Wegmans Eliminates Plastic Bags in North Carolina Stores Starting Friday

Beginning Friday, July 1, Wegmans will be removing single-use plastic grocery bags from its six remaining Virginia stores and all four North Carolina stores, including the Chapel Hill location.

The company previously announced in April its intention to eliminate single-use plastic bags by the end of 2022, with the company sharing earlier this month that it would make the switch in North Carolina too.

“While paper grocery bags will continue to be available for a 5-cent charge per bag,” said a company statement, “Wegmans’ goal is to shift customers to reusable bags, the best option to solve the environmental challenge of single-use grocery bags.”

Wegmans said the money collected from its paper-bag charge will be donated to local food banks for each store.

The announcement drew praise from some advocacy groups, including the North Carolina Public Interest Research Group, or NCPIRG.

“Wegmans and other retailers taking action to limit plastic usage is essential to a safer, healthier future,” Katie Craig, state director of NCPIRG, said in a statement. “Given how much of what we buy is disposable, customers sometimes need a little push to shift their habits. We should focus on the future of our planet rather than the short-term convenience of unnecessary plastic, which only leads to waste. I hope this step will create a path for other groceries and retailers to follow.”

Wegmans has already eliminated single-use plastic bags from several of its stores in Virginia. According to the company’s statement, at those locations, paper bags are used for 20 to 25 percent of transactions, while reusable bags or no bag at all make up the remainder. The company’s stated goal is to reduce its in-store plastic packaging made from fossil fuels by 10 million pounds by 2024.

In addition to its Chapel Hill location off Fordham Boulevard, Wegmans has store locations in Raleigh, West Cary and Wake Forest.

Featured image via Wegmans

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.

‹

On Air Today: Katie Craig and Right to Repair

With a new executive order, President Joe Biden took steps to improve competition between several industries, including the repair industry. Katie Craig of the North Carolina Public Interest Research Group joins 97.9 The Hill's Brighton McConnell to discuss how this aids the group's Right to Repair campaign to help make repairs to technology more affordable.

'Keeping People Safe': North Carolina's Office of Violence Prevention Reaches 3-Year Anniversary

North Carolina's Office of Violence Prevention recently surpassed its three-year anniversary, continuing to use public health approaches to address the issue of gun violence.

Addiction-Stricken Community Struggles to Keep a Syringe Program Going After Trump’s Order

Under a July executive order from President Donald Trump, federal substance abuse grants can’t pay for supplies such as cookers and tourniquets that it says “only facilitate illegal drug use.” Needles already couldn’t be purchased with federal money.

White House Orders a Review of Exhibits at Smithsonian Museums Ahead of Nation’s 250th Birthday

Ahead of the country’s 250th birthday, President Donald Trump aims to align the museums' content with his interpretation of American history.

Trump’s Executive Order on Elections Is Far-Reaching. But Will It Actually Stick?

President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking broad changes to how elections are run in the U.S. is vast in scope and holds the potential to reorder the voting landscape across the country.

Trump’s Call To Dismantle Education Department Shows Republican Rightward Lurch and His Grip on GOP

President Donald Trump signed an executive order designed to dismantle the Department of Education, a frequent call of right-wing activists.

Trump’s Halt of US Law Banning Business Bribes Abroad Raises Specter of a ‘Wild West’ of Dealmaking

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, or FCPA, prohibits people or companies operating in the U.S. from giving money or gifts to foreign officials to win or retain deals in those countries.

UNC, System Schools Suspend Diversity Courses as Required Curricula After Trump Executive Order

UNC-Chapel Hill is suspending part of its mandatory curriculum around diversity to avoid any potential noncompliance with one of President Donald Trump's executive order.

Impassioned Biden Signs Order on Abortion Access

Written by SEUNG MIN KIM, ZEKE MILLER and CHRIS MEGERIAN President Joe Biden delivered impassioned remarks Friday condemning the “extreme” Supreme Court majority that ended a constitutional right to abortion and pleading with Americans upset by the decision to “vote, vote, vote vote” in November. He signed an executive order to try to protect access […]

Wegmans Eliminates Plastic Bags in North Carolina Stores Starting Friday

Beginning Friday, July 1, Wegmans will be removing single-use plastic grocery bags from its six remaining Virginia stores and all four North Carolina stores, including the Chapel Hill location. The company previously announced in April its intention to eliminate single-use plastic bags by the end of 2022, with the company sharing earlier this month that […]

›