Plastic Bag Ban Reusable Bags Donate New Jersey Food Banks 2022

How many reusable bags does one really need?

Get our free mobile app

I don't know about you but ever since the single use plastic bag ban went into effect in New Jersey on May 4th, I have collected a large stack of reusable bags.

Amazon

My plastic bag drawer has now become my reusable bag drawer.

As it turns out, there is an amazing way to put these bags to good use.

According to APP.com, food banks in New Jersey, 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 November 4th of this year.

State officials have donated 500,000 reusable bags to help food pantries make the transition but it is not enough by far.

As a result, New Jersey foodbanks are asking the public to donate their reusable bags to one of the nearly, "300 food pantries and distribution centers," in the Garden State.

"We know that… e-commerce customers are getting a plethora of bags," said Jen Miller, network engagement coordinator for Community Foodbank of New Jersey according to APP.com. "The great news is they (the bags) are probably only used once or twice… Customers can take their bags, they can look up online a pantry near them and deliver clean bags and… sanitized bags to (distribution) partners."

A few foodbanks already accepting reusable bag donations are Community Foodbank of New Jersey, Fulfill Food Bank and Food Bank of South Jersey.

Photo by Brian Yurasits on Unsplash

"You hear that people have hundreds of bags. Well, there are good places to put them," Miller added.

Something to keep in mind is that the holiday season is around the corner which means the need for food will skyrocket.

These reusable bags will become that much more important to make sure everyone is fed.

What is a person supposed to do with more than five reusable bags anyways?

While you pull our bags together, I bet you'll want to see if your city falls on this list:

LOOK: Here are the 25 best places to live in New Jersey

Stacker compiled a list of the best places to live in New Jersey using data from Niche. Niche ranks places to live based on a variety of factors including cost of living, schools, health care, recreation, and weather. Cities, suburbs, and towns were included. Listings and images are from realtor.com.

On the list, there's a robust mix of offerings from great schools and nightlife to high walkability and public parks. Some areas have enjoyed rapid growth thanks to new businesses moving to the area, while others offer glimpses into area history with well-preserved architecture and museums. Keep reading to see if your hometown made the list.