May 01, 2022
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GET PAST PLASTIC: Most progressive bag ban law in the country begins in NJ this week. - TAPinto.net

NEW JERSEY: The "Bag Up NJ" campaign is the New Jersey Clean Communities Council’s new single use plastic and paper bag ban outreach campaign, which has a simple message: Bring your own reusable bag(s) when you shop. This means you can still use plastic bags but it's a BYOB situation: Bring Your Own Bag. Starting on May 4, stores will no longer be allowed to hand out single-use plastic bags.

This ban will include paper bags at most grocery stores (anything over 2,500 square feet.) Bring your own reusable bag(s) when you shop.

This new law is bound to cause a period of adjustment chaos, but not to worry, you will still be able to get a plastic bag when some of those messier or loose items need one. Store owners will still be permitted to provide you with the plastic bags at point of selection for your fresh fruits and vegetables, loose grains and nuts, coffee and baked goods, as well as the deli-section area for uncooked meats and fish.

Restaurants also will not be permitted to provide single-use plastic bags or foam containers. Paper bags are still allowed to be provided in restaurants and reusable containers. Nonprofit/charitable organizations providing food may currently give their clients plastic bags, but later on this year, they too will have to follow the new law. They were provided an extension by Gov. Murphy.

So, what are the details of the new law and consequences for businesses that do not cooperate?

According to NJ Government, the bill will provide the following:

The Bag Ban goes into effect on May 4, 2022

  • The bill provides that the Department of State in consultation with the state Department of Environmental Protection will establish a program to assist businesses with compliance. This will include FAQs, outreach and educational programs, public service announcements, and distribution of free reusable carryout bags through a partnership with the Clean Communities Program which is receiving $500,000 per year for the first three years after the effective date of the law.
  • One year after enactment, November 4, 2021, plastic straws can only be provided upon request of a customer. Packages of straws and items like juice boxes may still be sold in stores.
  • The bill states that municipalities and counties cannot adopt any new ordinances governing plastic and paper bags, polystyrene, and straws. Ordinances already in effect will be superseded according to the various products’ phase out schedules.
  • The bill provides for penalties: a warning for a first offense, up to $1,000 for a second offense, and up to $5,000 for a third or subsequent offense. Penalties for violations will be deposited in the Clean Communities Program Fund, except that a municipality may retain 30 percent of any penalty it collects.
  • The bill establishes a Plastics Advisory Council in the state Department of Environmental Protection, whose members will monitor implementation of the law and evaluate its effectiveness. The Council will be comprised of 16 members, including 4 representing stores and food service businesses.

For more information on the ban visit the state's Get Past Plastic website.



source: https://www.tapinto.net/towns/hazlet-and-keyport/sections/green/articles/get-past-plastic-most-progressive-bag-ban-law-in-the-country-begins-in-nj-this-week

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