Kroger Will Stop Using Plastic Bags For Your Groceries

Thursday, August 23, 2018 at 10:04 AM

By Mike Perleberg @mikedup84

Plastic bags will vanish from Kroger's family of stores by 2025.

(Cincinnati, OH) -- Plastic bags will no longer be available to customers at Kroger in a few years.

The supermarket chain has announced that they will be transitioning to reusable bags by 2025. The plan is part of the store's newly announced Zero Hunger, Zero Waste commitment.

"As part of our Zero Hunger | Zero Waste commitment, we are phasing out use-once, throw-it-away plastic bags and transitioning to reusable bags in our stores by 2025," said Rodney McMullen, Kroger's chairman and CEO. "It's a bold move that will better protect our planet for future generations."

Kroger says there are estimates that 100 billion single-use plastic bags are thrown away in the U.S. every year. Currently, less than five percent of those plastic bags are recycled.

The grocery chair says it will solicit customer feedback and work with non-governmental organizations and community partners to ensure a responsible transition.

"We listen very closely to our customers and our communities, and we agree with their growing concerns," said Mike Donnelly, Kroger's executive vice president and COO.

Kroger currently sells reusable bags for $1 and will start to ramp up the availability of those bags. The company is also looking into phasing out plastic bags for meat and produce.