New Jerseys Plastic Bag Ban is a HUGE Failure!

New Jersey's plastic bag ban backfires massively!

New Jersey's plastic bag ban, hailed by Governor Murphy in 2020 as a progressive environmental measure, has encountered unexpected consequences, as outlined in recent reports. Despite its good intentions, the ban seems to have backfired, resulting in unintended outcomes that raise concerns. And NJ is not alone. As of January 2024, there are 12 states with outright bans of single use plastic bags.

What did the ban require?

The law, the strictest plastic bag ban at the time, banned

1. retail and grocery stores from providing customers with single-use plastic bags,
2. grocery stores that are larger than 2,500 sq ft may not give their customers single-use paper bags and
3. polystyrene foam food takeout containers and single-use plastic straws may not be provided unless a customer specifically requests one.

Which other states ban plastic bags?

As of January 2024, 12 states have single-use plastic bag bans either outright or through prohibited taxes and other restrictions:

• California,
• Colorado,
• Connecticut,
• Delaware,
• Hawaii,
• Maine,
• New Jersey,
• New York,
• Oregon,
• Rhode Island,
• Vermont and
• Washington.

In addition, iIt is estimated that there are over 500 municipalities in 28 states with plastic bag bans as of 2021.

Plastic consumption TRIPLES after the ban

According to Forbes, one year after the ban's implementation on May 4, 2022, there has been a surge in plastic consumption in New Jersey. Contrary to expectations, the prohibition of plastic bags led to a significant increase in the use of other plastic products, including thicker, heavier bags that were exempt from the ban. Consumers, unable to access traditional plastic bags, turned to alternatives that often contained more plastic material, exacerbating the environmental impact instead of reducing it.

Fox News reports that. New Jersey residents have used 300% more plastic after the ban, from consuming 53 million pounds of plastic before the law to 151 million pounds after.

The Washington Examiner corroborates this observation, emphasizing that the ban on plastic bags in blue states like New Jersey has inadvertently contributed to higher plastic consumption. Instead of curbing plastic use, the ban has prompted consumers to opt for alternatives that generate more waste and harm the environment. This rebound effect underscores the complexities of environmental policies and the importance of comprehensive analysis in their implementation.

Worse still, the replacements are not recyclable and increase greenhouse gases

Freedonia Group reports hat not only did the total consumption of plastic increase threefold as a result of the ban, but the type of plastics used are not recycleable

In 2022, following implementation of the New Jersey bag ban, total bag volumes declined by more than 60% to 894 million bags. However, the study also shows, following New Jersey’s ban of single-use bags, the shift from plastic film to alternative bags resulted in a nearly 3x increase in plastic consumption for bags. At the same time, 6x more woven and non-woven polypropylene plastic was consumed to produce the reusable bags sold to consumers as an alternative. Most of these alternative bags are made with non-woven polypropylene, which is not widely recycled in the United States and does not typically contain any post-consumer recycled materials. This shift in material also resulted in a notable environmental impact, with the increased consumption of polypropylene bags contributing to a 500% increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to non-woven polypropylene bag production in 2015. Notably, non-woven polypropylene, NWPP, the dominant alternative bag material, consumes over 15 times more plastic and generates more than five times the amount of GHG emissions during production per bag than polyethylene plastic bags.

And if you think reusable bags are better, consider this: a reusable cotton grocery bag must be used 7,100 times for it to have a positive effect on the environment based on lifecycle analysis of reusable bags. Remember how artificial

Another example of how government bans and heavy-handed regulation make the problems worse!

Christmas trees were considered , 30 years ago, to be bad for the environment, and it has since been concluded the often last a lifetime and when all costs (such as transportation of lives trees) are considered, the artificial tree may be better! NorthJersey.com painted a rosy picture of the ban on May 11, 2023, but it was obviously premature in its assessment. The news story provided additional insights into the aftermath of New Jersey's plastic bag ban. Despite initial optimism, the ban's impact has been underwhelming, with limited progress in reducing plastic waste. Stakeholders express concerns about the ban's efficacy, highlighting the need for more effective strategies to address environmental challenges without unintended consequences.

Collectively, these narratives paint a sobering picture of the "Law of Unintended Consequences" otherwise known as "good intentions oft go awry". Complexities surrounding environmental legislation like the plastic bag ban are well-intentioned, but their implementation and outcomes can be more nuanced than anticipated. The case of New Jersey's ban serves as a reminder of the importance of evaluating and adjusting policies to achieve desired outcomes while mitigating unintended side effects in the pursuit of a sustainable future.

References:

Many references are incorporated into the text above, by the links to the sources. Below are additional references.

1. Forbes.com - New Jersey Bag Ban Followed By Increased Use Of Plastic
   Patrick Gleason, Jan 22, 2024
2. Freedonia Group - Freedonia Report Finds New Jersey Single-Use Bag Ban Boosts Alternative Bag Production, Increases Plastic Consumption, and Drives Retailer Profits
   by Kristen Pieffer, January 9, 2024
3. Washingtone Examiner.com - Law banning plastic bags in blue state backfires as plastic consumption skyrockets
   By Peyton Sorosinski, January 24, 2024
4. NorthJersey.com - A year into NJ's plastic bag ban, what impact has it had?
   by Scott Fallon, May 11, 2023