New Jersey governor signs plastic, paper bag ban

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has signed New Jersey Senate Bill 864, which prohibits the use of single-use plastic and paper bags in all stores and foodservice businesses statewide. According to a statement on the governor’s website, he views this legislation as “a significant step to reduce harm and pollution that these products cause to our environment.”

The state's Senate initially voted to ban the use of single-use bags and expanded polystyrene (EPS) takeout containers March 5.

“Plastic bags are one of the most problematic forms of garbage, leading to millions of discarded bags that stream annually into our landfills, rivers and oceans,” Murphy says. “With today’s historic bill signing, we are addressing the problem of plastic pollution head-on with solutions that will help mitigate climate change and strengthen our environment for future generations.”  

The governor’s website states that “paper bags require resources and energy to produce, contributing to pollution.”

Starting in May 2022, New Jersey will ban single-use plastic and paper bags and disposable EPS food containers and cups. The state will focus on promoting reusable bags. The following products will be exempt from the ban for two years after May 2022:

• disposable, long-handled PS soda spoons when required and used for thick drinks;
• portion cups of 2 ounces or less if used for hot foods requiring lids;
• meat and fish trays for raw or butchered meat, including poultry or fish that is sold from a refrigerator or similar retail appliance;
• any food product prepackaged by the manufacturer with a PS foodservice product; and
• any other PS foam foodservice product determined necessary by the Department of Environmental Protection.

Under the new law, the governor’s website states, foodservice businesses will be allowed to provide single-use plastic straws only upon request starting November 2021.

Several state lawmakers and the state’s Department of Environmental Protection applauded Murphy for signing S864.

“Single-use plastic bags unnecessarily litter New Jersey’s most treasured spaces and pollute our ecosystems,” says New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Catherine R. McCabe. “By banning single-use plastic bags, Gov. Murphy and our legislature continue to make New Jersey a national leader in environmental protection and the DEP stands ready to implement these new measures and educate the public.”

New Jersey Assemblyman James Kennedy adds, “Single-use carryout products fill up landfills and find their way into our oceans. There are more sustainable, environmentally friendly alternatives that many are already using in place of these products. This new law aims to encourage all of us to act together to protect New Jersey’s environmental future.”

However, some trade associations do not agree with the action taken by the New Jersey legislature, including the Washington-based American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA).

“This action undermines an environmentally responsible option for consumers,” says Heidi Brock, president and CEO of AF&PA, of the ban on paper bags specifically. “New Jersey is now the only state in the nation to ban paper bags, which are made from a renewable resource and are recyclable, reusable and compostable, providing a safe packaging option to protect purchases from damage and contamination. With the stroke of a pen, Gov. Murphy sent an alarming message in devaluing family-wage manufacturing jobs, which are often union labor. This is an unfortunate message to send to the thousands of people working in direct and indirect jobs supported by the paper and wood products industry in the Garden State.”