It pays to use reusable bags at Target, not Wal-Mart

Some countries like Ireland hope that taxing the use of plastic grocery bags will  encourage people to use reusable bags instead. Target, the fifth biggest retailer in the US, is taking the opposite approach.

Starting today you can get 5 cents off your total purchase for each reusable bag you use at any of Target’s 1,700 stores. The bag can be any sort of reusable tote but can’t be another paper or plastic bag.

The retailer tested the bag program in 100 stores this year and found a 58% reduction in the number of plastic bags used. With 1.5 billion transactions a year this program could keep a massive amount of bags out of landfills.

Target’s announcement comes after CVS launched a similar program that’s linked to the store’s loyalty card. Customers purchase a green bag tag card that attaches to a reusable tote and is scanned at each purchase. Customers get $1 on their CVS card for four plastic-free trips to the national drugstore.

The move away from plastic bags by national retailers like Target and CVS is a great start. But where is the nation’s biggest retailer, Wal-Mart, on ditching plastic bags? They’re thinking about it. The company wants to “reduce our global plastic shopping bag waste by an average of 33 percent per store by 2013.” Last month a select number of stores in California were going to ban plastic bags via a new test program. Customers would have the option to bring their own reusable bags or buy low priced ones from Wal-Mart. The plan was cancelled.

According to the Sacramento Bee, the company thought rolling out such a plan before the holiday shopping season would “skew the test results.” A Wal-Mart spokesperson wouldn’t comment if was more customer reaction or test results at the heart of their reversal.

Wal-Mart needs to think more of a carrot than stick approach to going green. The complete removal of the bags could irritate customers who are used to the convenience of getting a plastic bag upon checkout. Transitioning to bags with less plastic or instructing your cashiers to shove more items in a bag are nice ideas but don’t really stand up to CVS or Target’s instant gratification.