The Jersey Shore has been a pioneer in stopping the wasteful use of plastic bags, and the litter and harm to oceanic life they bring. Many area municipalities have banned them and residents are accustomed to bringing reusable bags (or buying one if they forget their own).
Never too early to prepare for NJ reusable bag rule
The New Jersey Legislature and Gov. Murphy finally got around to a statewide ban, after a much-criticized attempt to make the provision of disposable bags a source of state revenue. Having been laggards in the movement against plastic pollution, they overreached (against our urging) and banned paper bags as well, despite the negligible harms of paper.
Even though eventually transitioning to reusable grocery bags is desirable, there was no need to make the change all at once and more difficult. But that’s what happens when everything is about the political look.