New Jersey to ban plastic bags in three years

Archiv – New Jersey would become the first US state to ban the use of plastic grocery bags under a bill introduced in the state’s assembly. The measure would require supermarkets and other retailers with a minimum of 10 000 (3000 m2)square feet of space to phase out the use of the bags over three years. United States | New Jersey would become the first US state to ban the use of plastic grocery bags under a bill introduced in the state’s assembly. The measure would require supermarkets and other retailers with a minimum of 10 000 (3000 m2)square feet of space to phase out the use of the bags over three years.
Under the New Jersey legislation, large retail stores would have to reduce their use of plastic bags 50 percent by Dec. 31, 2009, and eliminate their use entirely by the end of 2010. The stores would have to provide recycling bins for collecting plastic bags and sell reusable shopping bags.
Donna Dempsey, managing director of the Progressive Bag Alliance, a Houston-based trade group representing plastic bag manufacturers, says requiring the recycling of the bags is a better move for the environment than banning them. She adds her group has worked to raise awareness about recycling, and locales that initially proposed bans on plastic bags, including Annapolis, Maryland; Austin, Texas, and Philadelphia, have since opted to instead pursue stricter recycling standards.
`Plastic bags may be cheap and convenient, but they have costly long-term environmental consequences that just can’t be ignored,’ says Democratic Assemblyman Herb Conaway, a sponsor of the measure.`We need to get these bags out of the waste stream because they are polluting our soil and our water.’
In March, San Francisco became the first US city to ban the use of plastic bags at large supermarkets. The neighboring city of Oakland has since done the same. In July, California enacted a law requiring large stores to take the bags back and encourage their recycling. The New York City Council has also considered a proposal calling for recycling of the sacks.
Several countries outside the US have taken initiatives to cut down the use of plastic bags, the New Jersey lawmakers say. In 2002, Ireland introduced a tax on plastic bags, reducing their use by 90 percent, while some communities in Australia have banned them in retail stores since 2003.