MILWAUKEE - Plastic bags will no longer be an option at some local grocery stores.
Kroger, who owns Pick 'n Save and Metro Market, announced plans Thursday to pull plastic from checkout lanes as a part of the company's 'Zero Hunger, Zero Waste' initiative.
"They could sell cloth things that we could put our lettuce in and stuff too because all this wrapping stuff is too much," Pacia Sallomi said.
According to a spokesperson for the company, Americans use about 100 billion plastic bags each year. When tied together, that's enough bags to reach around the earth's equator 773 times.
"It's crazy to be using this much plastic," Sallomi said.
Kroger is the nation's largest grocery store and operates nearly 2,800 stores across the country. Jim Hyland, VP of Communications for Roundy's supermarkets called the move to phase out plastic proactive.
"I think most customers will accept the fact that this is an eventuality and that it's good for the environment," Hyland said.
Metro Market shoppers like Jim Wick said they're in favor of phasing out plastic, although Wick is still trying to decide what should be used in its place.
"I would probably leave that up to the people that make more money than me," Wick laughed.
The push to pull plastic will start at Kroger's Seattle chain, QFC. The grocery chain will phase out the use of plastic bags at all its stores by 2025.
