RESOURCES FOR BUSINESSES IN ADVANCE OF PLASTIC BAG AND POLYSTYRENE FOAM BAN

Garden State businesses are urged to prepare for new requirements that will ban single-use plastic carryout bags, polystyrene foam food service products, single-use paper carryout bags in grocery stores over 2,500 square feet, and limit plastic straws to by-request-only.

A new law will take effect on May 4, 2022 to reduce pollution and protect New Jersey’s health, economy, and environment. It will apply to all retail stores, grocery stores and food service businesses, including restaurants, cafes, delicatessens, coffee shops, convenience stores, food trucks, vending trucks or carts, movie theaters, and business or institutional cafeterias. ​The provision of plastic straws will be limited to by-request-only after November 4, 2021. The new law signals the state’s move toward reusable, recyclable and biodegradable products.

The latest details on the law are available on business.nj.gov and experts are available both on the website’s live chat feature and at 1-800-Jersey-7 from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET Monday-Friday to help businesses learn how to comply with the new requirements.

New Jersey Clean Communities will present a virtual seminar, Rolling Out the Bag Ban: Everything Business and Government Need to Know, on Thursday, May 27 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Join state representatives and policymakers to learn about the new law, pending deadlines and how your business can prepare. More information on the seminar may be found at NJClean.org.

Learn How You Can Prepare