Plastic Bag Ban Bill Released from Committee

The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee released S2776 (Smith/Greenstein) today. The bill prohibits carryout bags made of plastic film, polystyrene foam food service products, and paper bags, and prohibits the offering of single-use plastic straws.

“This is the first major step in banning plastics in New Jersey. This is the most comprehensive plastic bill in the nation because it bans paper bags as well as single-use plastic bags. This bill will also encourage more reusable bags because under the bill stores will give our free reusable bags for two months to help with the transition to no paper or plastic bags. New Jersey is becoming a national leader going after plastics and protecting our environment,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “This is a win-win-win. A win for the environment, a win for the economy, and a win for the battle against plastic pollution.”

The bill would prohibit the use of single-use plastic carryout bags and paper bags in stores and food service businesses, and would ban food service businesses from offering single-use plastic straws. It would also ban the sale of polystyrene and would prohibit food service businesses from selling or providing food packaged in polystyrene containers.

“This is an important day for the state of New Jersey. This bill will help protect our rivers and streams from plastic that not only hurt the environment but also endanger our wildlife and public health. Plastics are a menace and an existential threat to our drinking water, beaches, and wildlife. Microplastics have already been found near our drinking water supply, so we could literally be drinking plastic. Plastic bags have been known to clog storm drains and fill up detention basins, affecting our water quality. Animals, especially birds, get strangled and suffocated by plastic bags,” said Jeff Tittel. “This bill is important because it will ban polystyrene containers and single-use plastic bags, including fake reusable bags, and will allow paper bags to be used during the transition. We think that two years is an appropriate timeline to phase out polystyrene and paper bags.”

Plastics have become a bigger and bigger problem that affects our environment. Rutgers scientists found densities of about 28,000 to more than 3 million plastic particles per square kilometer in the Passaic and Raritan Rivers.

“We are glad that the bill passed as is. Some people say they are concerned that phasing out paper bags will adversely affect people from low- and moderate-income areas. I find this notion is condescending and classist. People who live in these communities are some of the strongest environmentalists in the state. These communities understand the impacts of litter and plastic bags on the environment,” said Tittel. “The people in these communities are intelligent and caring when it comes to the environment, and it is condescending to thing that they will not bring reusable bags when they go shopping.”

This is the first bill in the country that would ban paper bags in addition to single-use plastic bags. So far, eight states have banned single-use plastic bags, including California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New York, Oregon, and Vermont.

“This bill is a major step forward in dealing with plastics and plastic pollution. We need this legislation because it not only bans plastic bags, but also polystyrene and the offering of plastic straws. Polystyrene is dangerous to human health because it contains carcinogenic chemicals such as benzene and styrene, and it has been found in breast milk. It is harmful to the environment because it is not recyclable and does not degrade. Plastic straws pollute our oceans and beaches. Last year, New Jersey found that more than 80% of their trash is plastic and found an increase in plastic straw waste by 59%,” said Tittel. “By reducing how much plastic we use, we can also reduce fracking and fossil fuel use. Plastics are made from natural gas, which means more fossil fuel use, more pipelines, and more fracking.”

In New Jersey, towns like Paramus, Bayonne, Lambertville, Avalon, Belmar, Hoboken, Jersey City, and Teaneck are all passing plastic bag ban ordinances. Jersey City will be the largest city in the state to implement a ban on single-use, disposable plastic bags. Atlantic County banned plastic bags for their parks too. Just this week, The Sea Bright Council passed a strong ban on plastic bags and balloons.

“This is a great first step. This is landmark legislation for New Jersey when it comes to plastics. People are fed up with plastic pollution filling up their storm drains and threatening their drinking water. More than 40 towns have started taking action with local plastic bans, isn’t it time for New Jersey’s Legislature to stand up and be as bold as places like Jersey City and Sea Bright? We need this comprehensive statewide ban to more effectively combat our plastic pollution,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “By reducing how much plastic we use, we can also reduce fracking and fossil fuel use. We cannot wait any longer. Our legislature needs to move quickly before our plastic waste problem gets worse. This bill needs to pass both houses and get to the Governor’s desk by the end of the year.”