RECYCLING
The world’s biggest retailers are trying to replace the plastic shopping bag.
Target, Walmart and CVS Health unveiled a $15 million joint initiative Tuesday to replace plastic bags with something else over the next three years. The companies, which each contributed $5 million, aim to create a global competition to find a way to change plastic bags or make them unneeded.
Walgreens Boots Alliance and Kroger also plan to be involved.
On average, shoppers “only use a plastic bag for 12 minutes before throwing it out, but it persists in our environment for hundreds of years in our waterways and landfills,” said Closed Loop’s Daly.
The plastic bag was introduced in supermarkets in 1977. While 32 countries and an increasing number of U.S. states have cracked down on their use, the coronavirus pandemic has led to something of a resurgence. With safety concerns surrounding the virus’ ability to survive on fabrics paramount, even Greenpeace has said that reusable plastic bags are safe to use for consumers.
MORE DETAILS
Globally, the planet goes through about 4 trillion bags a year, according to Waste Management Inc., and only about 1% of plastic bags end up getting properly recycled by consumers.
When they do end up in the trash, they often get stuck in recycling and waste processing machines.