Will North Dakotans have to BYOB? -- Bring your own bags?
According to KKTC.com Walmart in Colorado is making a move to do away with plastic bags, so customers will soon be required to bring their own reusable bags to the store. This new rule has taken effect as of today (September 15th).
The chain is starting small, but if things go well in Colorado, could this trickle over to other states such as North Dakota? -- I think it's very possible, if not likely.
They Don't Make These Decisions Lightly
From what I can tell, when one store does something, the others do too. They are all very uniform in that way. So, while it's just Colorado now, you have to think this is their way of testing it out before a massive rollout.
As a matter of fact, according to KKTV, corporate executives issued a statement, saying they have been working on ways to eliminate plastic bags since 2021. They also explained, that their plan is to go completely plastic-bag-free by 2023 in Colorado.
Other states have also already transitioned to reusable bags only. Vermont, Maine, and New Jersey don't not have the plastic bag option anymore.
Is This The Worst Thing In The World?
It's not, but it certainly is an inconvenience. So, what happens when you forget your reusable bags? Well, you will have to buy new ones at the check out. According to the source, the chain store will have reusable bags for sale in the check out lane with a range of price points.
I imagine, that if we make this move, we will have to make smaller hauls and go to the store more frequently, otherwise we'll not only have to buy a bunch of these bags, but also have to show up to the store with 20 of them at a time. But who knows, maybe that won't be as much of a task as I'm imagining.
Side note: I'll have to start actually buying trash bags for my mini trashcans. I might even have to buy a lunch box.
While it might be a little inconvenient, it will certainly be a good thing for the environment. According to the source, executives say this is also about customer safety.