Six states are now enforcing major Walmart policies that force shoppers to pay for plastic bags.
The new rules, which one upset customer deemed “ridiculous”, are intended to encourage consumers to stop using single-use bags.
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Just this month, it was announced that Walmart stores in Colorado, Connecticut, and New York switched to charging shoppers 10 cents per carrier at checkout.
A total of 6 cents is sent to the city or county for each carrier. The remaining 4 cents go to the store.
They join other stores in New Jersey, Maine and Vermont who have already implemented the controversial rule.
Jane Ewing, senior vice president of Walmart Sustainability, told WTNH on Monday, “Eliminating single-use bags in Connecticut is part of our effort to reduce waste.
“Our customers want to be on this journey and we remain committed to making sustainable choices an everyday choice.”
However, one local slammed the new rule, calling it “crazy” following the announcement.
Corrie Hoyt told WJAR:
“They are paper. I don’t quite understand why they would remove them.”
Colorado also implemented a ban on January 1, but not everyone is on board.
One local resident Timechase told KKTV: “I think it’s ridiculous.
“We already have the bags. So now we’re paying for them. Grocers are already putting it in their expense.”
Walmart announced the upcoming changes in a 2020 blog post as part of its Beyond The Bag initiative to implement more sustainable designs.
According to its website, the company is “working with suppliers to reduce packaging use, design for recyclability, and improve waste reduction systems.”
But Walmart has tightened its ban only in states that already restrict the use of single-use bags, reports The Hill.
It’s unclear how quickly the initiative will roll out in other states without restrictions.
“We will continue to comply with regulations and from the pilot we are working with Beyond the Bag, we are providing ways to make this transition as convenient as possible for employees and customers, ways to improve recycling pain points, and reusable options. We will learn how to do it, how to identify additional ways to encourage customers to reuse their bags over and over again,” Aman Singh, global communications leader at Walmart, said in a statement provided to The Hill. said inside.
The outlet reported that Singh did not comment on where Walmart plans to expand the ban next.
However, past statements indicate that authorities are looking to act quickly to adopt single-use options for shelves in the next few years.
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