A year after New Jersey enacted one of the nation’s strictest bans on single-use plastic bags and straws, Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration says the measure has already resulted in a significant reduction in litter.

Along with preventing grocery stores and retailers from providing plastic bags to customers, the law – which went into effect May 4, 2022 – limits businesses of 2,500 square feet or larger from offering single-use paper bags at checkout.

Similarly, polystyrene foam food takeout containers and other polystyrene food service products also may no longer be provided to customers, and single-use plastic straws may only be provided upon request.

In a May 5 press release, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection commissioner Shawn LaTourette said, “New Jersey’s initiative to step up and say no to continued plastics pollution in our communities and waterways is worthy of celebration because we have quickly seen the positive effects of this law. Removing single-use plastics, paper bags and foam food containers from our waste stream keeps our communities clean and protects aquatic and marine life as well as wildlife.”

“The reduction in the use of single-use plastics puts New Jersey at the forefront of efforts to protect our environment and builds on our commitment to public health through action,” said New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli. “Microplastics have the potential of causing cancer and other negative health effects on people. That’s a steep price to pay. Reducing plastics and microplastics leads to healthier New Jerseyans and a more sustainable future.”

According to the NJDEP, key metrics measured during the past year include:

• The elimination of 5.5 billion single-use plastic bags and 110 million single-use paper bags from entering the waste stream and environment by New Jersey Food Council’s 2,000 grocery store members between May 2022 and December 2022.
• A 37% decrease in single-use plastics in each of three categories affected by the law (single-use plastic bags, foam food containers and straws) found as litter along the Jersey shore.
• A reduction in the number of plastic straws purchased by convenience stores for distribution to customers, from 17 million to 2 million per month.

One of the measure’s co-sponsors, state Sen. Linda Greenstein, D-14th District, said “A year ago, we enacted limits on single-use plastic bags, straws, and Styrofoam in favor of reusable alternatives. A year later, we celebrate the continued success of this legislation.”

Greenstein, who is assistant majority leader and vice chair of the Environment and Energy Committee said, “With this law, New Jersey has curbed the use of billions of plastic bags, mitigating the harsh environmental impacts associated with their use. I am extremely proud of how effective this law has been, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to further combat the climate crisis.”

JoAnn Gemenden, executive director of the New Jersey Clean Communities Council, said, “Before the single use plastics law was enacted, it was commonplace to see plastic bags blowing around parking lots, getting tangled in trees and littering our precious waterways.”

“This spring, as clean communities coordinators are sponsoring numerous litter clean-up initiatives across New Jersey, we are astounded by the stark decrease in the amount of single-use bags found. There is no doubt this law is working, and I must congratulate New Jersey’s businesses and consumers for making this success possible. It is amazing the effect we can have on New Jersey’s environment when we all work together toward a common goal,” she continued.

Additional data on the first year of the initiative can be found in a report released by the administration’s Plastics Advisory Council in conjunction with the anniversary.

Made up of 16 members appointed by Murphy, the council represents stakeholders from the plastics and recycling industry, the academic community and environmental groups, as well as local and state government.

Litter Free NJ

Moving forward, the NJDEP and its partner agencies will continue to focus on educating the public about the value and importance of reducing use of and reliance on plastic products, along with overall waste reduction, LaTourette said.

The law also helped develop stronger relationships between the New Jersey Clean Communities Council, NJDEP, the New Jersey Food Council and New Jersey Business Action Center through a public-private partnership focused on public education.

The campaign, which is known as Litter Free NJ, continues to be a one-stop resource for information about the law and how to comply.

“When the New Jersey Business Action Center (NJBAC) was legislatively assigned the responsibility of educating businesses about how to comply with the statewide ban on single-use plastic carryout bags and polystyrene foam food service products, the agency launched a campaign to share information through digital content and informative webinars,” NJBAC Executive Director Melanie Willoughby said.

“Sharing information about the new policy benefitted everyone. The NJBAC strengthened relationships with the statewide business community, business owners accessed accurate and essential information about the bag ban, and billions of bags were kept out of the waste stream,” she said.

The next phase of Litter Free NJ is an informal partnership between the NJCCC and NJFC, which have created a plan to redistribute reusable bags to residents in need.

According to the NJCCC, the effort involves numerous local and county solid waste agencies, nonprofits, food banks, civic groups, the NJDEP, business entities and other interests that will offer drop-off and collection sites for reusable bags to be sanitized and recirculated.

NJCCC Chair and NJFC President Linda Doherty said, “We are very pleased to witness the astonishing results of the bag ban. We no longer see billions of single-use bags littering our waterways, parking lots and waste streams.”

“As our latest initiative gains momentum, innovative efforts, such as this, will become mainstream in our communities,” said Doherty.