According to a bill passed by Governor Phil Murphy and other lawmakers last year, New Jersey has implemented the second phase of its plastic ban, which means that starting from May 4, 2022, all retailers and food service companies in the state will ban the use or distribution of disposable plastic bags.
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plastic ban
This bill was passed on November 4, 2020, and is divided into multiple implementation phases to address plastic pollution caused by the retail and food service industries in New Jersey. The first phase implemented a partial ban on plastic straws, which has been actively enforced since November 4th. In addition to the new "bag ban", the second wave of regulations of the bill will ban disposable polystyrene foam cups and food containers. In addition, although small convenience stores and grocery stores allow the use of paper bags, spaces over 2500 square feet will require customers to provide their own reusable bags or purchase them on-site.
Enterprises found to have violated the ban will receive a warning on their first violation, a maximum daily fine of $1000 for the second violation, and a maximum daily fine of $5000 for the third violation. According to NBC News, Governor Murphy's office described this legislation as "the strictest plastic ban in the United States.
Voices from all walks of life
On Thursday, April 28th, convenience stores, U-Store, and other small food sales organizations on the Princeton University campus began distributing paper bags to customers. The Princeton Conservation Society (PCS) is a student led environmental action organization that expresses support for university suppliers to make these preemptive changes and supports the entire policy. However, PCS criticized certain aspects of the legislation, pointing out that low-income institutions may struggle to provide typically more expensive plastic alternatives and may suffer disproportionate losses due to the high fines imposed by the law. They also expressed dissatisfaction with the government's promotion of all reusable bags, as many bags are made from unsustainable materials. New Jersey is not the first state to adopt such measures. The legislation to discourage the use of disposable plastics was first introduced in California, which banned stores from distributing plastic bags and instructed to charge customers at least 10 cents for paper bags. New York, Vermont, and Connecticut followed closely with varying degrees of restrictions, with New Jersey being the ninth state to ban disposable plastic products. Other states have adopted different methods: Florida has preemptive laws to prevent local counties or cities from prohibiting the use of specific plastics and foam plastics.
Source: Daily Princeton, Princeton Daily
Zhejiang Broadcasting is committed to becoming a leading global developer of PLA material applications. The mission of broadcasting is to promote the wider application of biodegradable materials through technological innovation and reduce the pollution caused by plastic waste to the environment.
The Zhejiang Bo Xia entrepreneurial team has 15 years of experience in the industrial production and application development of PLA materials. The current production capacity of PLA modified materials is 15000 tons/year, and the under construction capacity is 30000 tons/year. It is one of the main suppliers in the domestic plastic substitute industry.
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