Misguided efforts? New Jersey state plastic and paper bags ban divides opinion

02 Oct 2020 --- The state of New Jersey (NJ), US, has passed a phase-out ban on single-use plastic and paper bags, taking effect in two years. The bill also prohibits polystyrene foam foodservice packaging and limits the provision of single-use plastic straws to customer requests.

While NJ environmental NGOs are widely in favor of the impending legislation, PackagingInsights speaks with Heidi Brock, president & CEO of the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA), who voices concerns that the bill is a “misguided effort.”

“The bill arbitrarily picks winners and losers, favoring products that are marketed as reusable regardless of their actual record on sustainability. Paper bags are a clean, hygienic and convenient choice to meet everyday needs while also being recyclable, reusable and compostable,” Brock flags.

The paper versus plastics debate
The NJ Food Council called the ban “critically important” considering paper bags have just as “significant an environmental impact as plastic bags.” 

The legislature finds that single-use paper carryout bags use as much energy to manufacture as single-use plastic bags.“Without this ban, consumers would have simply moved to paper single-use bags, failing to address the underlying goal of reducing our reliance on single-use products,” the organization states. 

Brock, however, brings the recyclability rates of paper products to the fore. “Consumers recognize paper as recyclable and know how to recycle paper at home. Paper bags are the only grocery bag option widely accepted for curbside recycling in the US.”

“In 2019, the paper recycling rate was 66.2 percent, and more paper is recovered for recycling from municipal solid waste streams than glass, plastic, steel and aluminum combined.”

Moreover, she explains that the US grows more wood than it harvests. “There are 20 percent more trees in the US today than there were five decades ago. Using fewer paper products decreases the incentive to replant trees after harvest and keep forests as forests.”

The bill’s specifics
Voted with 25 votes in favor, 13 against and two abstainers, the ban was amended from an earlier version in the spring to include both plastic and paper bags.

The NJ legislature points out that in 2017, only 8.4 percent of US plastics were recycled. An estimated 100 billion single-use plastic carryout bags and 25 billion styrofoam plastic coffee cups are thrown away annually in the US.“The facts support that paper bags are a sustainable option against competing materials,” Brock underscores.

The legislature further finds that single-use paper carryout bags use “as much or more energy and resources to manufacture and transport than single-use plastic carryout bags and contribute to harmful air emissions.” 

Consequently, it is “in the public interest” to prohibit grocery stores from providing single-use paper carryout bags.

Any business found violating the bill would get a warning on the first offense, a fine up to US$1,000 for a second offense and a fine of up to $5,000 for a third or subsequent offense.

The AF&PA is urging NJ Governor Phil Murphy to issue a conditional veto that removes paper from the state ban.

“The best-case scenario is that the New Jersey legislature rethinks its misguided effort to ban a product with a proven record on sustainability – the paper bag, which also supports family-wage, often union-backed, jobs in NJ,” Brock concludes.

By Anni Schleicher