In the first five months of the law in effect, the New Jersey Food Council estimated that 3.44 billion plastic bags and 68 million paper bags were eliminated from the waste stream. This spring, Clean Ocean Action’s 2022 Beach Sweeps Report, which provides information about items collected by thousands of volunteers from New Jersey beaches and along waterways, shows bags, foam items, and straws declined in 2022:
- Plastic Shopping Bags decreased 37% and were not in the top 12 most collected items (called the “Dirty Dozen” list) for the first time since 2007.
- Foam Plastic Takeout Containers decreased by 29% from Spring to Fall 2022; an overall decrease by 38% from 2021-2022.
- Plastic Straws/Stirrers fell to #6 on the Dirty Dozen list for the first time since 2016, decreasing 39% from 2021.
“We are grateful to the Legislature and Governor Murphy for making national history with the law’s passage, and we are proud of New Jerseyans and visitors who switched from single-use plastic bags, foam, and straws,” said Cindy Zipf, Executive Director of Clean Ocean Action. “We have made a huge dent in single use plastic use and abuse with the elimination of billions of bags, foam items, and straws. However, there is still more work to do, especially with implementing plastic straw limitations and compliance. This law, and New Jersey’s response, proves that we can live without single-use plastics.”
“Today marks a historic landmark for plastic reduction in New Jersey. Our comprehensive plastic reduction law has been able to tackle the menace of plastic pollution in New Jersey. In the past year, we’ve seen a major reduction in single use plastics. This is an incredible step towards protecting our environment and our public health,” said Anjuli Ramos-Busot, New Jersey Director of the Sierra Club. “Today we celebrate an important one-year anniversary for New Jersey’s plastic law, however we have a lot more work to do when it comes to enforcement, reductions in plastic straws, a strong EPR bill and more.”
“One year ago, New Jersey made a tremendous leap forward in the fight against plastic pollution by implementing the bag ban law.. Instead of bringing New Jersey to a halt, the law that banned bags and polystyrene foam (aka Styrofoam) has been a smashing success,” said Amy Goldsmith, NJ State Director for Clean Water Action. “In order to achieve more sustainable solutions and create a cleaner, healthier future for all New Jerseyans, regardless of their zip code or color of their skin, New Jersey must now pass a robust packaging reduction bill.”
