Walmart Canada Debuts Reusable Bag Recycling Pilot

Walmart Canada has unveiled a national pilot program that helps shoppers recycle their reusable shopping bags. The company says it’s the first major retailer in Canada to offer a national program of this kind.

The “Walmart Blue Bag Recycling Program” rolled out on April 15 in partnership with TerraCycle, a U.S.-based recycling company that specializes in hard-to-recycle materials. The program invites shoppers to mail in their excess or damaged Walmart reusable blue shopping bags to TerraCycle to give them a second life, according to a media release. 

Once collected, TerraCycle will take the eligible bags and either launder and donate them for reuse to its charity partners, including Food Banks Canada, or recycle damaged bags into raw formats that manufacturers use to make new products, such as plastic shipping pallets and outdoor furniture.

[Also Read: Consumers Are Willing to Sacrifice for Sustainability, Survey Finds]

“We know that transitioning away from single-use plastic bags two years ago has been a learning curve for Canadians – and we’re proud to be learning alongside them as we make this change together,” Jennifer Barbazza, senior manager, sustainability, Walmart Canada, said in the statement. “Today, we’re proud to offer Canadians an opportunity for a 'fresh start' by launching our national reusable bag recycling pilot program.”

To draw attention to the program, Walmart is leveraging the spring cleaning season and inviting Canadians to get a head start by joining its “Fresh Start Day of Action” on April 22. On this day, the retailer is encouraging Canadians to package up a minimum of five Walmart-branded blue reusable shopping bags (with a maximum package size of 18x18x18 inches) and mail them to TerraCycle. Canadians can sign up at terracycle.com/walmart-bags to join the program.

[Also Read: Walmart Canada Invests $1 Billion to Modernize the Shopper Experience]

This program is the latest milestone on Walmart Canada’s journey to become a regenerative company. In 2022, Walmart Canada became one of the largest grocery retailers to eliminate single-use plastic shopping bags.

In related news, Walmart reopened its flagship store Mississauga, Ontario, which boasts its Canadian “store of the future” layout, expanded departments, its first Canadian Walmart Health hub, boutique apparel areas, frictionless shopping experiences and a new SmartShelf Platform that marries physical and digital shopping.