Legislature Passes Bill Banning Plastic, Paper Bags, Plastic Straws, and Styrofoam Containers

New Jersey state lawmakers passed a bill today that will ban stores and restaurants from providing single-use plastic bags, paper bags, plastic straws, and Styrofoam food containers. 

Some exemptions include bags for wrapping raw meat, bags used for produce, dry cleaning bags, newspaper bags, prescription drugs bags, and Styrofoam butcher trays.

Businesses who do not comply with the new ban will receive a warning for a first violation, a $1,000 fine for a second violation, and $5,000 fines for a third violation and every violation after.

The bill now heads to Governor Murphy’s desk for his signature, which he is expected to sign. The ban will make New Jersey the state with the harshest regulations against paper and plastic bags.

All the bans will go into effect in 18 months, except for the plastic straw ban, which will go into effect in 12 months.

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14 COMMENTS

  1. How nice! At least it won’t take effect tomorrow.
    Are we allowed to daven that Covid-19 (or some other natural cause) should take out as many of these liberal monsters as possible?

  2. so now we have to BUY plastic bags to line our kitchen garbage cans instead of using the bags from our shopping.

    just how does this save the environment?

  3. So….What kind of society are we living in where we legalize drugs and ban straws?? These liberals are seriously off the deep end. When will the people of NJ understand that we must vote these knuckleheads out??

    • Soft drugs don’t hurt anyone else, plastic bags do. They end up in landfills and make problems for generations to come.
      That was simple, wasn’t it?

  4. Have you had enough yet!!!!????

    We still have 2 elections before this law takes effect.
    We, the middle class taxpayers have 2 choices, we either turn this blue state red or move OUT!
    This knucklehead governor will never get it. He thinks he knows what is best for us and we are wrong to disagree with him.

  5. SO the NJ democrat controlled government has increase the gas tax, the GSP, NJ Turnpike and bridge tolls and now taken away the plastic bags. Hmmm who does this hurt the most? The lower and middle class, but didn’t the democrats say they are the ones looking out for us and not the 2% ers???!
    Senator Booker is up for re-election…Ray Coles keep Lakewood city hall closed , no open zoning and planning meetings with public comments, The public is being silenced! All democrats out!! Vote straight republican column.

  6. They will get the message when we don’t have plastic bags for our kids to vomit into when they’re car sick. Instead of throwing up into extra bags I keep in the car (double lined of course!) I will pull over and they can throw up on the street. Not sure what else to do….

  7. To comment number 13. Where is the wisdom in what you said that consumers are willing to pay for extra gas consumption not to mention tolls to buy groceries? Have a super duper 5781. Hashem should protect us all.

Comments are closed.