TRENTON, NJ- Ed Potosnak, executive director of New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, released the following statement regarding S2776, concerning single-use carryout bags, polystyrene foam food service products, and single-use plastic straws:
New Jersey League of Conservation Voters is excited to see the legislature address our state’s pervasive plastic problem -- this bill outlines what would be the most comprehensive plan in the country. Importantly, this bill addresses a crucial component of single-use bag policy – a fee on paper bags. Paper bags are extremely resource-intensive and, in the U.S., we use over 10 billion per year. That results in thousands of acres of trees cut down, over 1,300 acres just from New Jersey’s paper bag consumption. This fee is essential to drive the behavioral change we need – and that’s to use reusable bags.
We look forward to working with the legislature to include even stronger provisions aimed at reducing plastic and polystyrene in our schools and higher education institutions, and ensure people with disabilities are able to request a straw for medical necessity.
New Jersey League of Conservation Voters is a non-partisan organization whose mission is to elect environmental champions, hold public officials accountable, and support laws which protect our environment and improve the quality of people’s lives.
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