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 an 80GSM reusable carryout bag that was selected as the best solution currently available for our customers’ online-shopping needs.
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’t you deliver my online order in empty manufacturer-product boxes?
A. No, online orders cannot be delivered unbagged. Our Quality Assurance team has advised that manufacturer boxes used to commercially ship products may not be sanitary for customer use and could pose potential contamination issues due to whatever might have been in the box previously (e.g., chemicals, raw products).
Q. Will I be charged for the bags used for my online order?
A. A flat reusable-bag fee of $1.50 plus tax will be assessed to all online orders—delivery and pickup. This fee covers as many bags as necessary to properly bag an entire order.
The $1.50 bag fee will appear as a separate charge on the checkout screen when customers finalize their orders.
Q. Can you store my personal reusable bags for delivery of my online orders?
A. Unfortunately, we have neither the space nor the sanitization capability to store customers’ personal reusable bags for repeat online orders.
Q. I am a pickup customer. Can I bring my own reusable bags to the store when I pick up my order and avoid the flat bag fee?
A. Operationally, at this time our online-shopping department is unable to allow pickup customers to bag their own groceries. We will review this policy after monitoring logistics over the early Bag Ban period.
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. Please check with your preferred provider for details.
Q. I read that a state senator is introducing a bill to exempt online orders from the bag law. If that’s the case, why am I being charged a bag fee?
A. While we have seen the same reports that a New Jersey legislator plans to introduce a bill that would exempt online orders from the bag law, as of May 4, 2022, that scenario remains hypothetical. If that bill is eventually introduced, makes its way through the legislative procedure and is signed by the governor, we will adjust our online operations accordingly. Until then, we must comply with the current law, which prohibits us from distributing single-use plastic or paper bags for online orders.
Q. Are the new reusable carryout bags used for in-store and online orders recyclable?
A. These reusable bags are currently not acceptable in the store’s drop-off flexible plastic recycling bins. According to the New Jersey Bag Ban: “There is no minimum recycled requirement for reusable carryout bags (or any included product) in this law. However, the use of recycled content in all allowable bags is encouraged.”
We are exploring potential future 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