New Jersey Just Got A Step Closer To A Statewide Plastic Bag Ban

The list of individual New Jersey towns that have banned plastic bags has been growing over the last two years or so.

When I last updated the list, there were a dozen towns at the Jersey Shore alone that had either partial or complete bans on single use plastic bags.

Today, the state as a whole moved one step closer to a ban.

NJ.com reports that both the New Jersey State Assembly (48-24 vote) and New Jersey State Senate (26-12 vote) passed bills that would not only ban single use plastic bags, but would also ban common polystyrene take-out food containers, single use plastic straws, and even single use paper bags.

The ban isn't a done deal just yet, though.

While the bill did indeed pass both of the Garden State's legislative houses, it would still need to be signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy to take effect.

If the governor does sign the bill, there would be an 18-month grace period for businesses to fall in line with the ban.

If, after the year and a half grace period, businesses were found to be in violation of the new law, they could face fines of up to $5,000 per offense.

If, as expected, Governor Murphy does sign the bill, the local laws would stay in place during the 18-month grace period, but after the year and a half wait, the state law would then replace the patchwork of local laws that are currently on the books.

You can read more from NJ.com by clicking here.