Wal-Mart Diverts 80 Percent of its U.S. Waste from Landfills

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. prevented 80.9 percent of the waste its operations generated in the United States from going to landfills, the retailer said in its latest sustainability report.

The Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart said in a news release it achieved the reduction by implementing its Zero Waste Program, composed of recycling, donating and repurposing waste. The company said the figure is the equivalent of taking more than two million cars off the road annually.

The company is making similar efforts globally. Wal-Mart's United Kingdom operator sends zero food waste to landfills, and Wal-Mart stores in China and Brazil diverted 52 percent of operational waste from disposal.

Zero waste is one of Wal-Mart’s three primary sustainability goals. The other two are to use 100-percent renewable energy, and to sell products that sustain people and the environment.