Waste
One of our primary sustainability goals is to create zero waste. We are working to eliminate the waste we send to the landfill through a variety of initiatives. 
Super Sandwich Bale
Goals Eliminate landfill waste generated by our U.S. operations by 2025. Reduce our global plastic shopping bag waste by an average of 33 percent per store by 2013 (January 1, 2007, - December 31, 2007, baseline). Objectives and Actions We focus on the three “R’s” when thinking about our waste – reduce, reuse and recycle. - Reduce. We are working with suppliers to reduce the amount of packaging and waste that enters our stores.
- Plastic Bag Initiative. In 2008, we committed to reduce the plastic shopping bag waste at our stores around the world by an average of 33 percent per store by 2013 using a 2007 baseline. If we achieve this goal, we:
- could reduce our plastic bag waste by the equivalent of 9 billion bags,
- avoid producing 290,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases,
- prevent consuming the equivalent of 678,000 barrels of oil every year, and
- expect to eliminate more than 135 million pounds of plastic shopping bag waste globally.
- Reuse. We are working with suppliers to integrate recycled materials into new products and showing customers the positive environmental effect of reusing these recycled materials.
- Reusable Bags. In October 2007, we started selling reusable bags at Sam's Club and Walmart stores in the U.S. In 2008, we expanded our reusable bag selection at Walmart stores to include two bags, a black bag and blue bag, which are both made out of recycled materials and can be recycled when they wear out. We estimate over their lifetime, the bags:
- can eliminate the use of 75 to 100 plastic shopping bags.
- Recycle. Our stores around the world are recycling millions of pounds of materials generated from the back of our stores. We’re reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills and our need to use virgin materials.
- Closed Loop. We are developing a closed-loop program to send some of our materials to suppliers who then use the material to make new products that return to Walmart’s shelves or operations. For example:
- In 2008, 2.5 million of the tires we recycled from our Tire and Lube Express went into Majestic™ Rubber Mulch, a product sold in our stores. The product prevents tires from going to landfills and reduces the number of trees needed to make traditional mulch. This closed-loop system saves money for us, our suppliers and our customers.
- In 2009, we announced that fifteen Class 8 trucks would be retrofitted to run on reclaimed grease fuel made of waste brown cooking grease from Walmart stores.
- This partnership provides us opportunity to develop a closed loop solution for the waste cooking grease it generates in its stores and Sam’s Club locations.
- Super Sandwich Bale. Many recyclable trash items – such as loose plastic, plastic hangers, office paper, aluminum cans – are unruly and hard to collect for recycling, so we implemented a super sandwich bale at all of our stores and clubs in the U.S.
- Like a sandwich, the recyclable items are pressed between two stacks of cardboard then bundled for transportation.
- This process helps us recycle more than 30 commodities, including:
- loose plastic and bags,
- cardboard,
- aluminum cans,
- plastic hangers,
- plastic water and soda bottles,
- office paper, and
- paperback books amongst other items.
- Since integrating this process into our facilities, we have redirected:
- 182 million pounds of plastic,
- 18.9 million pounds of plastic hangers,
- 12.4 million pounds of office paper, and
- 1.3 million pounds of aluminum from going to landfills.
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