Shoppers at Aldi will no longer be able to buy plastic shopping bags at all 2,300 stores across the country.
The company announced last week that is the first major retailer in the United States to eliminate plastic shopping bags, according to WFLA.
“This will save over 4,400 tons (nearly nine million pounds) of plastic from circulation each year. That’s equivalent to 20 Lady Liberty statues! With this important change, we’d like to remind you to bring your own reusable bags whenever you shop at an ALDI store or purchase one of our exclusive reusable bags at checkout. Shopping with a reusable bag is a small but mighty way we can all support a healthier planet,” Aldi CEO Jason Hart said in a statement.
Aldi does have cloth bags available for purchase at stores and they will continue to sell them to customers who forget their reusable bags.
Other stores that have eliminated plastic shopping bags include Walmart in New York, Connecticut and parts of Colorado; Stop & Shop in the northeast; Wegmans which did so in 2022, according to USA Today.
In addition to eliminating plastic bags, the company is aiming to use natural refrigerants in all US stores by 2023, according to USA Today.
“As one of America’s fastest-growing retailers, we take our responsibility to lead the industry in sustainability seriously, so our customers don’t have to choose between shopping responsibly and saving money,” Hart said in the press release, obtained by USA Today. “Eliminating plastic shopping bags from our stores and transitioning to environmentally friendly refrigerant systems not only help us protect the environment, but they also help reduce costs, which we then pass on to our customers. These decisions help our customers feel good about shopping at Aldi and our employees feel proud to work here.”
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