N.J. could be first state to ban plastic bags

TRENTON, N.J. New Jersey Assemblymen Herb Conaway, M.D., and Jack Conners introduced a bill this week that calls for the removal of plastic bags from New Jersey retailers over the next three years. The bill also seeks to create legislation that will limit the use of non-biodegradable plastic shopping bags through mandatory instore recycling programs for retail outlets with a minimum 10,000 square feet of space.

The bill, entitled the “Plastic Bag Recycling Act,” would make New Jersey the first state in the country to eventually ban plastic grocery bags, according to the assemblymen.

“We need to get these bags out of the waste stream because they are polluting our soil and our water,” said Conaway (D-Burlington, Camden). “Plastic bags may be cheap and convenient, but they have costly longterm environmental consequences that just can’t be ignored.”

Under the measure, retail stores would need to reduce their use of plastic bags by 50%  by Dec. 31, 2009 and eliminate their use entirely by Dec. 31, 2010.

In March, San Francisco became the first city in the U.S. to pass a law banning the use of plastic bags from large supermarkets. In July, the state of California enacted a law that requires large stores to take back plastic bags and encourage their reuse. The New York City Council also has introduced legislation calling for the recycling of plastic bags.