Walmart Is Going To Remove Plastic Shopping Bags From All Their Stores
I live in a small town, so just about the only choice for grocery shopping is our local Walmart. Lucky me.
There is already so much change happening at Walmart. They may be going to cashierless system of checkouts, we have to wear face masks, you can only walk certain ways down the aisles, and we have to stand 6-feet apart (although I’m pretty sure I’m the only one that follows that specific rule).
Now, Walmart is changing even more. This change, however, isn’t coronavirus related. This is a change for the good of the environment.
Walmart announced that they are going to do away with all plastic grocery bags at the checkouts, and I’m not sure how I feel about this.
I mean, as a human being, I am a tad bit resistant to change. We have become so accustomed to the bags at checkout, I am going to have to wrap my brain around the change.
A shopping bag is at the center of the final interaction of almost every in-store purchase – be that your weekly grocery trip, a quick milk run or back-to-school shopping. While the convenience of the plastic retail bag cannot be disputed, the average working life of one of these bags is only 12 minutes. It’s estimated that 100 billion plastic bags are being used annually in the U.S. alone, and less than 10 percent of them are recycled.
Walmart
Walmart has set a goal to be a zero waste company. As such, they have to find a way to replace the plastic shopping bags.
In an effort to do so, they have teamed with “Beyond the Bag,” which helps try to find ways to fix the problem of the plastic bag.
Walmart, Target and CVS Health are all a part of this “Beyond the Bag” 3-year initiative that aims at “identifying, testing and implementing viable design solutions and models that more sustainably serve the purpose of the current retail bag.”
So, this is not a change you will see happening immediately. They have set a goal, and that goal is to find a way to do away with these plastic bags that are ending up in landfills.
You can actually help with this goal. They are looking for people with forward-thinking innovative ideas, who might be able to help them solve this bag delima.
If you would like to submit an idea to squash the use of plastic bags, you may do so at the Beyond The Bag Challenge website.
They are accepting ideas through September 10th, so get that brain muscle working, and submit all your genius ideas!
So it’s funny with the phrase that they want to be a waste free store. ask yourself what these stores do with items that don’t sell. Not all end up on the clearance isle. They end up in the trash. Not donated, not totally marked down to sell, but into the trash, jackets are slashed so you can’t dumpster dive, shirts are cut, pants shredded. I have worked at a K-Mart and a Wal-Mart. The would rather take the write off vs the sale of it cheaper. Donating takes more paper work than just trashing it. Same with a lot of those displays they have. Trash. A lot of those items could be given to schools for a play house and yes it doesn’t last forever, but they would be more worn and used up by the time they are thrown. Some places sell the crushed cardboard to places that burn them in the winter. There is more waste than plastic bags. How quickly does a shirt or polyester take to disappear? Bags are usually reused in houses for garbage bags, or making into other items. I used to use them for poopy pants and dog doo doo. So they have been repurposed. But clothes that are trashed? With all the homeless and the border issues? Could be used for good instead of land fill.
Agree 100 percent and the restaurants that throw food away instead of donating it same with the retail grocers. Want to look good by posting this but behind the scenes they are still less than what they should be
@Aleta Huotari, ?% agree with everything you said. I too know that items at many store are simply thrown in the trash when there are so many people that could get great use out of them. I personally know people who have dumpster dive and not all items are destroyed b/c that takes time so they just discard it to save time. And the restaurant waste so much food. And yes it seems like any left overs could go to a good cause.
@Robin, at one time the left over food was given to soup kitchen and such but like everything that touches human hands people find a way to sue or abuse
I already use rectangular laundry baskets… I pick up at Walmart. I would not mind not getting plastic bags. Just put my items in my baskets.
Has someone taken into consideration the senior citizens, needs to be able for them to carry, I think going back to paper bags is the best , they are biodegradable, and don’t charge for them, your already doing away with the cashiers
@Linda HamiltonI, they can use fabric or other reusable bags with handles. Plastic bags aren’t the only ones with handles!
@Edie, our Walmart sells reusable bags from .50 to .98 ea… I wash them I hang to dry..but people don’t want to buy them because they always forget them
A woman at church uses the bags to crochet door mats!
@Noreen Campbell,
i think we should go back to paper bags but make them as seed so when we are done or throw them away we are planting food. And it should be free.
All the stores that want to do this should provide FREE cloth bags for ALL purchases. I use my plastic bags at home for many things. I have tried using the cloth reusable bags but they did not last long and I cannot afford to keep buying them.
We required everyone to wear masks. Why can’t we require everyone to bring their own reusable bags like Aldi does? If there are no bags at checkout they have no other choice.
@Racheal, Aldi is cheaper than walmart. Last time I was in aldi dint have to check myself out either.
Why not go back to the good old day and use paper bags. They are better than plastic.
Didn’t someone make a plastic like 30 day biodegradable substance out of mushroom? I swear I saw something from a maybe a university lab or something….
@Kim, Google Walmart reusable bag Hawaii. Walmart has the answer already. This is all a ploy.
Hemp bags would be so easy to make and very environmentally friendly. Y’all really should try this!
@Veronica Nieto,
That would mean the federal government would have to admit they blocked hemp growth, for the sheer fact they wanted to control taxation on petroleom. And other textiles in the early years.
I have been told by employees that some stores that take bags to be recycled have been known to just through them away
I bag my purchase at my car
I keep my bags in back of my car
My hubby does not like all the bags I keep in my car taking up so much room
@Janette,
I feel you!! I usually fold mine all up and put inside a large zippered cooler bag-then hang the handles on the headrest behind the backseat in our van and this seems to help considerably-there’s only one bag to keep up with/move/etc. ?
This is a great idea. However, when I’ve brought my used Walmart grocery bags back to be re-used, I have to bag my own groceries. I have a problem with that as I am, effectively then, an employee of Walmart – an unpaid employee. This is the reason I refuse to use the self-checkouts there. I resent Walmart, a multi-billion dollar profit a year company, expecting me to work for them for free after letting go or not hiring employees to work the registers. No thanks.
@Jennifer Klessens, I totally agree
@Jennifer Klessens, couldn’t agree more as I also refuse to use self-checkouts at any store (makes hubby upset sometimes but too bad). Last time I was in CA most stores weren’t bagging items using plastic or paper bags but you could buy them just like you do here in IN at Aldi’s.
Agree that many people reuse the bags for many different items, two years ago made sleeping mats at library to give to homeless but sadly my friend in CA’s Church did the same thing for many years but had to stop because of no plastic bags available.
@Jennifer Klessens, totally agree
Its called paper bags go back to them now how hard was that?
@Tamera Cambell, Then you worry about all the trees being chopped down because that is where paper comes from.
@Mary Jo Sloven, Use cloth bags. You can grow cotton over and over with seeds.
@Tamera Cambell, I think right now the plan is to not offer any bag like Sam’s club. That’s why the are starting to check receipts at the door. You will have loose groceries unless you bring your own bag.
@Mary Jo Sloven,
Research growing cotton. It is extremely hard on the soil and the toxins that they spray on it are awful. Hemp would be the better solution. It replenishes the soil and you can have several crops a year to make paper, fabric or food out of. Not marijuana, but the actual non-medicinal hemp plant.
@Tamera Cambell, those of us with RA find paper bags very hard to handle and unless you spend big $$’s on clothes bags they don’t last very long. Feel disposable diapers are probably just as big of a problem.
@Mary Jo Sloven, That’s what I was thinking. Get rid of plastic bags and we’ll have to go to paper. Idk which is better using plastic that can be reused or paper that takes trees. Either way it affects nature.
@Stacy, bamboo. Grows faster!
@Mary Jo Sloven, bamboo. It grows faster
I would rather bring my own recyclable cloth bag and have check out people to help me check out.
@Tina Whitesell, YES! Me too even if it meant me running back out to my car or taking my items in the cart to my car to bag.
Many stores including Fred MEYER etc, started the “bring your own” bags for your groceries to take home. They began selling the canvas cloth bags. Which could be washed. How many have done so, I do not know. DO you wash yours? Be truthful here. (I have not done so.) But then that stopped with the Corona 19 Virus pandemic. Paper bags are fine, (the ones with handles barely make it to the back of your car, because they over load them. ) So one can only carry 2 bags out of the store in their arms. (Elderly, hardly 1 (one) bag. Not strong enough.) So walking to the bus is a problem for them. Not everyone has a car. Wet, i.e. bloody meat packages, and frozen foods will cause paper bags to tear through quickly. Not all bag those in the small plastic bags. Much to consider in going to alternatives of plastic.
Hemp bags!!
What’s wrong with bamboo reusable bags? Cheap to grow, very quickly, sell them and they’re biodegradable. People will reuse if they purchase. Nothing is free. And if they purchase or bring their own, Walmart has made a huge impact on our environment negatively..
We’ve lost several cows because they will eat plastic and people can’t seem to put them in the trash!
If the stores are going to go to having you use cloth bags, they should give them away instead of selling them. I hate paying $1 for bags. My husband normally does the grocery shopping (he is elderly but this is one thing he likes to do). I guess this is his outing once every two wks or so- However, he is elderly and his health is not good. It’s hard for him to get the groceries and stand in line to check out. He would not be able to stand there and bag his groceries as well. I’m sure there are other elderly people in the same boat. What about on a whim you remember you need some things and just run in to grab a few things and didn’t intend to go grocery shopping- I guess you keep a supply of bags in your car????
Thinking…..don’t like cloth as they get germy, paper is OK…but the trees? so if biodegradable plastic is viable then lets go that way.
@Janice L Florance, cloth bags can be washed just like your clothes, getting rid of germs and gunk
I agree with Patricia, use paper bags.
You dont have to wear a mask.
@Lela, I choose to wear a mask, whether I have to or not
There are biodegradable plastic bags or you can always use paper bags.
They don’t allow reusable bags anymore so are we supposed to put our groceries in out pockets?
Use burlap bags
what are people going to use? bags from home?
Do what Sams & Cosco does with their empty cardboard boxes. From the basket into a box❣️
@D lane, not everyone can pick up loaded boxes and carry them. What may be easy for some is difficult to others.