Jersey City Becomes First Large NJ City to Ban Single-Use Plastic Bags; Should Lakewood follow?

The City of Jersey City becomes the largest city in the state to implement a ban on single-use, disposable plastic bags when the administration’s ordinance takes effect this Friday.

Mayor Fulop will launch the bag ban by visiting grocery stores throughout the city – promoting the use of reusable bags to reduce the environmental harm caused by plastic bags including litter and contamination in communities and waterways worldwide.

The City of Jersey City Municipal Council passed Ordinance 18-065 in 2018 which prohibits retailers from providing single-use plastic carryout bags and non-recyclable paper bags to customers at the checkout counter of retail stores.

Should Lakewood introduce a similar ban to reduce environmental harm?

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14 COMMENTS

  1. The bag from the grocery store is NOT a single use bag. I use it for trash also. If I have to buy trash bags they ARE single use bags. They are only used to throw garbage away and are NOT used again. They are really single use bags. Of course our elected officials are too stupid to realize that.

  2. I use my bags over more than once and if stores wouldn’t have them I’d find it very difficult to bring in my groceries. Using reusable bags means I have to remember to bring them back to my car after I bring my groceries into the house, they also are not so strong and would need replacing constantly. If I need a strong plastic bag to shlep wet things in, like a bathing suit and slippers, grocery bags are just the thing. Also they are good for disposing of diapers and other garbage. I don’t know how we’ll manage without them.

  3. They absolutely should not ban bags. They are totally reusable for many things, and make it easier to carry groceries into the house. The thin junky ones from Shoprite,for example, I do throw away but the thick ones from Gourmet Glatt, NPGS etc. I use over and over.

  4. YES, Ban the Bags! Multi-use bags are available for $1…mine last two to three years. They hold a lot more, have sturdy handle straps and make carrying groceries into the house much easier. Plastic bags are bad for the environment and our Children’s future!.

  5. While I am all for more environmental changes, I feel like there is no cheap alternatives to plastic bags. Yes, there are multi-use cloth bags and biodegradable plastic but neither is cheap. I would rather have science working on inventing a healthier alternative than passing unilateral bans with no thought to consequences.
    Until then,

  6. What a joke. I bought a rehab house in Jersey City a few yrs ago. Even with the Chasidim B”H loving in, that place is still a disgusting, crime-ridden, dilapidated town. So the mayor passes a ban on plastic bags. Hello ? Plastic bags is your problem ??!! You have 50 things more important to improve quality of life than banning plastic bags.
    Unbelievable.

  7. How exactly are they any worse than other non biodegradable garbage? Lakewood people don’t spend their days at the beach dropping plastic bags in. These bags get buried in the garbage dump & don’t bother anyone. The religion of environmentalism hasn’t spread to Lakewood yet, let’s keep it this way.

  8. I am not saying we shouldn’t care about the environment, but, banning bags is not the answer. How about cracking down on people who litter? I am constantly finding trash in my yard from litterbugs. Maybe there could be less packaging on commercial products, but leave our shopping bags alone! Hashem is in control of the world so I have no worries. If He is allowing people to pollute His world, I am sure He has a plan for it.

  9. When you consider the plastic trash generated by the community evey shabbos, the loss of single use bags should not be mourned. I live in a community that banned single use bags and styrofoam years ago. Simply because your plastic bag is unseen in the landfill doesn’t mean its degraded. Of course can be broken down to smaller pieces but it’s still plastic. With no plans to replace outdated incinerators or expand landfills NJ is facing some serious trash disposal issues.

  10. although it is a little inconvenient, i do support this. the use of plastics is definitely harming the environment. we should take better care of the world we live in.
    in a perfect world we should have no trash at all.
    food waste should be composted
    the landfill garbage causes harmful gases to be emitted. methane, carbon dioxide, ammonia and many others (i couldn’t paste from the health.gov but you can go read it yourself if you want)
    Burning plastics is highly toxic as well.
    do a little research before you say no
    i also love my little shopping bags and reuses them over and over but i am willing to give it up.
    you can get used to anything.

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