By The Pennsauken Environmental Commission
Beginning May 4, New Jersey law will ban retailers, food service businesses, and grocery stores from providing single-use plastic and paper bags to customers. In addition, this new law will prevent food service businesses from providing polystyrene foam containers. Here is a quick primer on how this change impacts Pennsauken residents.
Which Businesses Are Affected?
A large variety of businesses are impacted by the plastic and paper bag ban. Grocery stores, convenience stores, liquor stores, pharmacies, drug stores, and other retail establishments are all affected by New Jersey’s ban, although grocery stores smaller than 2,500 square feet can still offer paper bags to customers. Food service businesses that are part of the ban include any establishment that sells or provides food for consumption on or off their premises, such as restaurants, cafés, delicatessens, coffee shops, vending trucks or carts, and food trucks.
What To Use Instead Of Paper And Plastic Bags
New Jersey consumers are asked to use reusable carryout bags to shop. According to the New Jersey Clean Communities Council, a reusable carryout bag is defined as:
- Being made of polypropylene fabric, PET nonwoven fabric, nylon cloth, hemp product or other washable fabric
- Has stitched handles
- Designed and manufactured for multiple reuses
- Capable of withstanding multiple washes while maintaining usefulness and integrity
- Has a minimum of 125 uses
A reminder that disposable bags are NOT recyclable. You can, however, reuse them a variety of different ways in your home, such as:
- Liners for small trash cans
- Kept in cars for emergencies and clean up
- Packing for travel
- Protecting fragile items during moves
- Carried when walking your dog to pick up pet waste
Reducing waste and litter is always beneficial; to help to do so, this law was created to be an effective and uniform sustainable policy for both New Jersey shoppers and businesses. For more information, visit BagUpNJ.com.
