Walmart, LCBO are the latest retailers to embrace single-use paper bags. Environmentalists are concerned

Following complaints about reusable Walmart blue bags piling up in homes, the retail giant is phasing out the fabric bags, switching to paper bags for both grocery delivery and in stores.

Steve Calarco, a Walmart delivery customer in Edmonton, says he has already collected hundreds of the bags, which he puts out for recycling. Still, Calarco suggests that switching to paper bags isn't the best move for the environment.

"Probably 30 per cent to 40 per cent of the bags that I get have got some sort of rip in them, so they're not going to be reusable," he said. "That does absolutely nothing to reduce waste."

In late 2022, the federal government rolled out a ban on certain single-use plastics, including shopping bags. The regulations are being contested in court, but still remain in effect.

The ban has led to a proliferation of reusable bags, sparking concerns about their cost (ranging from 33 cents to $3 each), and the fact that some shoppers are amassing more than they could ever reuse. 

Now, some major retailers, such as Ontario's main liquor vendor, the LCBO, and Walmart Canada are turning to single-use paper bags. 

Last year, Loblaw also switched from reusable to paper bags for grocery delivery. Grocer Sobeys has provided paper bags in stores and for delivery for more than a year. 

Walmart says its paper bags are made with 96 per cent recycled materials. But several environmental experts told CBC News that, even with recycled content, they aren't a sustainable solution.

"That paper still has to get mixed with hot water and other paper and pulverized again, all requiring large amounts of heat energy and chemicals to remove impurities," said Tony Walker, a professor at Dalhousie University's School for Resource and Environmental Studies in Halifax.

He added that the process produces "greenhouse gases along with other atmospheric contaminants."

That said, Walker says paper bags are still a better alternative to plastic, because plastic waste takes longer to break down, and can contaminate the environment.

However, he maintains that reusables are the best option for the planet. 

"These corporations can do better by thinking of reuse items and moving away entirely from single-use anything."

The LCBO previously offered free paper bags, but it phased them out in 2023 as an environmental initiative.