,000 bags were distributed to liquor stores across the state and are free for customers.

“This would be great to take to a party if we were taking more than one or two bottles of wine,” customer Sandy Stark said of the bags.

Wood said the effort will help save money as well as the environment.

“If the customers use the bags over and over, it’s going to save a lot of money, state money, on paper bags,” Wood said. “It’s going to save a lot of trees too.”

The bags are also a part of the Parents Empowered program, as each bears a message about underage drinking. The contents of the bags are rated “NC-21”.

If the bags are a hit, the DABC says it will try to get a grant again in the future.