The Kroger supermarket chains have recently announced that they are, over the next seven years, going to phase out single-use plastic bags from their stores:
Seattle-based QFC will be the company's first retail division to phase out single-use plastic bags. The company expects QFC's transition to be completed in 2019.
"As part of our Zero Hunger | Zero Waste commitment, we are phasing out use-once, throw-it-away plastic bags and transitioning to reusable bags in our stores by 2025," said Rodney McMullen, Kroger's chairman and CEO. "It's a bold move that will better protect our planet for future generations."
Some estimates suggest that 100 billion single-use plastic bags are thrown away in the U.S. every year. Currently, less than five percent of plastic bags are recycled annually in America, and single-use plastic bags are the fifth-most common single-use plastic found in the environment by magnitude.
Kroger will solicit customer feedback and work with NGOs and community partners to ensure a responsible transition.
So they’re on the right path but there is a legitimate concern that they’re dragging out the process significantly. Seven years is a long time in a crisis that’s growing in urgency every day.
However, if this means moving to a system of recyclable and reusable bags similar to what is done in Europe, the long-term impact should be manageable both from the environmental and consumer relations perspectives. (You are charged in many European countries for shopping bags, but the bags are of sufficient quality and durability that they’re actually worth paying for!)
I suppose some people find some use for the bags knowing they’re still headed for the landfills—my mom uses them as wastebasket linings—but there are certainly other solutions out there. I expect some right-wing nut job outrage that this is the greatest tragedy since the Hindenburg but I think most of that can be safely ignored.
And with a large market-share corporation making the first move this may lead others to respond in kind. We can hope this is the beginning of a national trend rather than a one-off that will get walked back.