COLUMBUS, Ohio — In an effort to promote environmentally friendly habits, Giant Eagle and Market District locations in central Ohio discontinued single-use plastic bags beginning Thursday.
The move was made to encourage customers to reuse grocery bags or bring in bags from home as five trillion bags are reportedly used each year globally with 90% never recycled, according to a release from the store.
Giant Eagle says the stores will have reusable bags for purchase that customers can buy for $0.99 each. From Oct. 20 to Oct. 27, central Ohio locations will be implementing a sale of "buy one, get one free" for those who purchase a reusable bag.
Stores will also have paper bags available for five cents each, which are biodegradable and recyclable. Customers paying with government assistance will be exempt from the paper bag fee, the store says.
Throughout the chains, Giant Eagle's goal is to achieve net zero carbon emissions throughout its operations by 2040 and zero food supply waste by 2025.
“At Giant Eagle, we are committed to supporting the communities we serve, and we recognize the responsibility we have to help provide our families with a clean environment to play, swim and enjoy for generations to come,” said Cara Mercil, Giant Eagle Director of Sustainability. “By eliminating single-use plastic bags from our stores, we will be able to divert more than six million pounds of plastic from entering our waste stream each year.”