Walmart to charge for plastic bags

Walmart will join Superstore next month in charging customers for plastic bags.

Beginning on Feb. 9, the chain of stores will charge customers five cents for each plastic bag used to house items bought at the checkout.

Superstore has for years charged five cents per bag.

Walmart said the fee is part of its strategy for cutting the amount of plastic that ends up in landfills.

The company — headquartered in Mississauga, west of Toronto —said the introduction of a small fee in other countries has helped it reduce the number of plastic bags by more than half.

Walmart said some of the proceeds from the new charge will go toward supporting recycling initiatives for grocery bags and other thin plastic objects.

The company said it’s also going to improve in-store recycling and collection programs and work with suppliers to find ways of removing plastic from its packaging.

Walmart Canada has 397 stores and serves more than 1.2 million customers per day.