|
Wal-Mart Stores: Turning Trash Into Cash
By Jerry Peacock, Market Manager # 347, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
At Wal-Mart, we believe that being an efficient and profitable business
goes hand-inhand with being a good steward of the environment. Wal-Mart’s
environmental goals are simple and straightforward: to be supplied 100
percent by renewable energy; to create zero waste; and to sell products that
sustain our natural resources and the environment.
We are moving toward our goal by recycling 100 percent of recyclable
products, eliminating materials that can’t be recycled and instituting
recycling programs in our offices, stores, Clubs and distribution centers.
Additionally, we are working to develop a closed-loop recycling program with
our suppliers.
Super Sandwich Bale
Loose plastic is unruly and hard to collect for recycling, so we
implemented an innovative solution called the “Sandwich Bale.” Like a
sandwich, the plastic is pressed between two stacks of cardboard then
bundled for transportation. We’ve introduced this process into all of our
stores and Clubs, and so far we estimate that we’ve diverted more than 97
million pounds of plastic from landfills. The “Super Sandwich Bale”
can process all aluminum cans, plastic hangers, plastic water and soda
bottles, office paper, paperback books and other recyclable items. The
sandwich bale uses existing balers within the stores and eliminates one out
of five waste compactor hauls per store (due to reduction of waste volume).
It also allows transportation of plastic on flatbed trailers since the
cardboard sections provide containment of the plastic, reducing litter and
bale integrity issues.
Reusable Bags
In October 2007, we began selling reusable bags in all of our Discount
Stores, Supercenters and Neighborhood Markets for $1 each. Since this
launch, we have sold enough of our black reusable bags in the U.S. to
eliminate the need for one billion disposable plastic bags. As part of our
commitment announced at the Clinton Global Initiative in September 2008,
Wal-Mart will reduce our global plastic shopping bag waste by an average of
33 percent per store by 2013. To help reach our U.S. goal of a 25 percent
reduction, we are increasing the availability and affordability of reusable
bags in our U.S. stores. A new, blue reusable bag that will sell for 50
cents each will be available to all U.S. customers by November 2008.
Wal-Mart will offer both the black and blue reusable bags, providing our
customers two affordable options for bringing their groceries and purchases
home in a reusable bag. When our reusable bags wear out, customers can
return them to their local Wal-Mart store for recycling.
Tires
Each year, our Tire and Lube Express Centers send millions of tires to
recyclers for processing. Tires are traditionally bulky and heavy to
transport to recycling facilities, but Wal-Mart is testing a number of
methods to make this process easier. We are also trying to close the loop on
our tire recycling by working with companies who use recycled tires in
products that could eventually end up on our shelves.
Closed-Loop Recycling
Many people wonder where plastic and other materials go once they have been
recycled. At Wal-Mart, we are developing a closed-loop recycling program
where the materials recycled from Wal-Mart stores go back to our suppliers.
With the recycled materials, suppliers can make new products that return to
Wal-Mart’s shelves. This system saves us, our suppliers and our customers
money.
As the largest retailer in the world, Wal-Mart has the opportunity and
the responsibility to make a difference on important issues, such as the
environment. These recycling initiatives are just some of the many programs
Wal-Mart will implement to meet its environmental goals. We are open and
willing to share what we have learned so that everyone can benefit from a
more sustainable future.
|
