Wal-Mart's New Recycled, Reusable Bags
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA 
on 10.16.07
We have written an awful lot about Wal-Mart since their sustainability summit last week. We’ve asked for readers’ thoughts on the company’s sustainability efforts, we’ve reported back on how the summit went, we’ve interviewed exhibitors and Wal-Mart suppliers alike, and we’ve asked senior Wal-Mart executives about their plans for selling solar and how they interact with the political sphere. Among the many comments we’ve received to these posts, both positive and negative, the subject of plastic bags cropped up frequently. It seems that Wal-Mart’s massive use of disposable plastic carrier bags riles our readers no end. Now, it seems, the company is making at least some effort to reduce its contribution to this problem, with the introduction of a new, reusable carrier bag made from 85% recycled materials, including old water bottles.
Emblazoned with the logo “Paper or Plastic? Neither.” the bags will be appearing in West Coast stores in the next few days and will then be rolled out across the country. They will be on sale to the public at the price of $1, and Wal-Mart will apparently be taking them back for recycling when they reach the end of their useful life. We haven’t heard anything about the company giving incentives for customers to reuse them, nor disincentives for the use of disposables, both of which would be further steps in the right direction. However, we are pleased to see yet another sign of the giant trying to reduce its footprint. Of course we should probably point out that however green Wal-Mart becomes, consumerism is likely to come with a significant environmental impact for some time to come. With this in mind, the fewer times a shopper fills up that bag in the first place, the greener they will be – but when the need does arise to shop, whether at Wal-Mart or elsewhere, we hope the public will use this new tote and use it well. ::Wal-Mart Live Better Sustainability Summit::via personal invite::
Disclaimer: Sami Grover is also Director of Sustainability at The Change, a company that was asked to exhibit at the event.
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It's about time Wal-Mart stepped up to the minimal step of offering reusable shopping bags... In the UK (where I'm assuming they will be releasing these bags as well), they are/will be the third of four large store chains to offer reusable bags - and the fourth large chain is relatively very small compared to Asda/Wal-Mart.
In addition to offering reusable bags, the other two store chains also offer 100% recycled normal shopping bags (the Sainsbury's chain), or 100% biodegradable shopping bags (the Tesco chain). With Tesco you even get 'club card' points for using reusable instead of regular bags. When Wal-Mart actually steps into the 'green' ring it'll be a good day for greenies...
In much of Europe you have to pay for the plastic bags....people bring thier own.
Since a number of stores, including Target offer reusable bags at the price of #1.00 on the West Coast, this is less an initiative than it is a "me-too".
It is however, welcome. It is only a matter of time before stores in the US charge for disposable bags, as they do in many European countries.
BTW- any idea what the cost is to Wal-Mart to buy these bags? What is the cost to the manufacturer to make them? What are the margins for Wal-Mart?...for the manufacturer? And...are they made in China by chance?
Since a number of stores, including Target offer reusable bags at the price of #1.00 on the West Coast, this is less an initiative than it is a "me-too".
It is however, welcome. It is only a matter of time before stores in the US charge for disposable bags, as they do in many European countries.
BTW- any idea what the cost is to Wal-Mart to buy these bags? What is the cost to the manufacturer to make them? What are the margins for Wal-Mart?...for the manufacturer? And...are they made in China by chance?
It's still Wal-Mart...The same Wal-Mart that wants to build a second store 4 miles from the first in my town. So I don't know how interested they are in reducing their footprint, really.
I have noticed that some Home Depot stores in the Chicago area have reusable bags for sale now.
Come ON, treehugger! Any bag is a reuseable bag!
The way to make us USE reusable bags is for every store to announce that the store will begin to charge $5 for any bags at the checkout, including any smaller plastic bags holding fruit and vegs, and if you don't want to pay, that you can bring your own to bags for free.
Soon it will not be unusual to bring your own, and we will all automatically do it.
I keep a big double paper bag at the front door (stuffed with about 6 plastic bags for multi-unit fruit and vegetable purchases) and reuse them whenever I remember.
I sure would remember if it would cost me not to!
Great slogan. I'd buy the bag just for that.
I went to the trouble of making cloth tote bags to use for shopping. I thought, now that Walmart has those do-it-yourself checkouts, I could use them there. Well, that was a bust!
We set the bag on the pad for bags and were told there was something in the way. Remove the bag, scan first item, place it in the bag, and get told we had to press "skip bagging" or put it on the bag pad. Only, if you skip too many items, you have to have a manager come over and fix things. And, ANY weight on the bagging area would prevent the system from working at all. It was ridiculous! We tried three times, with the manager coming over every four or five items, and finally gave up.
I won't ask the clerks to bag with my bags because they get monitored on the speed they bag things and it cuts into their earnings potential if I slow them down. But, I saw a feature on the news recently and plan to do this, instead. Ask the clerk to put everything back into the cart - that should be just as fast or faster than bagging. Then, pull the cart away and bag for myself, or bag as I'm putting items into the trunk if it isn't a bad day outside.
I live in a small town in Pa, no major cities close by. The local large family owned grocery began selling bags about 2 months ago, and we immediately bought several. When I go to Wal-Mart with them the cashiers look at you like you've committed a crime. I tell them I'll bag my own groceries. Until you've used these bags you won't believe how much you can fit into one. I'll faithfully continue to use them there, and I won't buy Wal-Marts version. I like advertising the competitor as I walk through the parking lot.
I love these bags but the stores who haven't seen them are really uneducated about cloth bags. I bought five bags and one grocery item and the checkout lady put them in a plastic bag! Of course, I put a stop to that.
What's wrong with plastic bags and the monsters they create when they accumulate?? Bag Monsters aren't so bad, you know... I'm a family monster with millions of little Bag Monster spawn to worry about. Some of them live under kitchen sinks, but most of them live in the bay and ocean. Search for my Bag Monster blog to learn more about how we're being oppressed world wide. All these bag bans are supposedly because we make an expensive mess, cause "environmental damage," and because a few of us were eaten by marine animals... Don't they know better than to eat Bag Monsters?
I found a website that offers free reusable and recyclable shopping bags. www.freeshoppingbags.com . It's worth checking out! GO GREEN! ;-)
I'm glad to hear that Walmart has stepped up to the plate and delivered what every other store everywhere has done. However, in Canada (P.G., where our nearest WallyWorld is,) it's still a woven plastic bag! I cannot use Plastic Bags. (I break out in massive hives and have red marks all over me. It's very uncomfortable.) So, to me, the accidental environmentalist, nice try Walmart, but you struck out.
In unfortunate Wal-Mart style, however, these bags are really crummy. They're floppy and lack the bottom stabilizer other stores' bags have for the same price. I use my WMT one to carry my better ones and get irritated every time I see it about the "Wal-Mart effect" affecting even their "green" attempts. Bah!
I have used these bags now since they came out. The store clerks get really upset when you hand them the bags. They hold WAY more things than the traditional bags and are much more sturdy.
The other day I forgot my bags so I just put everything in the cart after check out. I got stopped at the door because they thought I was stealing groceries. I simply told the RUDE lady that I refused to add more bags to the landfills.
Our Walmart has the reuseable bags on the grocery bag holders. I cringe at how many people walk out with those flimsy plastic bags.
What's wrong with going back to the good ol' paper bags???