Theresa Carter was upbeat and hopeful on Dec. 26 when she and a small group of supporters, and a group of media trailing behind, arrived at Target Corp.'s downtown Minneapolis headquarters with a petition asking the retailer to stop using plastic bags at its stores.
Now she's wondering why the retailer isn't even complying with a Minneapolis ordinance that took effect on Jan. 1, requiring all businesses to charge customers 5 cents for plastic bags.
"Certainly Target knows how to have a 5-cent line item in the checkout lane," said Carter, a self-described "Target shopper" who launched an online petition at change.org that has drawn more than 480,000 signatures. "It's the opposite of leadership on this."
The city of Minneapolis said it has sent an advisory notice to Target and Whole Foods after receiving complaints through its 311 line. Linda Roberts, the city's assistant manager of business licensing, said the aim of the letter is to educate and not penalize. Businesses have a six-month grace period before officials will give warnings and levy fines.
"The spirit of the code is to change the behavior of the consumer," Roberts said. "We want the consumer to be bringing their own bag. Making that behavioral change is going to take some time for us all."
She added, "It's also going to take time for our retailers to develop training and to update point-of-sale systems and implement this."
Target officials didn't immediately address why its Minneapolis stores weren't yet charging customers.
Executives point to efforts it is taking to reduce plastic use, particularly with packaging in its supply chain. Target's plastic bags are made with 40% recycled content, and recycling kiosks at stores keep unwanted bags and other items out of landfills. Target offers a 5-cent discount for shoppers who use their own bags.
Minneapolis is one of a growing number of cities and states to take action to try to curb use of plastic. In April, Duluth retailers will begin collecting a fee of at least 5 cents for most plastic bags used to carry food or merchandise.
The United States generates more than 4 million tons of plastic bags, sacks and wraps each year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). About 13% is recycled.
Plastic doesn't degrade, clogs up machines at recycling facilities and can threaten wildlife.
At least eight states — California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New York, Oregon and Vermont — have placed an outright ban on single-use plastic bags, according to the National Conference of State Legislators.
Minneapolis retailers such as Cub, Lunds & Byerly's, CVS, Walgreens, Kmart and Holiday Stationstores have started charging for plastic. Best Buy doesn't have any stores in the city of Minneapolis.
Carter, the activist pushing Target to ban the plastic bag, said she hasn't heard back from the retailer since dropping off the petition, but that she won't give up that effort. She said she's disappointed the chain hasn't hewed to the city's new rule.
"It's so important for companies to have a culture of compliance and sustainability," she said. "And this is not that."
Twitter: @JackieCrosby
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January 18, 2020 at 02:25AM
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Why isn't Target charging 5 cents for plastic bags in Minneapolis? - Minneapolis Star Tribune
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