America's largest grocery store chain, Kroger, said Aug. 23 it will phase out single-use plastic bags by 2025.
Kroger, which owns grocery stores like Mariano's and Pick 'n Save, will transition to reusable bags in lieu of plastic ones. The first stores to begin the phaseout will be in its Seattle-based QFC division. Kroger expects the first rollout will be complete in 2019.
"We listen very closely to our customers and our communities, and we agree with their growing concerns," Mike Donnelly, Kroger's executive vice president and COO, said in a prepared statement. "That's why, starting today at QFC, we will begin the transition to more sustainable options."
Kroger also has a goal to divert 90 percent of its waste from landfills by 2020. In 2017, the company diverted 66.2 million pounds of plastic and 2.4 billion pounds of cardboard from landfills to recycling facilities.
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