Pick ‘n Save and Metro Market promised to ditch plastic bags by 2025. Is that still happening?

As 2024 wound down, Milwaukee resident Andy Oren found himself wondering why the Pick ‘n Save on South Whitnall Avenue had no signs reminding shoppers of its pledge to ditch plastic bags by 2025.

Kroger, the parent company of Pick ‘n Save, made that promise more than six years ago.

“We are phasing out use-once, throw-it-away plastic bags and transitioning to reusable bags in our stores by 2025,” Kroger chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen said in a 2018 press release. “It’s a bold move that will better protect our planet for future generations.”

However, the grocery chain did not clarify if the change would happen by the beginning of 2025 or the end.

Oren emailed Kroger’s customer service department in October to find out when the switch might happen. To his surprise, a representative said the transition to reusable bags “can’t happen overnight.”

“For the time being, most of our stores will continue current bagging policies,” the email read.

“Why does it take so long?” Oren asked Public Investigator.

Public Investigator tried to get clarity by reaching out to Kroger, as well as its subsidiary, Roundy’s, which operates the Pick ‘n Save and Metro Market chains. Unfortunately, the response was similarly noncommittal.

“We remain focused on finding feasible ways to reduce the amount of single-use plastic grocery shopping bags used in our stores,” Emilie Williamson, a spokesperson for Roundy’s, said in an email. “We continue to explore how to achieve progress on this challenging topic across the company and in collaboration with others.”

Kroger didn’t respond by publication time. But a Kroger spokesperson gave a similar line to Louisville Courier Journal earlier this month.

Public Investigator did find one clue in Kroger’s 2024 Environmental, Social and Governance report.

In that report, the grocery chain says its retail operations team has conducted “multiple pilots in select stores to test bag alternatives and incentives to encourage customers to move away from single-use plastic bags.”

“These tests have provided valuable insights and wide-ranging customer feedback that is affecting our pace of change and potential roadmap for phasing out single-use bags,” the report continues. “So far, more than 700 Kroger-operated stores have stopped providing single-use plastic shopping bags.”

Williamson, the spokesperson for Roundy’s, did not respond to any follow-up questions, including whether any of those 700 stores are in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin law prohibits local governments from banning plastic bags

Plastic bags create a massive amount of waste, as most of them aren’t recycled.

According to an Environmental Protection Agency report from 2018, the U.S. generated 4.2 million tons of plastic bags, but more than 3 million ended up in a landfill.

Several states and cities, like Colorado and Chicago, have passed laws to ban plastic bags.

Wisconsin, on the other hand, made it illegal for municipalities to ban single-use plastic bags and containers in 2016.

Although no Wisconsin communities had a ban at the time, supporters said the law would preemptively protect grocers and small businesses from costly regulations.

The Wisconsin Grocers Association was in favor of the law, said Mike Semmann, president and chief executive officer of the association.

“Expanding regulatory burdens on businesses would increase prices and be harmful to the consumer,” Semmann told Public Investigator in an email.

Companies and businesses in Wisconsin can still choose to stop providing plastic bags and containers.

Prioritize using fewer plastic bags over recycling them, environmental experts say

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources advises prioritizing reducing the number of plastic bags you use over recycling them, according to Jennifer Semrau, the department’s waste reduction and diversion coordinator.

“Don’t forget that reusable bags are not just for the grocery store!” Semrau said in an email to Public Investigator. “Use them at the drugstore, gas station, clothing retailers, anywhere you are shopping.”

Some Kroger-operated stores offer points or discounts for using reusable bags.

Plastic bags, bubble wrap, produce bags, newspaper bags and other plastic wraps aren’t recyclable through curbside recycling. Instead, they must be recycled at drop-off sites, including retail and grocery stores like Pick ‘n Save.

Williamson, the Roundy’s spokesperson, said the Roundy’s distribution center in Oconomowoc collected 2.8 million pounds of plastic last year.

Kroger is one of the largest grocers in the U.S., with an estimated 2,855 stores.

Oren told Public Investigator he still isn’t sure what the holdup is for getting rid of plastic bags.

“There’s a quick alternative,” he said. “They have paper bags.”

In the meantime, Oren says he’s sticking with his reusable bags.

About Public Investigator

Government corruption. Corporate wrongdoing. Consumer complaints. Medical scams. Public Investigator is a new initiative of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and its sister newsrooms across Wisconsin. Our team wants to hear your tips, chase the leads and uncover the truth. We’ll investigate anywhere in Wisconsin. Send your tips to watchdog@journalsentinel.com or call 414-319-9061. You can also submit tips at jsonline.com/tips.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Are Pick ‘n Save and Metro Market ditching plastic bags in 2025?