The company, which says it will be the first major retailer to offer "multiple recycling options" for customers, already has taken steps like recycling or reusing items like packing boxes and hangers to reduce waste in its supply chain.

But those types of initiatives occur behind the scenes, while the recycling bins will be something the average customer can see and use, Gensch said.

"We've been doing a lot of those initiatives and we never really brought it outside of the back room," Gensch said,

Putting the recycling bins in stores for items like plastic bags, beverage cans and bottles, mobile phones and MP3 players is one step
Target is taking during April, which has been designated "Earth Month" and is a time when many marketers try to emphasize eco-friendly initiatives.

Target expects the recycling program to pay for itself, with the company being able to sell some of the materials, like the plastic bags, to companies that will turn the materials into other products, Gensch said.

Recycled materials will be sent back to Target's distribution centers on trucks already making deliveries to the stores, the company said.

(Reporting by Brad Dorfman; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)

Source: Mother Nature Network