While the single-use plastic bag ban statewide in New Jersey is not set to begin until May 2022, localities within the state have grappled with enacting or suspending their own bans. Glen Rock’s ban will remain suspended through the end of 2020, according to borough officials. Meanwhile, Fair Lawn’s officials point to the statewide ban after entertaining an ordinance prior to COVID restrictions.
In April, Glen Rock temporarily reversed its ban, which went into effect on January 1, for 60 days amid concerns over supply chain issues and whether plastic bags are safer to use than reusable ones amid the coronavirus outbreak.
As New Jersey enters a second wave of the virus, Governor Phil Murphy said the state is close to putting new restrictions in place due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases.
With the pandemic still very much present and only two meetings left in 2020, Glen Rock Mayor Kristine Morieko said the borough has no plans to amend the reversal before year’s end.
After the onset of the pandemic this past spring, Glen Rock was one of several municipalities that rolled back its local ban on single-use plastic bags for the duration of the outbreak. In North Jersey, Ridgewood and Parsippany have also put a freeze on their local ordinances.
According to the New Jersey Food Council, an alliance of food retailers across the state, there are two main concerns at play right now.
The first is the potential for additional exposure to COVID-19 and fears that the virus could spread on reusable bags. During the public health crisis, the NJFC said, the use of single-use plastic or paper bags could help reduce the possibility of cross-contamination.
The second concern regards stores running out of paper bags due to the increased number of shoppers. With a national shortage of paper bags and no set timeframe for replenishing the supply chain, grocery stores were given the OK to switch back to plastic bags temporarily.
Besides several communities in New Jersey, some states including Massachusetts, New York and New Hampshire have paused their bans on single-use bags.
The New Jersey Bill
The newly-approved statewide ban on both paper and plastic single-use bags at supermarkets, stores and restaurants goes into effect in May 2022.
Last week, the Governor signed off on a bill considered to be one of the strongest bans in the nation when it comes to single-use bags. The measure also prohibits the use of disposable food containers and cups made out of polystyrene foam.
While some states charge a fee for paper bags, New Jersey lawmakers say the Garden State will be the first to outright ban paper bags.
Calling the measure “historic,” the governor said it is a significant step to reduce harm and pollution that these products cause to the environment.
“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 said in a press release. “We are addressing the problem of pollution head-on with solutions that will help mitigate climate change and strengthen our environment for future generations.”
“Paper bags require resources and energy to produce, contributing to pollution,” said Murphy, adding that moving forward, the state will focus on switching to reusable bags.
Earlier this year, the state Legislature voted to advance a bill to ban single-use plastic and paper bags, as well as Styrofoam takeout containers, in New Jersey. A previous piece of legislation was vetoed by Murphy two years ago because he believed it wasn’t strong enough.
Ban Details
Besides prohibiting stores and food service establishments from using single-use plastic bags, paper bags, disposable food containers and Styrofoam cups, food services will only be permitted to provide single-use plastic straws upon request starting in November 2021.
The following products will be exempt from the ban until 2024, according to the governor’s announcement.
•Disposable, long-handled polystyrene foam soda spoons when required and used for thick drinks
•Portion cups of 2 ounces or less, if used for hot foods or 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 pre-packaged by the manufacturer with a polystyrene foam food service product
•Any other polystyrene foam food service product as determined necessary by Department of Environmental Protection.
Environmental advocates say plastic bags are one of the biggest sources of litter and can harm wildlife, as well as water quality. However, opponents to such measures believe the regulation could drive up costs for local businesses, which would eventually trickle down to consumers.
In the U.S., California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New York, Oregon and Vermont have banned single-use plastic bags. Other states have focused more on implementing recycling programs or initiating fees to discourage the use of plastic bags altogether.
With no statewide measure in effect, dozens of towns in the Garden State, including Glen Rock, Saddle Brook, Paramus, Teaneck, Hoboken, Jersey City and Parsippany, implemented their own bans.