Waste Management and Recycling

The waste we generate is one of our Company’s most material impacts, and we work hard to manage and reduce our waste footprint.

We have waste diversion programs in our Stores, Distribution Centers, and Corporate and Buying Offices, and we encourage our Associates to participate in practices that increase our recycling, reduce waste, and decrease our use of natural resources.

Waste Diversion from Landfill

We measure the percentage of our waste that we divert from landfill across our retail operations. This measurement includes all Stores and Ross-controlled Distribution Centers and warehouses. In 2021, our estimated landfill diversion was approximately 67 percent.*

2021 Waste Diversion

*This figure is approximate. We expect the accuracy of our waste measurements to improve over time.

Minimizing Waste in Stores

Approximately two-thirds of our operational waste is generated in our Stores, and a significant portion of that is cardboard.

Because they represent such a large percentage of our waste footprint, cardboard boxes are an important part of our effort to reduce our waste and demonstrate our commitment to being a responsible retailer.

A majority of our Stores participate in a cardboard recycling program in which used boxes are backhauled to a regional facility, baled, and delivered to a recycling partner. This effort to recycle quickly adds up. Across participating Stores in 2021, we recycled nearly 40,000 tons of cardboard through the backhaul recycling program, and we are investigating opportunities to expand this program to more Stores.

In addition, we work with our local waste and recycling partners and landlords to make cardboard recycling receptacles available whenever possible in locations where we are unable to backhaul.

Other recycling and waste reduction programs in our Stores include:

Reusable bags: We sell branded reusable shopping bags at our Stores.
Shopping bags with recycled content: All the plastic and paper shopping bags that we provide to Customers contain recycled material.
Carrying strips: To reduce use of large bags for oversized items, we offer adhesive carrying strips that allow our Customers to handle their purchases while using a fraction of the plastic.
Reusable hangers: When possible we avoid single-use hangers and have a reuse program for Store hangers.
Dumpster rightsizing: We continuously adjust the number of trash dumpsters and enhance collection schedules to help Stores optimize their recycling rates.
Service automation: We are investigating technology that ensures compactors are only serviced when full, reducing unnecessary pickups and hauling expenses.
Digital resources: To reduce paper waste, many of our reports, trainings, policies, and other resources are available digitally.
Other diversion programs: In certain geographies, we have pursued other diversion efforts, such as organic waste programs and single-stream recycling.

Minimizing Waste in Distribution Centers

Our Distribution Centers receive merchandise from many countries. We process and ship these goods to Stores across the country, typically in cardboard boxes.

We use a packing and shipping system that minimizes the number of boxes and trucks required to deliver merchandise, as well as a system to recycle the millions of boxes we receive each year. As a result, we recycled nearly 70,000 tons of material generated in our Distribution Centers in 2021.

We continuously look for ways to optimize how products are packaged for shipping, which includes working upstream with our suppliers and within our facilities to minimize unnecessary packaging materials. One such project removed inserts from boxes we ship to our Stores. This not only eliminated a source of waste from the insert itself but also allowed us to fit more products into each box and therefore use fewer boxes. This project is estimated to have eliminated nearly 1,000 tons of cardboard waste in 2021.

We also test new recycling systems at our Distribution Centers and Stores, including ongoing efforts to recycle plastic film. We increased the amount of plastic we recycled in our Distribution Centers by 16% in 2021, and we are continuing to look for more opportunities to reduce plastic waste and divert it from landfill.

These efforts divert tons of waste from landfill. As an added benefit, they also help us reduce waste disposal costs.

In 2021, to help us divert waste from landfill while also supporting the communities we serve, we continued a program to donate hand sanitizer and personal protective equipment to local nonprofits.

Minimizing Waste in Offices

The small changes in how we operate our offices also have a positive impact on the planet.

Examples of the initiatives that we had in place in 2021:

We continued to adapt our internal reporting processes to use digital tools instead of paper. One such change to our printing process initiated in 2020 is expected to eliminate more than 100 tons of paper use annually.
When we do print, we try to minimize the environmental impact by using paper that has postconsumer content; setting printers to print double-sided; and using large-capacity, refurbished toner cartridges that result in less plastic, steel, aluminum, and rubber waste compared to traditional toners. We also have a program to recycle office paper.
At the cafe at our Corporate Office, 100 percent of Company-provided flatware and utensils are reusable or compostable, and we encourage the use of reusable plates as well. We also supply deskside recycling bins and provide convenient organic waste and single-stream recycling receptacles in common areas.
The majority of our Associates receive electronic paychecks, which reduces paper use.
Hydration stations are available to reduce single-use plastic bottle waste.
An e-waste recycling program handles damaged or obsolete electronic equipment.