N.J. Senate Committee Approves Ban on Plastic Bags

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The New Jersey Senate Environment Committee approved in a 4-1 vote, what is being projected as the strongest statewide plastic ban. The Senate Bill 2776 not only imposes ban on plastic products, but also proposes fee on single-use paper carry bags. It must be noted that an earlier bill imposing five-cent fee on plastic bag was vetoed by Gov. Phil Murphy, calling for stricter rules.

Under the bill, stores would be prohibited from handing out single-use plastic shopping bags, plastic straws and polystyrene food containers. In addition, it also imposes a 10-cent fee on single-use paper bags. Half of the collected fee will go back to businesses, whereas the other half would be used to finance the newly created Plastic Pollution Prevention Fund, run by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

The proposed ban and fee would take effect one year after the final approval signature by the Governor, which is expected to happen by the end of this year. Businesses that are unable to absorb the costs of phasing out the banned plastic products or those reporting gross income less than half-a-million dollars could apply for yearly waiver. As per the provisions of the bill, first time violators would be fined $500, followed by $1,000 for second violation and $5,000 for third violation.

The passage of the bill was welcomed by environmentalists, who consider this as a major step to reduce plastic pollution in the state.