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N.J. plastic bag ban: Why are grocery stores banned from using paper bags?

Dr. Matthew Schuler, Assistant Professor, Biology, spoke with Steven Rodas from NJ.com about how to inform people of the State’s upcoming bag ban

Posted in: Biology, In The Media

paper bags in a shopping cart
Stop & Shop in Union. Beginning May 4, 2022, grocery stores, food service businesses and other retail stores in New Jersey are prohibited from providing or selling customers with single-use plastic carryout bags. Tuesday, March 29, 2022. Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media

Do people know the ban includes paper bags at grocery stores? Some do. Most don’t. Only 28% of residents know the bag ban will include paper bags at grocery stores, a new Monmouth University poll found. Dr. Schuler has experience with a ban like this, he previously lived in Seattle when the city enacted its own plastic bag ban in 2012.

What could help (inform people) online are bulleted points that are simple to read. Some of the bulleted points on government websites can be very long and complicated. Just have very distinct points indicating exactly what’s banned and where it will be banned with examples. Pictures help too, just have the picture available. ‘This is an example of the item that would be banned.’

Dr. Matthew Schuler
Read the Full Article on NJ.com