Walmart Canada to charge five cents for plastic bags

As of February 9, Walmart Canada will begin to charge customers five cents each for plastic bags.

The move is a bid to cut the amount of plastic that ends up in landfills, the Mississauga, Ont.-based company said.

Walmart will also make reusable bags available for a discounted rate of 25 cents each.

According to Walmart, some of the proceeds from the new charge will go toward supporting recycling initiatives for grocery bags and other thin plastic objects.

The company said it’s also going to improve in-store recycling and collection programs and work with suppliers to find ways of removing plastic from its packaging.

Walmart Canada has 397 stores and serves more than 1.2 million customers per day.