New Jersey's single-use plastic bag ban leads to glut of reusable bags for some shoppers
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- There's an unintended consequence of the single-use plastic bag ban in New Jersey: a glut of reusable bags.
Katiuska Tejada-Rivera got used to ordering groceries online during the pandemic, saying she finds it more cost effective and it also offers peace of mind by limiting exposure for her daughter Kaycy, a two-time cancer survivor.
As a result, she ended up with more than 100 reusable grocery bags. She's whittled it down to around 84 after generously giving some away to family.
"I look at the receipt and I was paying for these bags," Tejada-Rivera said.
She hopes legislators can do something to fix this unintended consequence of the single-use bag ban.
"I am 100% in favor," she said.
New Jersey state Sen. Bob Smith sponsored the ban bill that went into effect in May.
READ MORE: Plastic bag ban begins at supermarkets in New Jersey, along with other restricted items
"The bill's five months old, been working wonderfully well, but there's a glitch," he told CBS2's Vanessa Murdock.
Smith sees three possible solutions:
- Customers can return the bags and receive a refund, and delivery services can then sanitize and reuse the bags,
- Use the boxes the goods arrived in at the store for customer deliveries,
- Or allow paper bags to be used for grocery deliveries.
Smith is leaning toward solution one and adds legislative change should be finalized by the end of the year.
What can you do in the meantime to cut down on too many totes? Bring them to your local food bank or food pantry.
At places like the Fulfill food bank of Ocean and Monmouth counties, the single-use bag ban goes into effect Nov. 4, and Triada Stampas, the food bank's CEO and president, says they're not quite ready.
She says pre-bagging became part of pandemic practice.
"Plastic bags have become part of the regular operation," she said.
They're still being used by many to deliver services, especially for 100% volunteer operations with no budget.
"A reusable bag will go to good use," Stampas said.
