Free, Reusable Bags In Parsippany: Where To Find Them In Stores Amid NJ Plastic Ban

PARSIPPANY, NJ — New Jerseyans have known a statewide single-use bag ban was coming ever since Gov. Phil Murphy signed it into law in November 2020. But shoppers who still need reusable bags by the time the law goes into effect Wednesday can find some, without spending a cent on them.

Several Parsippany-area stores have been giving away free, reusable bags or plan to do so. Stop & Shop (245 Littleton Rd., Morris Plains) will give customers a free bag through Tuesday — the last day before New Jersey's single-use plastic ban.

Additionally, all Wawa locations in New Jersey will provide a free reusable bag with each purchase starting at 7 a.m. Wednesday. Each store plans to distribute 1,000 free bags before selling them at 35 cents each.

Starting Wednesday, New Jersey will ban plastic bags from all stores and prohibit paper bags at grocery stores larger than 2,500 square feet. Read more: NJ's Plastic Bag Ban To Begin. How Will It Affect Our Businesses?

Parsippany also has its own plastic-bag ban, which went into effect in February 2020. The township prohibits plastic bags and paper bags that aren't 100 percent recyclable and don't contain at least 40 percent post-consumer recycled content. Reusable bags, including 100 percent recyclable paper bags, remain allowed.

The township suspended its plastic-bag ban in March 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic but returned last September.

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