New Jersey Clean Communities Council Executive Director Says Plastic Bag Ban's Impact on Litter Has Been 'Astounding'
By ADAM DARSKY | Published November 9, 2022 at 8:02 AM
TRENTON, NJ — New Jersey's single-use bag ban has been in place for more than six months and JoAnn Gemenden says what's happened since May is "astronomical."
Gemenden, the Executive Director at New Jersey Clean Communities Council (NJCCC), said an estimated 1 billion single-use plastic bags have been removed from grocery stores around the state. She says the actual number of plastic bags removed is far higher, as the 1 billion figure does not include convenience stores and restaurants. The NJCCC says 13.7 million paper bags per month have also been removed.
"That's totally astounding when you look at the numbers and just the shopping habits and how they've had to change in the past six months," Gemenden told TAPinto.