Donate Your Reusable Shopping Bags

The Single Use Plastic Bag Ban went into effect on May 4th. Although Food Pantry programs have a 6-month extension (until November 4th), our network partners will still need your help when it’s time to make the transition.

Donate Your Reusable Shopping Bags

Currently, nearly 300 of our network partners (food pantries, soup kitchens, and more) are accepting donations of clean, new or gently used reusable shopping bags. These partners distribute the nutritious food supplied by the Community FoodBank of New Jersey to our neighbors in need. A plastic bag ban presents a new challenge to our agencies looking to get food into the hands of hungry New Jerseyans quickly and efficiently. By donating a new or gently used reusable shopping bag, you are not only helping the environment, but keeping costs down for our partners. Thank you for your continued support of CFBNJ and our network partners.

Wondering about the best way to clean your reusable bags before donating? Read our sanitization tips for reusable bags.

Which Sites Will Accept My Reusable Shopping Bags?

Please see the map below for information about which of our partner agencies will happily accept your donation of reusable shopping bags. Please call sites at the listed phone numbers to confirm operating hours.

This initiative is a partnership with Wegmans, Stop & Shop, and Wakefern Food Corp.

How do I clean my reusable shopping bags?

There are several ways to sanitize your reusable bags!

Ways to clean for specific materials:

• Woven or nonwoven polypropylene bags: Machine wash on a gentle cycle with soap (not detergent!) and cold water. Or, you can hand wash in your kitchen or bathroom sink with soap and water. Skip the dryer — instead, hang or line dry.
• Nylon or polyester: Hand wash in warm water with soap (not detergent!). Turn the bag inside out and line dry.
• Bamboo or hemp bags: Launder on a gentle cycle with mild detergent or soap. (Or hand wash.) Machine or hang dry.
• Cotton bags: Launder with hot water and your normal, go-to detergent. (Or hand wash.) Machine or hang dry.
• Insulated bags: Hand wash with soap and warm water (don’t forget the inner and outer seams). Wipe with disinfecting wipes. Hang dry.

You can also use disinfecting wipes or sprays to clean bags. You can normally determine the material of the bag by some form of manufacturer tag.

This initiative is a partnership with Wegmans, Stop & Shop, and Wakefern Food Corp.