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Last updated on Monday, August 27, 2018
(BLOOMINGTON) - Kroger is planning to get rid of all plastic bags by 2025.
On Thursday, Kroger announced that it will eliminate all single-use plastic bags from its stores by 2025 and transition to reusable bags.
That includes the 150 stores in the Hoosier state.
"The plastic shopping bag's days are numbered," Kroger chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen wrote in an opinion piece in the Cincinnati Enquirer on Thursday. "Our customers have told us it makes no sense to have so much plastic only to be used once before being discarded. And they're exactly right."
Single-use plastic bags are the fifth-most common single-use plastic found in the environment with 100 billion tossed in the U.S. each year, according to Kroger. Surprisingly, less than 5 percent of the bags are actually recycled.
"It's a bold move that will better protect our planet for future generations," McMullen said in a company statement.
Seattle's QFC grocery stores have already made the switch as the first Kroger-owned stores to implement the policy. As the transition happens in other stores, the company said it encourages shoppers to bring or use reusable bags whenever possible.
Once the switch is fully in place at stores, customers will have the option to bring their own bags or purchase a reusable or paper bag at their local store instead of using plastic.
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