An initiative aimed at giving New Jerseyans a way to easily donate unwanted reusable bags is making a big impact, according to the New Jersey Clean Communities Council (NJCCC).

An estimated 8.4 billion single-use plastic bags have been removed from the waste stream in New Jersey each year since a state ban in May 2022. However, it’s also left many households with a surplus of totes purchased at stores or given with grocery orders or food deliveries.

In response, NJCCC, a strong advocate of the state’s ban, worked with several stakeholders to establish a network of sites to collect reusable bags. After, they are sanitized and recirculated.

In just a limited rollout over the last year, NJCCC estimates that local food pantries and food banks received hundreds of thousands of these bags.

As part of its Litter Free NJ program, the organization also oversees education and engagement efforts of the bag ban. For the reusable bag distribution project, NJCCC is working with Goatote. The private entity sets up systems designed to ensure reuse and recirculation.

The lynchpin

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Since the May 2023 opening of the first drop-off spot in Secaucus, more sites have come online at recycling centers, libraries and other public buildings. Residents can also donate their unwanted bags at street fairs, paper shredding events, local concerts and other places where people congregate, according to NJCCC.

Moreover, other government partners have coordinated their own bag reuse programs. That’s helped greatly increase the number of bags cleaned and donated across New Jersey, according to NJCCC.

The council also noted municipalities and counties can use their annual Clean Communities grant to participate in bag redistribution projects. A special tax on companies that generate the most litter supports that source of funding.

“This closed-loop project has greatly exceeded our expectations,” said NJCCC Executive Director JoAnn Gemenden said.

“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,” Gemenden said.

“Just imagine the impact in New Jersey if we had hundreds of drop-off locations,” she added. “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.”

Trailblazing

Linda Doherty, president of NJCCC’s board of directors, believes the program is just one of the many ways New Jersey continues to lead the in litter-fighting initiatives.

“We have built this project from the ground up. 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,” said Doherty, who is also the longtime president and CEO of the New Jersey Food Council.

“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,” she said.

Renee Lundahl, co-founder of Michigan-based Goatote, described New Jersey’s initiative as an “innovative and impactful project” that provides a key connection between stakeholders, residents with extra bags and organizations that truly need them.

She said, “By combining comprehensive logistics, eco-friendly cleaning processes, and redistribution, a blueprint for the success of this project was created.”

For more information on donation locations, visit LitterFreeNJ.com. The site includes open-source marketing materials. It also offers a QR code directing people to drop-off centers for their extra reusable bags.