Wegmans grocery store will phase out all plastic bags by the end of the year.
The company hopes to shift all customers to reusable bags, in what it calls the “the best option to solve the environmental challenge of single-use grocery bags.”
“We understand shoppers are accustomed to receiving plastic bags at checkout, and losing that option requires a significant change. We are here to help our customers with this transition as we focus on doing what’s right for the environment,” said Jason Wadsworth, Wegman’s category merchant for packaging, energy, and sustainability. “As we’ve encountered plastic bag legislation in numerous markets, we’ve learned there’s more we can do, and a bigger impact we can make, together with our customers.”
Wegmans will incentivize the use of reusable bags by charging five cents per paper bag, an approach the company says was successful in its home state of New York.
In our area, Wegmans has stores in Gainesville, Fredericksburg, and Woodbridge. On January 1, 2022, the Fredericksburg City Government enacted a 5-cent per plastic bag tax and required all stores selling groceries and pharmacies to charge the fee.
By eliminating single-use bags, the company expects to prevent 345 million single-use bags a year from leaving its stores and winding up in landfills.
The company will also start charging 5 cents per paper bag. Last year, Wegmans collected $1.7 million in paper bag fees, donating it to charities like the United Way.
