Paper Bags Are Not a Sustainable Alternative To Plastic. Here’s Why New Jersey Voted To Ban Them.
For months, the COVID-19 pandemic had largely sidelined the topic of single-use bags and containers. New York delayed implementing its plastic bag ban until October, and California has suspended its plastic bag ban. Then New Jersey decided to strike a different tone. Last week, the state legislature voted to pass a ban on both plastic and paper single-use bags in grocery stores, which also includes a ban on single-use plastic bags in stores and restaurants and similar restrictions on polystyrene products in certain cases.