newjerseynewsroom.com

BY GINA G. SCALA

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Paper or plastic? it’s a simple question not often asked any longer, but there was a time a grocery store customer had a choice. In fact, some customers would choose paper inside of plastic for ease of carrying and to re-enforce easily torn paper bags.

For most large, nationwide chain supermarkets, the choice of paper or plastic went out the window when it became clear plastic was better for the bottom line and customers. In the years since, plastic bags have contributed large numbers to landfills and take thousands of years to decay.

And along waterways, plastic bags have a way of jamming storm water basins; increasing water pollution.The bags have been cited as a major factor in the decline of the Barnegat Bay, a 30-mile brackish arm of the Atlantic Ocean. Additionally, plastic bags are creating life-threatening situations to marine life and sea birds in the world’s oceans.

The United States consumes 102 billion disposable plastic bags each year, Chris Len, of the Hackensack River Keeper, told a joint meeting of the Senate and Assembly environment committees in Lavallette, according to The Recorder.

“They clog up storm drains so they don’t function,” Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, said.

New Jersey lawmakers will consider seven bills this fall, from barring plastic bags to levying a fee on consumers who opt for plastic over paper.

“Bans and fees work,” John Weber, northeast regional manager with the Surfrider Foundation said. “Bag usage drops significantly whenever either is passed. In Washington, D.C., a 5-cent fee curtailed plastic bag use by 60 percent within weeks. This not only reduces unsightly litter, it can also reduce the lethal impact on wildlife.”

No state has passed a statewide ban, fee, or tax on plastic carryout bags, although legislation to do so is pending in a number of states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The endeavor to ban plastic bags in New Jersey could impact an already downward economy, Donna Dempsey, a spokesperson for the American Progressive Bag Alliance, said. There are currently 16 facilities plastic manufacturing facilities in the state, employing more than 700 people, she said.