The single-use plastic bag is convenient and widely used in the retail setting, but that doesn’t mean that it’s the best way to get the products you buy at your local Meijer back to your home.
Meijer is working to address the plastic bag issue in a few different ways. First, we want to encourage the use of reusable bags whenever possible. Not only can it reduce the environmental impact of your shopping trip, it can also be more convenient for you as a customer.
This is what we did when we opened Woodward Corner Market. It was the first of our small format stores that eliminated single-use plastic bags, and instead encouraged customers to bring their own or purchase two different types of reusable – and 100 percent recyclable – plastic bags. It was among the first in the Midwest to only offer alternatives made to be used up to 125 times before needing to be replaced.
However, when our customers choose to use single-use plastic bags, we encourage them to return the plastic bags to our stores for recycling collection. Each store has recycling bins in the front vestibules for recycling plastic bags and film material. See the graphic below for more information on what we collect in these bins.
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We also collect any packaging that has the How2Recycle “Store Drop Off” label. Most municipal recycling facilities and curbside recycling programs do not accept plastic bags, so bringing them back to your local Meijer is one of the best recycling collection methods.
Lastly, we’re exploring other options to move away from traditional single-use bags. Meijer has joined the Beyond the Bag Consortium to help reinvent the retail bag. This multi-year collaboration across the retail sector aims to identify, pilot, and implement innovative new design solutions that serve the function of today’s single-use bag while lessening its impact on the environment.