Sprouts Farmers Market locations in Denton County have stopped offering free single-use plastic bags at checkout, instead offering reusable bags at 10 cents each.
The company announced about a month ago that it would eliminate single-use plastic bags at all of its stores by the end of the year, a change that will annually remove over 200 million plastic bags from circulation. The Sprouts stores in Flower Mound and southeast Denton have already made the switch.
“Our customers tell us how much they appreciate Sprouts’ care for the planet and our commitment to doing what’s right for our collective future,” said Nick Konat, president and chief operating officer of Sprouts. “The decision to shift to reusable bags is one of many ways Sprouts will have an even bigger impact on the environment. We understand this will be an adjustment for our customers, and we will be here to help them with the transition.”
The stronger, reusable plastic bags that are now available for purchase are made from 40% post-consumer recycled material and are designed to be able to be reused at least 125 times, according to a company news release. Sprouts will also offer other reusable bag options for purchase and encourage customers to bring their own reusable bags.
Sprouts also stopped offering paper bags because they’re generally not reusable and are often non recycled. The company says its decisions were made in the interest of sustainability.
“We like to remind customers that any bag takes energy and resources to produce, which means the most sustainable choice is the bag you already have,” Konat said. “Making the effort to reuse any bag that comes into your possession, and disposing of the bag responsibly, is key.”
People can continue to bring single-use plastic bags to Sprouts stores for recycling after use.
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