If you shop at Walmart, get ready to start paying for those plastic bags. Starting on February 9th, Walmart will join the list of retailers charging $0.05 for each plastic bag used as part of its strategy for cutting the amount of plastic that ends up in landfills.
They will have reuseable bags available for a limited time at just 25 cents each to help you make the move to reuseable & recyclable bags. Since most Walmart cashiers bag as they go and are used to providing unlimited bags, it may be a bit of a learning curve. I noticed when shopping last week without my reuseables that my cashier used 5 plastic bags when three would have fit, but she gave them to me as she got to larger/fragile products.
Walmart says that the money from plastic bags will go towards supporting recycling initiatives for grocery bags and other thin plastic objects. They will also work on improving in-store recycling and collection programs and work with suppliers to find ways of removing plastic from its packaging.
Do grocery stores near you still offer free plastic bags?
In Saskatoon I’ve noticed that neither Safeway nor Sobeys charge, but Superstore does. Walmart now will, Dollarama doesn’t and Co-Op doesnt. I’ve been bringing reusable bags for years now, and I wish the liquor stores out here had the 4-bottle bags the LCBO used to sell (moved from ON in 2008 to MB, then to Saskatoon in 2014).
The liquor stores in Regina sell 4-section bags. I have one from a couple of years ago.
Hi Joy; I think that Superstore charges for bags because it is part of the Loblaws group. I know that the Loblaws that I shop at charges. I am not sure if it is chain wide or just certain Loblaws. Luckily, I bring re-usable bags otherwise I just put the stuff into my trunk of the car.
Longo’s still does not charge
Its ridiculous to charge for bags, just a cash grab
Depends on the Loblaws banner store-sometimes a Fortino’s staffer will not charge for a bag (say at night) if customer needs a bag and forgets to ask for one.
Denninger’s started charging for bags last year (5 cents).
I’ve been using Walmart bags for household garbage use and for bottle/can collecting. Might have to get a recyclable tote/bag just for the collecting.
No Frills bags used to be a good thick plastic but the chain switched to the flimsier crinkly plastic of most other stores over two years ago. One did not worry about anything getting wet in the older grocery bags!
Just a note that Lee Valley Tools sells the foldable (into a small pouch) nylon grocery sac bags (made in Canada) for about $5-easy to carry and some colours to choose from in-store.
Denningers never charge me for bags?
Dollarama and Dollar Giant continue to provide free bags to customers.
I have heard that Dollarama may charge with the next price increase too
Walmart bags are recyclable. Not sure about other provinces, but in Ontario they are. I know Loblaws has a plastic bag recycling bin – I think Walmart should get on board. Maybe give those who choose to use the bin an incentive, like a reusable bag for every 20 bags recycled. It’ll customers back in to the store and free advertising via Walmart logos on their reusables.
Charging 5 cents for their flimsy bags is a horrible idea. Perhaps giving a discount for using reusable bags is better. There are better ways of dealing with this, but of course they want to charge for $$ gains.
Since they’ve already decided on the route, if like to see how transparent Walmart will be in terms of how much and where they money goes.
Thank you for posting this article. I use the bags so often that I’ll pay the penalty, just like I’ve been doing at practically all grocery stores here in Quebec : \
5c per bag is not going to reduce the amount of bags that wind up in the landfill. No one cares THAT much about dishing out another nickel for a bag. Especially if they’re buying groceries or large orders and already spending a fair amount of money as it is. An extra 5, 10, or 25 cents isnt going to be noticed when your order is $30, $50, or $100 or more. — If these retailers are truly serious about reducing plastic bag consumption… ELIMINATE THEM ENTIRELY. — FORCE me bring my own bags… if there arent any plastic bags to be had (at any price), then they wont windup in the landfill. Simple.
That sort of logic is nonsense. I have a small waste bin in my kitchen because a large one accumulates more garbage and therefore more odour, so I use these smaller grocery bags in that bin (it’s the perfect size for them). The waste bin in my bathroom is specially designed for them with notches for the handles.
If all stores ceased to offer bags, I would simply have to buy smaller garbage bags designed for use in these small waste bins. So there goes your argument that taking plastic bags out of stores would reduce plastic in landfills. People like me, who use them to bundle garbage in smaller amounts before putting it in larger garbage bags would just find a substitute for the same purpose. I’ve always liked Walmart bags best because unlike a lot of other stores’ bags, they tend to be less likely to have have holes in the bottom.
I find that only Superstore and Shopper’s Drug Mart charge for bags. I tend to only buy small amounts of things at Shopper’s that I can carry in my hands and I usually take one or two bags into Superstore with me, where I don’t buy much. As for Walmart, I do bring a few cloth bags for heavier items that would go right through their plastic bags.
Don’t take offense, but you’re otherwise contributing to bags in the landfill (not accusing, but by your own admission) — whether you get them at the checkout or you “have to buy them”. Your solution should be to purchase compostable bags for that purpose. Even if you use them for small regular garbage, if they wind up in the landfill, they’ll compost down. — On the other hand, many people will just throw away plastic bags they get from making a purchase instead of re-purposing them… adding even more to the (alleged) problem. If there were no plastic bags to be had, then those people, yourself included, wouldnt be throwing them in the landfill… with or without purpose. — If the retailer’s claim is “it’s for the environment” then charging 5c per bag isn’t the solution… it’s not a deterrent. Eliminating the problem (the bags) from the start of the cycle is the solution.
Incidentally… (Atlantic) Superstore started this fiasco a number of years ago when no other retailer in NB (and NS I do believe) was. It lasted all of a few months, and then they stopped. They havent gone back to it in as many years. The NB Liquor store also did it for about a few months (at a different time) but they stopped as well.
Now what will I use to dispose of used kitty litter?! haha.
I think stores charging for plastic bags is just another way to earn more profits. I highly doubt some or all put it back into recycling initiatives after all one could claim that by charging for plastic bags less customers use them and that right there is a recycling initiative.
It comes down to the simple fact that now they won’t be giving bags away for free and instead will be ordering less of them (saving money) and charging for the ones they do give away (recouping that loss).
It sucks because Walmarts don’t have conveyor belts for you to bag your own groceries which wouldn’t be an issue if I didn’t have to watch the register and make sure everything was input correctly.
Fact of the matter is, if you only knew how much a Grocery store makes in profit from plastic bags in a week. They make more from YOU paying for plastic bags, then ordering the bag themselves.
No doubt. Those bags cost less than a cent each to make. Charging customers five cents is highway robbery!
This sucks. 25 cents for a reusable bag sounds ok, but it’s probably poor quality…ugh! This is disgusting, what’s next? will they charge us for parking???
JUST A CASH GRAB. MAYBE THEY ARE TRYING TO MAKE UP FOR THEIR VERY POOR LAST 1/4. AMAZON KICKED THEIR ASS, SO I GUESS THEY NEED THE MONEY NOW
Will they charge for bags for non grocery items?
@Alexandra – There is nothing about the Walmart article that specifies grocery orders. So It’s assumed to be for every purchase at Walmart that facilitates a plastic bag.
Nice, so walmart throws 5 tons of food in the garbage everyday at the place I work. I.e. brand new boxes of cereal, other boxed goods yet they charge 0.05 cents per bag. Hard to believe they care about the ‘environment’.
That’s outrageous considering how many people, especially children go hungry every day. They should be donating that food to food banks, shelters, and school breakfast and lunch programs. You should report them to a local non-government organization that helps the poor.
I suggested it here is the problem. They cannot be they are 1 week or sometimes expired products, therefore if they donate it and someone gets sick they’ll have a lawsuit coming there way. However a lot of the stuff could be recycled thus reused but they throw it in the garbage.
They do mention that they will try to increase store recycling.
In Toronto, all grocery stores charge 5cents. In my opinion, everyone should be toting around reusable bags. That being said, however, I am actually now LOW on plastic bags which I need for putting our condo compost in. So i am ok paying for a few 5cent bags. I still think 5cents doesn’t deter many people from using them. hopefully they are re-purposing them or at least recycling the plastic bags.