A majority of New Jersey residents say they back the state’s ban on single-use plastic bags, but that support has slipped 5 percentage points since the mandate went into effect last year, according to a Monmouth University Poll released on Wednesday.
Under the state law that took effect in May 2022, retail stores, grocery stores and food service businesses may not provide or sell single-use plastic carryout bags and polystyrene foam food service products, commonly called Styrofoam. Single-use paper carryout bags can be provided, except by large grocery stores, which may only provide or sell reusable carryout bags.
Support for the plastic bag ban has declined from 61% in April of 2022 to 56% last month, the poll found. In 2019, before the mandate took effect, support for a plastic bag ban was at 65%.
Similar declines have occurred in support for bans on other types of bags and containers that are covered by the law.
Sixteen months ago, 64% of New Jersey residents polled supported the ban on Styrofoam food containers, but that dropped to 56% in the most recent poll conducted between Aug. 10-14. Only 44% now support using reusable plastic bags, instead of paper bags, at supermarkets, a drop of 3 percentage points compared to April 2022.
The lack of enthusiasm for the reusable shopping bags at supermarkets may be tied to residents’ growing stockpile of these types of bags in their homes.
The poll asked New Jersey residents 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 (54%) said they have accumulated 11 or more reusable bags. This includes 26% who have between 11 and 25 bags; 12% who say they have between 16 and 50 bags; and 16% who say they have more than 50 bags.
Those who have accumulated 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 trash disposal (15%).
“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,” said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.
For more information about the poll, go here.
