Walmart has announced that starting at the end of the month, customers will be charged for their plastic bag usage. 42 cents per bag for delivery orders and 10 cents per bag for pickup or in-store orders. This move is part of Walmart’s effort to address the climate crisis.
The retail giant has been working to reduce its environmental impact for years, but this is the first time it has taken such a drastic step. Walmart hopes that by charging customers for bags, they will encourage them to bring their own reusable bags when shopping.
Walmart’s decision comes as more states are beginning to ban single-use plastic and paper bags at checkout. In New Jersey, for example, Walmart has provided free reusable bags while customers transition away from single-use bags.
The company also plans to offer paper bags to shoppers at a cost of five cents apiece. Meanwhile, Aldi has already removed single-use plastic bags from all of its stores nationwide.
Walmart believes that this new policy will help reduce the amount of plastic waste generated by its stores each year. The company estimates that it currently uses more than 1 billion plastic shopping bags annually in the United States alone.
In addition to reducing plastic waste, Walmart also hopes that this new policy will help encourage customers to use reusable shopping bags instead of relying on single-use plastics. Reusable shopping bags are not only better for the environment but can also save money in the long run since they don’t need to be replaced as often as single-use plastic and paper bags do.
Overall, Walmart’s decision to charge customers for shopping bags is an important step towards addressing the climate crisis and reducing plastic waste. By encouraging customers to bring their own reusable bags when shopping, Walmart is helping make a difference in our environment one bag at a time.
