Single-use plastic bags officially out at Mariano’s in Naperville

Single-use plastic bags are officially out at the Mariano’s store in Naperville.

As of Monday, the grocer at 1300 S. Naper Blvd. is no longer offering single-use plastic shopping bags at checkout or pickup, company representatives said in a news release. The Naperville store is piloting the change as part of a larger commitment by parent company Kroger to reduce the disposable products and replace them with alternative, sustainable options.

Instead of plastic bags, customers can bring their own reusable bag, purchase a paper bag for 10 cents or buy a reusable bag starting at $1.25. Through Nov. 17, customers will receive a free reusable Mariano’s tote bag for every $50 spent shopping at the Naperville location, according to company spokeswoman Amanda Puck.

“We thank our customers for partnering with us today to make a difference tomorrow,” Kroger executive Michael Marx said in release. “We know taking this step to reduce waste will help protect our planet for future generations.”

Mariano’s in Naperville is Kroger’s first Illinois store to pilot the policy. There are 44 Mariano’s in Chicago and its suburbs, including the one in Naperville.

Kroger is one of the largest grocery store chains in the country, with nearly 2,800 stores under two-dozen different banners spanning 35 states. The company announced it would be progressively discontinuing single-use plastic bags and transitioning to reusable bags in 2018. The venture aligns with an overarching commitment by Kroger to end hunger and waste in the communities it serves.

Over the last 20 years, the global annual production of plastic products — and in turn, plastic waste — has more than doubled, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In 2018, American shoppers alone sent more than three million tons of plastic bags, sacks and wraps to the landfill, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found.

Seattle-based QFC was Kroger’s first retail division to roll out its no single-use initiative in 2019. Last fall, the company’s mid-Atlantic division, which includes Virginia and West Virginia, followed.

Plans for a Naperville pilot first surfaced at a Naperville City Council meeting in September, as suggestions for a comprehensive, citywide plastic bag ban came up during public comment.

[ Mariano’s in Naperville to phase out single-use plastic bags; task force told to propose ideas for other stores ]

Though only broached informally, the concept was brought forward by local environmental advocate Anu Verma. She spoke to council members as a representative of the Naperville Environment and Sustainability Task Force (NEST), a community organization that has been an official Naperville advisory body since 2019.

Verma argued during the meeting that Naperville is ready to “rethink the status quo of (plastic) bags in the retail system.” The reason why? To some extent, she alluded, Mariano’s.

While at the time, the grocer had not yet officially publicized its Naperville pilot program, NEST was made aware of plans behind closed doors. As she spoke to the council in September, Verma said, “I think this is the perfect opportunity for us to grab.”

Ultimately, the council, which expressed interest in exploring Naperville’s approach to single-use plastic bags further but wasn’t clear on where NEST wanted to go with ideas, kicked the matter back to the organization.

City Manager Doug Krieger advised the group to do more fact-finding and then write up a formal proposal for the city to consider at a later date.

In a call Monday, Verma said NEST is currently researching ways to clamp down on single-use plastic bags and plans to submit a proposal to council at the end of this month.

tkenny@chicagitribune.com