Kroger stores to stop use of plastic bags by 2025
Recent efforts to protect the environment have lead to certain cities or companies banning certain items like plastic straws and bags. Among these groups is Kroger.
The supermarket chain is the parent company of Fred Meyer, Harris Teeter and King Soopers, to name a few.
Recently, the group announced it would be banning plastic bags in all of its stores. The Pocatello Fred Meyer being among them.
But interestingly enough, local governments in Pocatello and others in the state of Idaho don’t possess the power to make bans of their own. The result of a law, putting this power in the state’s hands.
Senator Mark Nye, a representative of District 29, said he voted against the law, feeling the power should be with the people.
“My view is you want to have the decision making at the local level, the closest to the people that you can. And that is why I voted against this particular regulation.”
Nye also implied that there might have been external forces behind some voters choice.
“In hindsight, there were some rumors that in Idaho we do have a business that makes plastic bags, and they were about to expand, by 40 or 50 jobs, there was rumors about that, we didn’t know,” Nye said. “And of course you don’t want to just have one law for one outfit, so the idea in my mind was let the locals decide what’s right.”
And now it’s up to companies, like Kroger, to make the changes themselves. But for smaller businesses like Nel’s Bi-lo in Pocatello, it’s harder to make the changes, even if they want to.
“If I could have a great, low-cost alternative, I would definitely consider it,” owner Barry Detton said. “I mean I’m all for saving the landfill and saving the environment and doing our part if we can. But it all comes down to cost too.”
60 countries and several states in America have taken action to cut back on plastic waste. Even Starbucks announced it would no longer be using plastic straws.
Nye thinks that as activism continues on this issue Idaho will have to take another look at the law.
