Got Too Many Reusable Bags? You Can Donate Them To Food Banks In NJ

NEW JERSEY — We've all been in the situation where you forget to bring your reusable bag to the grocery store and are forced to buy a new one — even though your bag collection is already piling up at home.

With plastic bags banned across New Jersey, residents are now finding that they have more reusable bags than they could ever need. The good news is that food banks around the state are collecting reusable bags as they transition from single-use plastic.

According to APP.com, food banks who heavily relied on plastic bags for food distribution were given an additional six months to phase out single-use plastic bags. Their deadline is Nov. 4 this year.

State officials have donated around 500,000 reusable bags to help food pantries make the transition, but it's still not enough.

As a result, NJ food banks are asking residents to donate their reusable bags to one of the nearly 300 food pantries and distribution centers in the state.

Jen Miller, a network engagement coordinator for Community Foodbank of New Jersey told APP that as Thanksgiving approaches, a time of year where food pantries are especially busy, the reusable bags will become even more valuable to charities.

Due to this surplus of reusable bags, New Jersey officials are considering bringing back paper bags, according to ABC7. This amendment would allow grocery delivery services to use paper bags or cardboard boxed for online orders.