Going beyond traditional curbside recycling pickup, the city of Tempe offers community members a variety of ways to recycle, thanks to a new “Recycling on the Go” initiative. The effort includes community drop-off locations, grocery store recycling bins and a mobile outreach unit.

Tempe and the Arizona Food Marketing Alliance are collaborating this summer to promote the “Bag Central Station–Where Plastic Bags Belong” program, which began in Phoenix and has spread valley-wide. Many Tempe-area grocery stores have volunteered to participate in the program and offer bins for customers to bring in plastic grocery bags for recycling. This month, the city is distributing reusable shopping bags at the following locations and encourages residents to drop off plastic grocery bags:

• Saturday, Aug. 9, from 10 a.m. to noon, Fry’s stores at 3232 S. Mill Ave. (Mill and Southern avenues); 3255 S. Rural Road (Rural and Southern Avenue); 5100 S. McClintock Drive (McClintock and Baseline Road); and at 2700 W. Baseline Road (48th

Street and Baseline).

• Saturday, Aug. 16, from 10 a.m. to noon, Sunflower Market at 1706 E. Southern Ave. (McClintock Drive and Southern), and Wal-Mart at 1380 W. Elliot Road (Elliot and Priest Drive).

• Saturday, Aug. 23, from 10 a.m. to noon, Safeway stores at 926 E. Broadway Rd. (Broadway and Rural roads) and at 1515 E. Elliot Road (Elliot Road and McClintock Drive).

For more information, visit www.tempe.gov/recycling or call 480-350-8145.