GOUVERNEUR – Kinney Drugs is officially “retiring” its orange bags to comply with the New York State Bag Waste Reduction Act, which takes effect March 1.

Kinney’s bag “retirement campaign” is launching in New York stores through Feb. 29 with a customer contest in which customers can submit their Kinney bag “love” stories, poems, videos, pictures, or special memories for a chance to win one of three $100 Kinney gift cards and a case of Kinney bags. Details at www.kinneydrugs.com.

The campaign will conclude with a “retirement party” for the Kinney bag with cake and light refreshments. The party will begin at noon Saturday, Feb. 29, with the official bag retirement ceremony at 2 p.m. The public is invited to attend.

All day Feb. 29 and March 1, Kinney Drugs will give away a free reusable bag to each customer who makes a purchase of $10 or more.

“For decades, our bags have been a true icon throughout Kinney Country,” said Senior Director of Marketing & Advertising Judith Cowden. “With their bright orange color and big blue Kinney logo, they are instantly recognizable. That said, we know we need to do everything we can for the environment. Kinney’s goal is to shift customers not to paper, but to our new reusable bags, which we hope our customers will come to appreciate as much as they did our plastic ones.”

Founded in Gouverneur in 1903, today the company operates 97 stores in New York and Vermont.