A majority of New Jersey residents oppose a ban on single-use plastic bags in grocery stores, although 56% said they support the ban on single-use plastic bags in general, according to a new poll from Monmouth University released today.
According to the poll, only 44% of the public now supports banning large supermarkets from giving out paper bags, as the law requires. This result is down three points from 2022, when 47% said they support it.
However, when asked whether they support a ban on single-use plastic bags, 56% said they are in favor, although this is a few points lower than what the same poll found shortly before the ban went into effect (61% in April 2022).
The ban went into effect in May 2022.
A similar majority (56%) supports banning Styrofoam food containers, but this is also slightly lower than last year (64%).
In addition, residents report most, but not necessarily all, New Jersey stores are abiding by the ban and a majority say that they have accumulated ten or more reusable bags in the past year.
With so many New Jerseyans using their own bags, the poll also asked how many reusable shopping bags they have acquired over the past year, including those purchased and others they were given at stores or with food deliveries. A majority of residents report accumulating more than ten bags, with 16% saying they have gotten more than 50 reusable bags, 12% who got between 26 and 50 bags, and 26% who got between 11 and 25 bags.
Those who have gotten more than five bags were asked what they do with their surplus. Most New Jerseyans (62%) keep their extra bags, 20% recycle some of them, and 7% throw at least some in the trash. The latter numbers go up among those who have accumulated more than 25 bags for both recycling (35%) and disposal (15%) of their extra bags.
“Fewer single-use bags are making their way into the waste stream, but we now face a growing stockpile of reusable bags that New Jerseyans don’t know what to do with,” Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute, said in a statement.
The poll was conducted between August 10-14 with a sample size of 814 New Jersey adults and a margin of error of +/- 5.4%.
This issue has caused a major crisis in Lakewood. Without getting plastic bags from the supermarket when it rains men are having trouble finding a plastic bag to cover their hats on the way to & from Shul.
Being a person that never throws anything away I started a Gemach that gives out free plastic bags to use as rain covers.
I have bags with various store names & colors so you can show your loyalty to a specific store or coordinate your bag & tie to match each other.
I ask nothing in return except when you see another Yid with a bag on his head you make sure to say, “Good Shabbos”
Fischel Zelig E.
Westgate
(What happened to Asinine Commenter? I don’t see him anymore. Is Not Asinine the same guy with a new name?)
Bring the Plastic Bags back!!! The Government has no right to take away our freedom and those who voted are insane!!! “We are the people” We want a plastic bag back!!! Especially in this horrible inflation!!! Democrats are so cruel and we have had enough of their lies!!!!
❤️ welcome to the new 🇺🇸
No plastic bags? What an awful first-world problem.
Banning plastic bags. What a wonderful response to the important first world problems.
Remember when you vote that the democrats passed this fascistic plastic bag ban. I personally think every single grocery store should have signs up saying so.