Looking for a place for your unwanted reusable bags — and a program that aims to help the most vulnerable?
The New Jersey Clean Communities Council, in partnership with Goatote and other stakeholders, will point you to its reuseable bag distribution program that already is showing results.
The groundbreaking plan, launched last summer, enables residents to donate their unwanted reusable bags to local food pantries and food banks.
Over the past 12 months, the NJCCC estimates that hundreds of thousands of bags have been collected, sanitized and distributed to those in need.
One project, with a key NJCCC partner, Goatote, reported its 24 dropoff sites throughout New Jersey generated 130,000 reusable bags over those 12 months.
All bags eligible for reuse were donated to area food pantries and food banks for distribution to those in need. In addition, other government partners have coordinated their own reusable bag redistribution projects, greatly increasing the number of bags that have been cleaned and donated across New Jersey.
“This closed-loop project has greatly exceeded our expectations,” NJCCC Executive Director JoAnn Gemenden said. “Working with our partners around the state, permanent donation bins were set up at various government-sponsored locations as well as one-day special events. People eagerly donated their unwanted bags, which were then thoroughly cleaned and donated.
“When we recognized there was a gap with extra reusable bags and the need for our food banks and food pantries to acquire those bags, we became the lynchpin to bring all of those stakeholders and partners together to close the gap.”
Linda Doherty, president of NJCCC’s board of directors, said the reusable bag project is a “first in the nation” initiative at such a grand scale, as New Jersey continues to lead the way in its litter-fighting initiatives.
“We have built this project from the ground up,” she said. “There is no state that is as organized in addressing the need for reusable bags to be collected, sanitized and donated to those in need. The results have been both instant and effective. With the right resources, and a steady funding stream from the ongoing New Jersey litter tax to support the costs of sanitizing tons of bags statewide, there is no doubt this project can be even more impactful.”
There are many reasons why people have extra reusable bags following the May 4, 2022, state law that stopped the practice of stores giving out flimsy, single-use plastic bags. Online stores, as well as supermarket delivery services, provide reusable bags to fulfill their orders, which can generate surplus.
The NJCCC, which strongly advocated for the state’s landmark single-use grocery bag ban, has taken on the role of ensuring ongoing success and sustainability. To date, it is estimated that more than 8.4 billion single-used bags have been removed from the waste stream in New Jersey each year because of the law.
“Just imagine the impact in New Jersey if we had hundreds of drop-off locations,” Gemenden said. “We would then be able to ensure that any New Jerseyan who has extra reusable bags can easily donate them in their local community, rather than store them or, worse, throw them out. The key to this project is convenience.”
The cost to reuse a bag is about 70% less than to buy new, which follows the intent of the state law that encourages reuse, Gemenden said.
NJCCC oversees the education and engagement efforts of the state’s bag ban through its Litter Free NJ program, in a role mandated by the state Legislature.
