Kroger to phase out plastic bags at all stores

Kroger to phase out plastic bags at all stores

POSTED: AUG 23 2018 05:13AM MST
VIDEO POSTED: AUG 23 2018 07:31AM MST
UPDATED: AUG 23 2018 07:33AM MST


CINCINNATI (AP) - The nation's largest grocery chain will phase out the use of plastic bags in its stores by 2025. Kroger Co. orders about 6 billion bags each year.

The company, based in Cincinnati, operates 2,779 stores in 35 states and the District of Columbia, serving almost 9 million people daily.

The Kroger Co. Family of Stores include Baker's, City Market, Dillons, Food 4 Less, Foods Co, Fred Meyer, Fry's, Gerbes, King Soopers, Jay C Food Store, Kroger, Owens Market, Pay-Less Super Markets, QFC, Ralphs, Smith's Food and Drug.

Kroger said Thursday that will start at its Seattle chain QFC, where it expects to be plastic-bag free by next year.

There is a broader shift by companies to reduce waste, especially plastic. Disney, Starbucks, Marriott and McDonald's are getting rid of plastic straws.

Dunkin' Donuts is phasing out polystyrene foam cups by 2020.

Ikea plans to eliminate single-use plastic products from its shelves by 2020, including straws.

Online: http://sustainability.kroger.com/planet-zero-waste.html

http://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/us-...at-all-stores_

9/30/2014

California Becomes First State To Ban Single-Use Plastic Bags

Kroger and other stores are full of plastic. You can hardly find any item in glass. Plastic bags keep certain items from leaking and cross contamination. Many people reuse them at home, too.

Such hypocrisy from these people. Example - Cascade detergent comes in a box. However, it also comes now in those little plastic wrapped individual portions like the Tide Pods that kids eat. What a waste.

A strict ban was introduced in Bangladesh in 2002 after floods caused by littered plastic bags submerged two-thirds of the country in water between 1988 and 1998.
Plastic bags remain a big problem for sewerage system and waterways.

Phase-out of lightweight plastic bags - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase-out_of_lightweight_plastic_bags

My last two cents. Moving on. I notice the word, "litter." That may be a problem for Bangladesh but I doubt that is the main concern of Kroger and affiliates.

I like paper and glass but plastic has its benefits, too. Wiping down those reusable bags to hopely kill germs and sanitize always leaves me wondering. Raw juices, other things. I usually use plastic bags or "zip lock" type bags for different items to separate them in the reusable bag.

https://www.alipac.us/image/jpeg;bas...09t6d1/wANgf/Z
On average we only recycle one plastic bag in every 200 we use. Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. That comes out to over one million per minute. Billions end up as litter each year.

Plastic Bag Consumption Facts | ConservingNow
https://conservingnow.com/plastic-bag-consumption-facts

I use both. I use the grocery store bags and recycle them and use them as the bathroom trash can liner. Otherwise I would be buying more plastic bags to line the bathroom can anyway.

I also bring my own bags with the handles. Keep them in the backseat.

When I get too many grocery bags...I use the handle bags until the grocery ones are almost gone.

I am sure that is not the only litter in Bangladesh. The whole place is filthy.

We have come a long way from throwing our trash in the streets although it is getting worse by bringing all these 3rd world, uneducated people here because they don't care and are not taught this.

They even trash Yosemite and our National Parks. We are being overrun by all these foreigners and their bad habits!

I have found pop cans and garbage at the shores of the waterfalls at Yosemite, AND graffiti in carved in the redwood trees. I am so angry about this! I pick it up and dispose of properly.

Australia is banning plastic bags. Here's what other countries are doing

By Jessie Yeung, CNN
Updated 3:15 AM ET, Mon July 2, 2018

(CNN)Australia has joined a long list of countries taking action against single-use plastic bags with large retailers introducing a charge for reusable ones to encourage shoppers to bring their own.

There have been some signs of resistance: One customer reportedly grabbed a Woolworths employee by the throat after being told there were no plastic bags.

After multiple complaints, the supermarket chain announced it would hand out free reusable bags until July 8 to help smooth the transition.

Dozens of countries have already imposed bans or taxes on single-use plastic bags, including the UK, France, China, and the Netherlands. Kenya has perhaps the harshest law: those who violate the ban face four years in prison or a fine up to $39,000.

Many countries have targeted other products in the battle against plastic.

https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/asse...xlarge-169.jpg
An estimated eight million tons of plastic enter our oceans and waterways every year. At this rate, there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans by 2050.

Microbeads

Microbeads are tiny plastic particles often found in body washes, toothpaste and cosmetic products. They are not biodegradable and are nearly impossible to remove once they contaminate marine environments.
https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/asse...xlarge-169.jpg
Microbeads are often found in body washes, facial scrubs, and toothpaste.


The Australian government endorsed a voluntary phase-out of microbeads in 2016, but there is no law or official ban in place and some manufacturers continue to use them.

In the last few years, a spate of countries have proposed or implemented microbead bans, including the US, the UK, France, New Zealand, and more.

Wales and Canada joined the list last weekend and Ireland is expected to introduce a ban by the end of 2018.

Plastic Straws

Plastic straws, long an enemy of environmentalists, are beginning to feel the heat.

Around 8.5 billion plastic straws are thrown away every year in the UK alone, according to the Marine Conservation Society.

The straws often wind up in the ocean and are are now among the top 10 waste items found on beaches.

https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/asse...xlarge-169.jpg
Plastic straws are in the firing line in several countries.


In response, many major cities and states around the world have implemented plastic straw bans, including Taiwan, Seattle, and Vancouver. India is cracking down, with plastic bans that affect the sale of straws in at least 25 of 29 states.

In April, the UK proposed a campaign against plastic waste, which could ban plastic straws, drink stirrers, and cotton swabs. Public consultation will be held later this year.

The European Union also recently proposed a similar plastic ban, in which straws are among 10 targeted items that make up 70% of all litter in EU waters and beaches.

Coffee pods and cups

Coffee pods, made of a combination of plastic and aluminum, can be difficult to recycle.

Hamburg was the first city to ban coffee pods in 2016. Coffee company Nespresso also has a coffee pod recycling program in multiple countries, encouraging customers to drop off empty pods at collection points.

Coffee cups are also in trouble. Scotland banned single-use coffee cups in government buildings earlier this year and Wales may follow soon.

https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/asse...xlarge-169.jpg
Starbucks and other coffee shops offer discounts if you bring your own cup.


Many coffee outlets, including Starbucks, offer discounts to customers who bring their own reusable cups or tumblers. In London, Starbucks has introduced a "latte levy"in numerous locations, charging customers a 5-pence (about 6 cents) fee for disposable cups.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/02/austr...ntl/index.html

We started cleaning up this country in the 70s, 80s and forward.

I remember people would roll the car window down and throw the McDonalds bag out their window in the street.

People would dump their car ashtrays in parking lots.

The Cuyahoga River in Cleveland caught fire.

We had a lot of pollution that these 3rd world countries now have.

They need to get on the bandwagon and get it cleaned up in their country!

Many of them do not recycle.

We have tons of trash from Japan that show up on the shores of the Oregon coast.

We have for decades now, we have cleaned up a lot of it. We have cleanup crews and prisoners cleaning up our roads and highways.

Now these foreigners are coming here by the millions and bringing these nasty habits with them trashing our beautiful country. Not to mention the overbreeding, more trash and use of our Natural Resources.

All this immigration needs to stop. We need a break. This is not funny. They need to go home and build America on their soil and solve their own problems. Not come here and destroy ours.

They do not need to go home and build "America" on their soil. They need to build countries that work for them. These people are not Americans, will never be Americans, that's why we're losing our country, too many people who are not and will never be Americans are invading our country. These people do not raise US up, they pull US down, because they are not US, they are not Americans, they are other types of people who like handouts, freebies, cheating, illicit activity, lawlessness, crazy customs, strange beliefs, weird habits, socialism, communism, authoritarianism, religionism ... look at what they've already done to our country, they can not and will not ever build an "America" on their soil, they will build what suits them which will be very different than what suits US.

Americans are now a tribe of our own fighting for our own existence and the sooner we face that reality, the sooner we'll succeed in preserving it.