With the statewide plastic bag ban beginning on Wednesday, May 4, stores are no longer allowed to provide single-use carryout plastic bags or containers. Most grocery stores will also be banned from providing single-use paper bags. It’s considered one of the strictest bans in the nation; shoppers will need to bring their own bag or buy a reusable one at the checkout — a major shift for customers and businesses.
Day One of New Jersey’s plastic bag ban was a mixed bag for small-business owners like Susan Amin. Her store also sells prepared food, which used to be packaged in Styrofoam. Now that polystyrene containers are also banned in New Jersey, Amin says replacements are not readily available.
“We’re not convinced, at the moment, that there are those affordable, available alternatives. You’re going to find a lot of businesses that might be paying more for substitute products, and you may find that those products are not as good as polystyrene,” said Ray Cantor, vice president for government affairs at the New Jersey Business and Industry Association.
