Walmart has over the years urged and encouraged the use of reusable bags and has provided recycling bins at many of its outlets for plastic bins and bottles.
Walmart stores have gone to great lengths on a global scale to reduce waste and improve plastic recycling in their operations and by the customers themselves. Walmart has been on the move to transition to a circular economy with no plastic waste.
Following are the steps Walmart has taken to encourage the recycling of plastic bags and bottles-
Providing consumer-friendly information on recyclability on packaging labels. A movement towards a circular economy. Bringing it to the realms of businesses and society. Encouraging consumers to use reusable bags and a chance to recycle. Educating the suppliers on the importance of recycling and reusing in the industry.
Providing Consumer-friendly Information on Recyclability on Packaging Labels
By 2025, the goal is to make 100% of the global private-label packaging to get recycled, reused, or industrially biodegradable. In the United States of America, Walmart has encouraged using the How2Recycle label of Sustainable Packaging Coalition to provide necessary information on recyclability.
A movement toward a Circular Economy
Walmart is pushing the initiative to convert from a “take-make-dispose” approach to one that places a premium on the reuse and the regeneration of energy together with materials. In addition, the organization is encouraging the adoption of circular packaging and products such as plastics, but not restricted to them.
Bringing it to The Realms of Businesses and the Society
Recycling and reusing plastic products is necessary to ensure that the consumers are protected and receive high-quality items from their products. Packing refers to how a product is transported, and once it has reached its end-user, it may become a waste if the user removes the packaging. Therefore Walmart is pushing to eradicate waste caused by plastic packaging, which is not only user-friendly but also environmentally friendly.
Encouraging Consumers to Use Reusable Bags and Giving Them a Chance to Recycle
Walmart makes it more convenient and has updated the location of reusable bags and presented them in new styles to make it easier for customers to choose reusable solutions. In addition, Walmart promotes using reusable bags among its customers. In 2020, Walmart joined the “Beyond the Bag” initiative to find, test, and implement scalable plastic bags and bottle alternatives. Walmart has made it possible for customers in almost 2000 stores to have access to in-store plastic bags and film recycle bins.
Educating the suppliers on the importance of recycling and reusing in the industry
Walmart supplies suppliers with materials such as the Walmart Recycling Playbook and collaborated with The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), The Sustainable Packaging Coalition, and Pure Strategies to create this resource.
What is the recycling strategy of Walmart?
To get rid of operational waste. Encourage customers to minimize, reuse, and recycle. To create a catalyst for waste reduction system innovation. Walmart and other retailers are improving product packaging by using less plastic and striving for 100 percent recyclable or industrially compostable packaging. To reduce the use of plastic bags is a good idea.
What Are Walmart’s Main Strategies and Achievements in terms of Plastic Bag and Bottle Recycling?
Walmart is a co-chair of the Consumer Goods Plastic Coalition, which is aimed at bringing together other retailers and manufacturers. The United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Canada have developed the Plastic Pact to assist inspire commitment throughout the sector and connect corporations and government institutions. Walmart encourages suppliers to set their own goals for minimizing waste, reusing materials, and using recycled materials through Project GigatonTM. The goal is to hasten the transition to 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable packaging in the industrial sector. In its operations, they are testing reusable and refillable product packaging. Walmart has learned from its operations in the United Kingdom, where Asda teamed up with some of the country’s most well-known brands to open its first “test and learn” sustainability shop in Leeds, to find new ways to cut plastic use and encourage customers to reuse and refill.
The Walmart Recycling Playbook
The Sustainable Packaging Playbook, which was released last year by Walmart, is a follow-up to their Packaging Scorecard, which was first released in 2003. The Playbook provides manufacturers, brand owners, and packaging engineers with a list of sustainable packaging best practices for the retail industry, as well as tips on how to best achieve them, while the Packaging Scorecard lays out critical sustainable packaging standards for manufacturers to work toward.
A minor design adjustment increased the sustainability of a packet of hand wipes in one example highlighted in the Walmart Playbook. Wipe packets were previously packed in groups and delivered in a hard paperboard carton. Designers designed a new packaging technology that uses two sticky labels to hold pouches together after considering application requirements. The number of packaging materials required for each set of pouches is greatly reduced with this method.
Conclusion
Walmart will recycle plastic bags and bottles beginning in 2022. Plastic bags and bottles can be dropped off at Walmart’s How2Recycle Retailer Drop-Off boxes from any store, including Kroger, Target, Safeway, and others. After being dumped, the plastic goods will be recycled at a nearby recycling facility. Customers would benefit greatly from this, as many community curbside recycling programs, plastic bags, and other films are not properly recycled and wind up in landfills.
Most Commonly Asked Questions
Is Walmart equipped with a recycling bin?
Yes, Walmart offers recycling containers in its shops all around the country. Customers can dispose of plastic products in these recycling containers, which are stored next to the conventional bins.
What to do if someone wants to return a plastic bottle at Walmart?
A receipt will be printed by the vending machine or return station, which you should take to the checkout counter. The employee will scan your receipt and issue a refund for the bottles. Most Walmart locations will only accept $25 in refunds per person, per day.
