Wegmans Pilots N.Y. Bag Ban, But Will Charge for Paper Alternative

Plastic or paper? Neither one is ideal, Wegmans Food Markets contends.

The Rochester, N.Y.-based retailer said it would remove plastic bags from select stores in New York next week as it preps for a forthcoming statewide plastic-bag ban in 2020.

The retailer also said it would begin imposing a 5-cent charge on paper bags at those stores, located in the Ithaca and Corning, N.Y., markets, saying data from a Maryland store where the company charges for bags indicates the charge would dramatically accelerate a consumer switch to reusable bags.

While Wegmans has said it would comply with New York’s ban ahead of its March 1, 2020, imposition, the high-volume retailer has also expressed sustainability and cost concerns about the switch to paper as an alternative, and as a result is urging its shoppers to switch to reusable bags of their own.

Springfield, Mass.-based retailer Big Y made a similar announcement earlier this month, saying it would charge for paper bags at stores where it was phasing in plastic-bag removal ahead of several local plastic bans in New England markets.

“We are determined to do what’s right by encouraging all of our customers to switch to reusable bags, the best option to solve the environmental challenge of single-use grocery bags,” Wegmans said in a statement. “A consequence of a plastic-bag ban will be an increase in the use of paper bags, which for a host of reasons, are bad for the environment.”

In Germantown, Md., where Wegmans is required by law to charge a 5-cent fee for paper and plastic bags, 65% of bags used are reusable, compared to a 20% average in Wegmans’ New York stores, the retailer said.

Wegmans has been outspoken in its contention that paper bags are heavier and more costly than plastic alternatives. Its data indicates it takes seven tractor trailers to transport the same number of paper bags as plastic ones. It also noted that paper bags require more energy to produce and recycle; do not break down in landfills; and are harmful to waterways due to chemicals used in the manufacturing process.

Since Wegmans introduced reusable bags in 2007, the company has put an emphasis on educating customers of their benefits. In fact, a recent survey of Wegmans customers found that 95% already own at least one reusable bag, and 87% have three or more.

Wegmans said it would donate paper bag fees at its New York pilot stores to the Food Bank of the Southern Tier.

“In stores where a small fee is charged, reusable bag usage goes up dramatically. If, together, we can make that happen in our 46 New York state stores, it will have an immeasurable environmental impact for decades to come,” Wegmans said.