The Reddit post highlighted the continuing influx of single-use plastic bags used by supermarkets such as Walmart, despite repeated calls to stem the flow of plastic waste.
A Redditor has described his horror when he tried to open his delivery and discovered that eight of the 10 items he had purchased were individually wrapped in plastic bags.
This was the first time the Redditor used Walmart’s delivery service after getting a free Walmart+ membership with a credit card.
“We use reusable bags so it’s ridiculous that we have so many! Especially if we do this every week,” they wrote.
Single-use packaging, including plastic bags, is the biggest contributor to the world’s plastic waste problem.
John Josevar, director of ocean campaigns at Greenpeace USA, told Foodprint that supermarkets are a common place for consumers to encounter single-use plastics.
Most supermarkets, including Walmart, are failing to make the necessary efforts to eradicate plastic waste.
According to Greenpeace’s 2021 report, Walmart received a score of 18.10 out of 100 for its plastic reduction efforts. Still, it ranks seventh out of 20 supermarkets overall, a sign of the lack of effort across the industry to replace plastic.
Walmart has set a goal to eliminate PVC and polystyrene packaging by 2025. Following state-wide laws, some states, including New Jersey, have banned the use of single-use plastic bags.
However, Greenpeace notes that Walmart is not committed to eliminating single-use plastics completely, choosing to focus more on recyclability.
Redditors are recommending Walmart’s curbside option, which allows customers to shop without plastic bags. However, it is questionable how much this service will reduce plastic waste.
One user complained, “Once I decided to use my own bag to pick up the item, but ended up putting the item in a Walmart bag.”
“I’ve been frustrated by this for years,” another Redditor agreed. “We realized it wasn’t about Walmart or any other store; it was about the individual putting the product in the bag.”
“I’m a Walmart employee. The reason is because I pick multiple orders at the same time and unfortunately a lot of the items end up in separate bags in the order box,” said another. the user explained. “I don’t like that either.”
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