Walmart Canada introduces five cent charge for plastic bags | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
Subscribe

Would you like to subscribe to our newsletter?

Current Conditions Mostly Cloudy  5.5°C

Kamloops News

Walmart Canada introduces five cent charge for plastic bags

In this June 4, 2015 file photo, shoppers check out at a Wal-Mart Supercenter store in Springdale, Ark. Walmart Canada will begin to charge customers for plastic bags as part of its strategy for cutting the amount of plastic that ends up in landfills.
Image Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Danny Johnston

TORONTO - Walmart Canada will begin to charge customers for plastic bags as part of its strategy for cutting the amount of plastic that ends up in landfills.

Beginning on Feb. 9, customers will be charged five cents each for plastic bags, with reusable bags available for a discounted rate of 25 cents each.

The company — headquartered in Mississauga, west of Toronto — said that the introduction of a small fee in other countries has helped Walmart to reduce the number of plastic bags by more than half.

Walmart says some of the proceeds from the new charge will go toward supporting recycling initiatives for grocery bags and other thin plastic objects.

The company said it's also going to improve in-store recycling and collection programs and work with suppliers to find ways of removing plastic from its packaging.

Walmart Canada has 397 stores and serves more than 1.2 million customers per day.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2016
The Canadian Press

  • Popular penticton News
View Site in: Desktop | Mobile