Wal-Mart Goes on a Plastic Diet: 9 Million Plastic Bags to Be Eliminated From Waste Stream

I would like to see Walmart held accountable for the gazillions of unnecessary plastic clamshell packaging units that they unleash into the environment every day.

An in-store recycling center or a cash deposit/exchange system like many states do for bottles would help immensely.

As for the plastic bags, I have started bringing my own old plastic bags when I go shopping.

The simple practice of "REDUCE RE-USE and RECYCLE" is extremely easy to apply to shopping bags.
After a bag gets ragged from re-use, it either gets used as a small-volume trashbag or for pet waste. Bags unsuitable for holding waste go into the grocery store's bag recycling bin. Everybody is happy except those who make and sell plastic bags.

Wal-Mart has almost 400 Billion Dollars a year in sales, 9 million plastic bags a year isn't even a drop in the bucket. More B.S. from Wal-Mart.

This will definitely be good if they implement in all their stores. Right now, the smallest item purchased at Wal-mart (like a pack of gum) is automatically put in a plastic bag. The cashiers are currently on automatic pilot when it comes to handing out plastic bags. Environmental awareness will need to filter down to the "cashier level".

Why on Earth does it take 5 years to stop using plastic bags. It should take one day. Just stop buying plastic and buy paper. Why does big business always have to take forever to take simple measures??? It's big business, it's politics, it's everywhere, it's disgusting!!!

I applaud anyone trying to reduce no matter how small. I have used my own bags for quite some time now when going to my local Wal*Mart. One thing I would like to see Wal*Mart offer is a bag credit- even if it is only a penny per bag. Most of my other local grocery stores offer up to 5 cents credit per bag if you bring your own. This would be a great incentive for Wal*Mart to promote and in turn would help to even further reduce the over use of plastic bags!

Why do you want them to switch from plastic to paper Janet?
What is so wrong with everyone just switching to the reusable bags they make now? We have to switch to paper instead? That's still waste!

I think Loblaws/Canadian Superstore/Zehrs/Fortinos have the right idea. Their reusable bags are made from 99% plastic water bottles. That's brilliant.

Screw paper bags though. Ludicrous.

Why don't they start charging for plastic bags, like what Ikea did? Their customers will then think twice about getting a plastic bags if they don't really need one. Customers may even start bringing their own. They could even sell reusable bags when checking out.

i think they should implement something like what our local grocery store now does. if you use your own bags (theirs or any other bag you choose to bring) they take 5 cents off per bag.

now, i know that's not a lot of money, but i also know that in our area, a lot of the people that shop at walmart don't necessarily have a lot of money either. so taking a few cents off for each bag you bring on your own to use could help encourage people to bring their bags back.

OK, well, I'll give Walmart credit for this and I'd say they're probably sincere. But let's be honest...

This is WALMART we're talking about!!

They are the poster child of suburban sprawl. They'll pave a wetlands or field in a split second. They consume more square acreage nationwide than the island of Manhattan. And their trucks spew globs of CO2 into the O-zone everyday.

So while Walmart is taking baby steps in the right direction, they've still got a long way to go.

Here in Shanghai most retail outlets are now charging for plastic bags; the switch came at a time when the government made it a rule earier this year. It became a "social normal" inside a week!

I find that it has cut down a lot of bag use, despite the bags' low cost in savings. It's not so much the money as it is the awareness that occurs, when the cashiers automatically assume you DON'T want a bag, and you have to specifically request one, and watch while they ring it up. This minor inconvenience has cut my own bag use probably 90%! I now take a backpack everywhere, problem solved.

I tend to use the bags I do buy for household garbage bins, so next I have to get into the habit of using no bag and rinsing the bins out a bit more often!

My main point is that I agree with the above poster. It can happen in a day, not five years.

It's time people stop waiting for big organizations to make their decisions for them, or to direct us in what is "normal" for society.

While I agree that the reduction in the use of plastic bags is a good idea, there are some practical points from the point of view of the retailer that should not be overlooked. For example, by putting all purchased items in a bag, it is clear to store personnel what has and has not been purchased. So having everyone bring their own bag is great, but increases the potential for (intended or unintended) shoplifting and the stores ability to detect it. Another question to ask is: why do stores use plastic bags in the first place and what other product can satisfy the same requirements? I would guess that the bags are cheap and durable (at least on the relevant timescales). The conclusion being that environmentalists need to look for and develop a new product that will meet these needs (biodegradable plastic bags?).

It's so easy to go without plastic bags. I really don't understand why bringing a reusable bag is so complicated for some. Don't like bags? Use bins! I keep my reusable bag in my purse or on my bike.

I live on an organic ranch and I see these terrible plastic bags blow into our fields and harm our crops. They fly into the trees, throughout the forest, and clog our water supply.

I wrote this plea: 50 Reasons to Go Green with Reusable Shopping Bags

I agree with many, I wish WalMart would start sooner rather than later.

Remember that a drop in the bucket for WalMart is equivalent to the impact of thousands of small businesses going green.

In order to have the ability to make revolutionary change, WalMart cannot suddenly siphon all of their revenue for green measures, as much as we'd like to see it.

In 20 years people will look back and see WalMart as the pioneer of corporate environmental responsibility, mark my words.

Let's be critical, of course, but let's use positive language. There are companies with FAR bigger impacts than WalMart (believe it or not) that aren't lifting a finger.

WalMart has set goals of zero waste, 100% renewable energy, and exclusively green product lines. Lofty? Sure. BS? Maybe. Is WalMart the only major retail corporation in the world with the ability to do this at present? Definitely.

Let's cheer them on!

I definitely think the best solution to the bag problem is for stores to charge $.05 for each bag given out. Once the charge is implemented, the cashier is unable to simply use as many bags as he or she wishes. It amazes me and irritates me that cashiers are on auto-pilot with these bags. For example, I can't believe the number of times I've bought groceries, only to find that the bagger has put one or two items in each bag, even going so far as to double or triple bag things such as a loaf of bread. Not only is this wasteful but it makes it more difficult for me to bring the groceries into the house because instead of having maybe 3 bags, I now have 10 bags.

Even more amazing to me is when the cashiers argue with me about the fact that I don't need a bag. My work is directly next door to a convenience store. Sometimes I'll run next door on my break to get something to drink. Each time I make a purchase, the cashier automatically goes to put the item in a bag. When I tell the cashier that I simply do not need a bag for my bottle of soda or my pack of gum, I get the strangest looks.

Just recently, that same store had some inexpensive glass Halloween candy bowls. Since I work in customer service, I picked up two of the bowls to put candy out for my customers. Unfortunately, when I went to check out, the cashier started wrapping each bowl in newspaper, bubble wrap, and then bagging each one individually, only to put the two individual bags into one larger bag. I stopped her and told her although I appreciated her care, it was completely unnecessary since I was literally taking the bowls to my office 10 feet away. Instead of being understanding, she became defensive and told me the bowls would break if they were not packed in this manner. I told her they would not, and she was visibly irritated.

Another reason to charge for bags is that it forces customers to curb their bag requests. For instance, during my college years I worked part-time at a hardware store. I can't even begin to explain the number of times that customers would purchase one item, like a screw driver, and I'd hand them the item along with a receipt, and they would ask for a bag. Now, I don't mind giving out bags if it's necessary but the customers would say something to the effect of "I don't want anyone thinking that I'm stealing this." First of all, that's what your receipt is for and secondly, the only person who would stop you is the cashier at the door and I know you just paid for the item...so you're fine. Do they really need an unnecessary bag as proof of payment? Similarly, there were people who would buy big items that didn't fit into a bag (think weed wacker or larger) These customer would often ask me to tape a bag to the box of the item to show proof of payment. Again, completely ridiculous and wasteful but it happened all the time. We even had "paid" stickers but they refused and wanted a bag. My point is, this behavior is ingrained into our society and taught from a young age. Time and time again it has been shown that the only time people re-evaluate things is when it hits them in the pocketbook. Charging for each bag would immediately curb this inappropriate and wasteful behavior.

There's a big psychological difference between getting a credit for bringing a bag AND paying to take a bag. Stores that give a credit reduce bags by far more, BUT they do not upset customers -- who may leave.

LA "solved" this problem by requiring that ALL stores charge for bags. Read more here: http://aguanomics.com/2008/07/paper-or-paper.html

Does Walmart recycle plastic water bottles?