New Smith Bill Would Ban All Single-Use Plastic Bags, Straws

The New Jersey Sierra Club is urging Governor Murphy to veto A3267 (Vainieri Huttle)/S2600 (Ruiz) and instead support S2772 (Smith). We are pushing for the stronger Smith bill that prohibits use of plastic carryout bags rather than puts a fee on them. The bill also includes banning expanded polystyrene and single-use plastic straws. We have opposed the plastic bag fee bill because we believe that it will not only not work to reduce plastic, but be counter-active to the problem.

While there’s a really bad bill moving forward on plastic bags, there’s a new bill that’s been introduced that would actually move us forward in our battle to stop plastic pollution. Instead of a bill that stops us from moving forward, we support Senator Smith’s bill, S2772, which not only bans plastic bags but also single-use straws and expanded polystyrene. Senator Smith introduced this better legislation after the plastic bag fee bill was passed. We’re urging Governor Murphy to veto the plastic bag fee bill, A3267, because it won’t work and was only created as a giveaway to the supermarket lobby,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “In New York, more than 100 organizations sent a letter to Governor Cuomo urging him to support a single-use plastic ban. We need to echo that sentiment and come together to tell Governor Murphy that New Jersey needs a complete ban on all single-use plastic bags!”

Studies show that putting fees on plastic bags does not really work to reduce their use. Instead, banning the bags has shown significant progress. For example, Los Angeles County saw a 94 percent reduction in single-use bags after implementing a ban. This included a 30 percent reduction in paper bag use with a 10-cent fee on other bags. In San Jose, they saw an 89 percent decrease of bags in storm drains, 60 percent fewer in creeks, and 59 percent fewer in streets.

“Plastic is a now a menace to the environment. Last year, beach sweeps in New Jersey have found that more than 80% of their trash is plastic. What is even worse is that there has been a 59% increase in plastic straws found on beaches from these sweeps.  It is a threat to our waterways and wildlife and a full ban will go a long way in protecting our environment, reducing fossil fuel use and making our state cleaner Many municipalities including waterfront cities like Jersey City are taking steps to reduce their plastic footprint with bans and fees. However, we need a state-wide ban that will work to reduce plastics,” said Jeff Tittel.

Plastic is a serious public health and environmental risk and we should be taking the strongest efforts possible to get rid of it. When plastic breaks down into micro-pieces, animals like fish and birds ingest them and can enter our food chain. This is a huge human health risk because there are toxins in the plastic. The whale found with 17lbs of plastic in Thailand shows that this issue is getting worse. Animals, especially birds, get strangled and suffocated by plastic bags. It can take up to 1,000 years for plastic to decompose and end up in our in our landfills or break down into micro-pieces that contaminate ecosystems and environments. Plastic bags have been known to clog storm drains and fill up detention basins which affects our water quality.

“The plastic bag fee bill currently on Murphy’s desk caters to the supermarket lobby who want to make money off the fees while people continue to use plastic bags. Fee proposals do not have a sunset provision, which means the fee can be forever. Studies show that plastic bag fees don’t actually reduce plastic bag usage. The other problem with this bill is the preemption which blocks or bans towns with stronger ordinances on bans. Towns like Borough of Longport and Point Pleasant Beach have already passed ordinances to ban plastic bags,” said Jeff Tittel. “This is a shameful and damaging bill that will mean more plastic bags, more damage to the environment, and more money for supermarkets.

Plastic has become a bigger and bigger problem that affects our environment. It’s not just in the Pacific, its also here in New Jersey. Rutgers scientists recently found densities of about 28,000 to more than 3 million plastic particles per square kilometer in the Passaic and Raritan River. Last year, beach sweeps in New Jersey have found that more than 80% of their trash is plastic. What is even worse is that there has been a 59% increase in plastic straws found on beaches from these sweeps.

“We need Governor Murphy to support a statewide ban on single use plastics such as Smith’s bill. We’re urging Murphy to veto the fee bill, or re-write it to be more like the Smith bill. This is imperative to reduce the use of plastics in our environment, especially plastic bags and plastic straws. We also need Governor Murphy to come up with a better recycling program. Plastic bags are made from natural gas which means more fossil fuel use, more pipelines, and more fracking. Every year we seem to be recycling less but there is more trash along our roadways and in our streams,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “Since we have become a use once and throwaway society New Jersey needs to start looking into ways to combat this plastic pollution and a state-wide ban on these products is the best way to start.”