New Jersey Bag Ban FAQs for Order. Pickup. Deliver.
The New Jersey Bag Ban takes effect on May 4, 2022.
This ban prohibits New Jersey retailers from providing customers with both single-use plastic and paper bags for carryout purchases, both in-store and online. The following FAQs explain how the New Jersey Bag Ban will affect online shopping through Order. Pickup. Deliver.
Q. I shop online for my groceries. How will you bag my order?
A. All online orders—both delivery and pickup—will be bagged in a reusable carryout bag.
Q. Will I be charged for the bags used for my online order?
A. A flat fee of $1.50 plus tax will be assessed to all online orders — delivery and pickup. This fee covers as many reusable bags as necessary to properly bag an entire order and will appear as a separate charge on your receipt.
Q: What does the term GSM on the reusable carryout bag mean?
A. GSM refers to “grams per square meter,” which measures the density of the polypropylene material used to make a bag.
Q. Can you deliver my online order in empty manufacturer-product boxes?
A. No, online orders cannot be delivered unbagged. Manufacturer boxes used to commercially ship products are not recommended or designed for securing and transporting customers’ grocery orders.
Q. Can you store my personal reusable bags for delivery of my online orders?
A. At this time, no.
Q. I am a pickup customer. Can I bring my own reusable bags to the store when I pick up my order to avoid the fee for reusable bags?
A. At this time, no. We continue to evaluate efficient and cost effective carryout bag options to ensure a fast and easy pick up experience for our online customers and our shopping team.
Q. My town previously enacted a bag ban and my store bagged online orders in paper bags. Why can’t they do that anymore?
A. The stricter New Jersey Bag Ban supersedes all bag laws previously enacted in the state, making its requirements uniform from town to town. Both single-use plastic and paper bags are banned by this state legislation. New Jersey ShopRite stores that have been operating under local bag bans must now change their bag options and operating procedures to comply with the state law.
Q. I order deliveries through Shipt/DoorDash/third-party provider. What bags will I receive and how much will I pay?
A. All third-party delivery services are developing their own New Jersey Bag Ban guidelines.
Q. Can I donate my reusable bags to charities or community organizations?
A. The Community FoodBank of New Jersey has created a program that accepts the donation of reusable shopping bags for use by food pantries and soup kitchens. A website, showing the location of charity drop-off locations, can be found here: cfbnj.org/reusablebags
Q. Are the new reusable carryout bags used for in-store and online orders recyclable?
A. At this time, no, but we are exploring reusable bag recycling options.
Q. Can I still recycle single-use plastic bags in your lobby after the law goes into effect?
A. Yes, we are keeping our plastic-bag recycling bins in place for the time being. Please make sure that you place only single-use plastic bags received prior to May 4, 2022, in these bins.
Q. What else is ShopRite doing to help the environment?
A. ShopRite is proud of our robust, decades-long sustainability program. From participating in community cleanups to spearheading store-based initiatives like composting and the installation of conservation lighting and fixtures, we have always taken environmental stewardship seriously. Among our successes: Plastic bags from our lobby recycling bins are recycled to create irrigation pipes, decking, playground equipment and park benches. Learn more at www.shoprite.com/sustainability.
Q. Where can I learn more about the New Jersey Bag Ban?
A. The New Jersey Bag Ban can be viewed at https://www.nj.gov/dep/get-past-plastic/docs/plastic-bag-law-c117.pdf.
The following sites include further information and FAQs about the New Jersey Bag Ban:
· https://www.nj.gov/dep/get-past-plastic/#reusable_bags