Wal-Mart pledges to cut shopping bag waste by a third

The move will eliminate more than 135 million pounds of plastic waste globally, Wal-Mart says.

“By reducing the number of plastic bags our customers use, increasing the availability and affordability of reusable bags and providing recycling solutions, we think we can eliminate plastic waste equivalent to nine billion plastic bags per year from our existing stores alone,” said Matt Kistler, senior vice president for sustainability of Wal-Mart Stores.

As part of the plan, Wal-Mart stores in the USA and Mexico are introducing new, more affordable reusable bags.

The commitment to cutting waste includes a 25% reduction from US stores and a 50% reduction from international operations.