New Jersey to limit paper, plastic bags
The New Jersey Legislature voted on Thursday to make the state the first in the country to ban single-use paper bags in supermarkets along with all single-use plastic bags in stores and restaurants.
Eight other states have bans on single-use plastic bags either in effect now or scheduled to go into effect in the coming years. But by banning both plastic and paper single-use bags, as well as disposable food containers and cups made out of polystyrene foam, environmental advocates said the New Jersey bill is among the most stringent in the U.S.
Opponents of the bill had argued that it could hurt businesses and that the ban should be limited to plastic bags, since many view paper bags as an environmentally friendly alternative. The ban would begin 18 months after Gov. Phil Murphy signs the bill.
New York Times
