On Thursday, September 24th, the NJ Assembly will vote on A1978, which seeks to prohibit the provision or sale of single-use plastic carryout bags, single-use paper carryout bags, and polystyrene foam food service products, and limit the provision of single-use plastic straws. The Senate version, S864, passed the Senate on March 5th, split along party lines, with 22 Senators voting Yes, and 14 voting No.
![a blue plastic bag](https://eyeontrenton.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/plastic-bag-5500675_1920.png)
If A1978 passes the Assembly, both bills will head to Governor Murphy’s desk for signing into law. According to the provisions of the bill, a store or food service business would be prohibited from providing or selling a single-use plastic carryout bag to a customer, and a grocery store would be prohibited from providing or selling a single-use paper carryout bag to a customer 18 months after the effective date of the bill.
There are some exceptions. The prohibitions in the bill would not apply to:
(1) a bag used solely to contain or wrap uncooked meat, fish, or
poultry;
(2) a bag used solely to package loose items such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, coffee, grains, baked goods, candy, greeting cards, flowers, or small hardware items;
(3) a bag used solely to contain live animals, such as fish or insects sold in a pet store;
(4) a bag used solely to contain food sliced or prepared to order, including soup or hot food;
(5) a laundry, dry cleaning, or garment bag;
(6) a bag provided by a pharmacy to carry prescription drugs;
(7) a newspaper bag; and
(8) any similar bag, as determined by the Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP).
The ban would also not apply to a reusable carryout bag, including those made of polypropylene, PET nonwoven fabric, nylon, cloth, hemp products, or other machine washable fabric; has stitched handles; and is designed and manufactured for multiple reuses.
The bill would also ban the usage of polystyrene foam food containers.
![](https://eyeontrenton.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/foam.jpg)