Shoppers at Whole Foods Market who bring their own bags will no longer receive a credit towards their bill, a spokesperson confirmed to NBC Chicago, in a major change to the grocery store's longstanding "Bring Your Own Bag Refund" policy that originally helped to tout its environmentally conscious efforts.
The grocery store first implemented the BYOB refund policy -- which provided a 10-cent credit to customers who brought their own bags -- in 2008 to encourage the use of reusable bags, the brand said. At the time, it became the first grocer in the U.S. to completely do away with plastic grocery bags from checkout lines, Whole Foods said.
In 2019, it became the first national retailer "to eliminate all plastic straws from our cafés and coffee bars," the market's website said.
"From our Prepared Foods department to our checkout lines, we've worked hard to reduce single-use plastics and offer alternatives across our stores," Whole Foods said.
Whole Foods confirmed that as reusable bags have become a standard practice among consumers, the program's initial goal had been met.
It wasn't immediately clear when the program came to an end.
Other retailers have also implemented initiatives to cut back on single-use plastics, including Target, ALDI and Walmart.
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