BALTIMORE — For those of you who grocery shop at Wegmans, be prepared to either start bringing your own bag or paying a nickel for each one at the store.
By the end of 2022, the grocery chain plans to eliminate the use of plastic bags at all their stores nationwide.
Wegmans is urging customers to bring their own reusable bags when they come to shop.
Stores will still offer paper bags at checkout, but each one will cost five-cents. The company says that money will be donated to each store’s local food bank and United Way.
In Maryland, some Wegmans locations have already begun the process of getting rid of plastic bags.
Wegmans says the move is an attempt to help the environment, but also to comply with multiple jurisdictions throughout the country who have enacted laws banning plastic 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 Wegmans representative Jason Wadsworth. “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.”
