By Sarah Fertsch
Staff Writer
On May 4, 2022, the lives of New Jersey residents changed, some say for better and others say for worse, when disposable plastic bags and paper bags were suddenly turned into supermarket contraband.
Now it’s illegal for stores to provide them to customers carrying home their purchases. Racks made to hold bundles of plastic bags have been replaced with displays for totes costing $1.25 or more.
It’s only been about six months since that fateful day, but officials are already saying that the law needs fine tuning. New Jerseyans are hoarding or forgetting their “reusable” bags, often banishing them to the closet corner or laundry room cupboard.
Rather than reuse the bags, consumers continue to buy them as if the additional cost is just part of spiraling grocery inflation. Yet they keep piling up. When customers use delivery and pick-up services, grocery clerks pack orders in new reusable totes, taking up space, adding to the hefty price customers already pay.
It’s a glitch that needs fixing, state officials say.
To address it, the bag rules may be changing soon, somewhat. Earlier this month, Senate Bill 33114 advanced out of the Senate Environment and Energy Committee. If signed into law, it would allow retailers to offer paper bags for online orders and curbside pick-up customers by amending the original May 4 ban. They would not be available for in-store shoppers.
As long as the bags are made with over 40 percent recycled materials, grocery stores could once again provide complimentary paper bags for pick-up and delivery.
Additionally, curbside or delivery grocery options would allow for purchased items to be handed off in cardboard boxes or containers.
The exemption would be temporary, expiring in three years.
It also calls on grocers to find a way for customers to return excess reusable bags.
“It is evident that there is a glitch in the law when it comes to home delivery services, with residents accumulating excess reusable bags,” said state Sen. Bob Smith, D-Middlesex, sponsor of the original bag ban and also the proposed amendment. “We want to rectify this issue for residents by providing additional options for grocery delivery packaging, while we continue to develop more sustainable and practical alternatives.”
The bill would also require grocery stores to create a system that allows customers to return excess reusable bags. It’s an attempt to remove the additional waste caused by thicker plastic and more expensive options.
Several options have been suggested including cleaning the bags for reuse and donating them to food pantries across the state.
For the bill to become law, it must be passed by the full Senate and the Assembly before going to Gov. Phil Murphy for signature. If the legislation is made a priority, it could be approved by the Senate by early November, although media accounts suggest that there is disagreement over how long the temporary exemption should last, or if there should be one at all. It’s also unclear whether consumers would receive a refund for the $1 to $3 paid per bag.
Many consumers still question why the ban was enacted in the first place. Mario Allegretto, a 66-year-old retiree from Absecon, believes that the initial bag ban was too strict, and the state should compromise with its constituents.
“It’s bad enough that we have to pay so much more money for food, and now we have to pay for a way to take that stuff home,” Allegretto said. “It’s not fair. If these paper bags are coming from recycled cardboard, there shouldn’t be a problem. It’s common sense.”
Meanwhile, Smith is calling it a success.
“We have seen over the last five months that the ban on single-use plastic bags has been a tremendous aid in reducing plastic waste and litter, including single-use plastic bags, Styrofoam packaging, and packing peanuts,” Smith said.
According to the New Jersey Food Council an estimated 3 billion plastic bags and 68 million paper bags have been saved since the program began.
Sarah Fertsch was born and raised in Egg Harbor Township, and holds a dual degree in public relations and political science. Prior to joining Shore Local full-time, she worked at a CSPAN affiliate, writing about Pennsylvania legislation. When she isn’t writing, Sarah enjoys painting, horseback riding, and Crossfit.
