New Jersey Food Council Applauds Governor’s Signature on A-1978/S-864 to Phase Out Single-Use Bags

TRENTON – November 4, 2020 –The New Jersey Food Council (NJFC) is
thankful to NJ Governor Phil Murphy for signing A-1978/S-864 today, in
what becomes the most prolific single use disposal bag ban law in the
nation.NJFC has continually advocated for a uniform statewide standard
to phase out single use plastic and paper bags and encourage the use
of reusable bags in New Jersey.  The action taken by the Governor
today does just that.

The ban on both paper and plastic bags is critically important as
paper bags have just as significant of an environmental impact as
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.

Most importantly, this law ends the proliferation of varying local
ordinances. The unworkable patchwork underscored the importance of
having this smart, uniform statewide law that preempts all local
ordinances.

The New Jersey Food Council extends its appreciation to Governor
Murphy, Senate Sponsor Bob Smith and the State Legislature for
creating this uniform standard for the entire state.

**The above statement can be attributed to Linda Doherty, President &
CEO, New Jersey Food Council