Pay to Carry Out Groceries in NJ
The New Jersey State Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee passed a bill last week that will require customers to pay 5 cents for each single-use paper or plastic bag they take from stores, beginning as soon as next year.
The fee, which would not apply to those ages 65 and older or persons receiving benefits through programs such as WIC, SNAP, and Work First New Jersey, would be split between the retail establishment (2 cents) and the New Jersey State Division of Taxation (3 cents). The later will use the funds generated from this new fee to create the “Healthy Schools and Community Lead Abatement Fund.” The fund would then be used to test schools and homes throughout the state for the presence of lead in the drinking water, a mounting problem for New Jersey residents.
Designed as a “one-two punch” for the environment, according to New Jersey Sierra Club director Jeff Tittel, this law offers a combination of reduced waste from plastic bags along with reduced lead in water.
But New Jersey is not the first state to look into reducing waste through single-use plastic bags. California has a state-wide ban on them and several towns and municipalities, including my own in New York, have instituted a similar moratorium on plastic bag use by businesses. The outright ban on plastic bags, though part of an early version of this bill, is not yet on the table in New Jersey, however.
If this law passes through the General Assembly and Senate, it would require businesses to tally the total number of paper or plastic bags used by each customer on a receipt like any other item. In addition, the state’s Department of Environmental Protection would launch a public relations and information campaign to get the word out to residents and visitors of New Jersey ahead of the law taking effect.
If passed, however, the new bag fee will begin as soon as June 1st of next year.