Sunday, March 17, 2019 | 2 a.m.
Disposable packaging is doing a number on our planet. After a moment’s use, it lives on to clog our waterways, poison animals and despoil nature.
Trader Joe’s—the grocery store with locations in Summerlin, Henderson and Anthem—is making a companywide effort to halt the waste. In December, it announced “packaging improvements,” with plans to: reduce/remove packaging; source renewable, recycled and recyclable packaging materials; and help educate customers about the best ways to recycle or dispose of packaging. The company plans to eliminate more than 1 million pounds of plastic from its stores this year. Trader Joe’s has already eliminated plastic foam from its produce section, and single-use plastic bags are no longer offered.
The job isn’t done, but the company is making progress. “We view this as ongoing work—in fact, never-ending work,” the company states.
Trader Joe’s is now working on eliminating plastic produce packaging. Fresh meat will soon be placed in recyclable trays instead of plastic foam.
The planned plastic reductions go down to the minutia: greeting card sleeves, flower bags and tea pouches. It’s an inspiring change other companies would be wise to emulate.
This story originally appeared in the Las Vegas Weekly.
