Whole Foods Market announced Tuesday its plans to discontinue the use of plastic bags in all of its stores by Earth Day on April 22.
Whole Foods, which sells natural and organic foods in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, has a local supermarket in Madison located at 3313 University Ave.
Central to Whole Foods Market's core values is caring for our communities and the environment, and this includes adopting wise environmental practices,"" A.C. Gallo, co-president and chief operating officer for Whole Foods Market, said in a statement.
Shoppers at the Whole Foods in Madison can expect to see the supply of plastic bags deplete over the next few months until paper and canvas grocery bags are all that remain.
Kate Klotz, Whole Foods spokeswoman for the Midwest region, said the company recently found a way to sell bags that are made of 80 percent post-consumer waste material. The bags cost 99 cents and customers are given 10 cents back for every bag they bring in. According to Klotz, Whole Foods is the first company to offer the bags.
Klotz expects Madison's environmentally-conscious community to be supportive of the change in company policy.
""It's definitely a market that will see this as something favorable and will really embrace it,"" she said.
Another organic food store in Madison has already received positive customer responses for their use of alternative bagging materials. The Willy Street Co-ops located at 1221 Williamson St. has never used plastic bags at its checkouts, although the co-op is more than willing to recycle them.
""Being huge haters of finding plastic bags in trees and all over the place, we are happy to recycle them,"" said Lynn Olson, the co-operative services manager.
Olson said the Willy Street Co-op is enthusiastic about another local grocery store's choice to eliminate plastic bags.
""We're absolutely thrilled that more people are making the decision not to perpetuate plastic bags is more fuel for our agenda, which is to eliminate unnecessary waste in our environment,"" Olson said.
