As we’ve been telling you for some time now, that 5 cent disposable bag fee finally goes into effect on January 1. Much of the opposition to the law when it was initially being considered was that it could end up hurting the poor more than anyone else: spending $1 on a reusable bag or two could really be a hardship for the poorest District residents. With that in mind, below you’ll find a list of dates, times and locations for the District Department of the Environment’s free reusable bag giveaways. DDOE partnered with CVS stores to give away thousands of the tote bags over the next month. If you or someone you know is still in need of a bag, feel free to stop by and take one.

And if you’re like me and already have way too many canvas bags but have a hard time remembering to bring them with you to the store, consider this a reminder to start getting in the habit now, before the 5 cent fee takes you by surprise in the new year.

A list of all the CVS bag giveaways is below the jump. Visit http://green.dc.gov/bags for more details.