Big Y Latest Grocery Chain to Ban Single Use Plastic Bags

The towns of Branford, Guilford and North Branford in recent weeks have been talking about adopting regulations banning the use of single use plastic bags in town in an effort to keep the bags from fouling the environment.

On Tuesday those efforts got a boost as grocery giant Big Y, which has stores in all of those towns, announced they would ban single use plastic bags as of 2020.

National chains Costco and Aldi, which both have stores in Connecticut, currently also do not provide free single-use plastic bags.

“Single use plastic bags can no longer be viewed as a long term solution for our stores,” said Richard D. Bossie, Big Y vice president of store operations in a statement.

There are 30 Big Y stores in Connecticut.

“Our customers and the communities we serve have made it quite clear that they prefer more environmentally friendly alternatives," said Bossie. "We look forward to implementing this new program in all of our retail locations.

Currently, the store said it complies with town ordinances in six Massachusetts municipalities that ban plastic bags.

The bans in these towns prompted officials with the Massachusetts-based grocer to reconsider providing single-use plastic bags across the 70 stores in the chain.

To ensure a smooth transition, Big Y will offer special discounted pricing and promotions on its reusable bags during 2019.

The retailer currently collects single-use plastic bags from customers at each store and sends them to recycling plants for use in decking. Other sustainability efforts include donations to the five food banks within Big Y’s marketing area, including meat, produce and bakery items.

The chain’s locations also take part in paper- and cardboard-recycling programs and composting, and have installed such energy-saving equipment as solar arrays, LED lighting and electric car-charging stations.
Big Y’s decision comes at a time when there is a growing number of Connecticut communities, frustrated by the state’s inaction,are taking or considering action on their own to ban single-use plastic bags at grocery stores to help protect the environment.

Currently only Westport and Greenwich have banned single-use plastic bags, but Stamford will soon follow with a ban taking effect in April.
But in North Branford, the town's Solid Waste Committee discussed the issue at its most recent meeting - but took no action. Instead the committee said it would wait to see what neighboring towns do about the issue and then perhaps follow suit.

The issue recently came up in Branford as the Representative Town Meeting held a discussion with members of the community who are urging the town take action on the matter at its most recent meeting.

A proposed ordinance is expected to be discussed at the Branford RTM's Rules and Ordinance Committee.

Members of the Branford group, called Bring Your Own, appeared before the Branford RTM on December 11th, to push the initiative. They told the RTM they have the support of hundreds of residents and close to two dozen merchants.

RTM member James Walker took the discussion further, submitting a letter to the RTM, which suggested the town consider a ban on the purchase and selling of plastic helium balloons in Branford.

His letter referred to the balloons as "agents of death" to marine wildlife and "horrific litter." He said other forward-thinking communities had enacted such bans. His letter was also forwarded to the Rules and Ordinance Committee.

In neighboring Guilford, a group recently appeared before that town's Board of Selectmen to also suggest that Guilford get behind the initiative.

In Guilford, Terri Cain explained that Bring Your Own (BYO) is a group of residents concerned about the global problem of plastic waste. They have been building a community consensus and partnership since the spring.

A major partner has been the Guilford High School Environmental Club.

Molly Babbin a recent GHS graduate gave a brief presentation on plastic pollution in the environment, particularly in oceans. The largest contributor is single use plastic bags. She noted that 60,000 bags are used every five seconds. On average people use a bag for 12 minutes and it lasts 450 years in the environment. Only 1-3% is recycled.

North America's largest grocery chain, Kroger, recently announced that it will be discontinuing single-use plastic bags in its stores by 2025 as part of its ongoing sustainability program, called "Zero Hunger, Zero Waste."

According to a company press release, an estimated 100 billion single-use plastic bags are thrown away in the U.S every year and less than 5 percent of plastic bags are recycled.