Plastic consumption in New Jersey tripled despite the state’s 2022 plastic ban meant to and address the “problem of plastic pollution,” according to a study from a business-research firm.
The study found that the state’s law banning single-use plastic bags led to a 60% decrease in the total bag volume, according to analysis from the Freedonia Report, MarketResearch.com’s business research division.
However, as consumers started searching for alternatives and purchasing plastic reusable bags, the state saw plastic consumption triple, largely because of the material used in the alternative bags, the report shows.
“Most of these alternative bags are made with non-woven polypropylene, which is not widely recycled in the United States and does not typically contain any post-consumer recycled materials,” the report states.
The ban, which took effect in May 2022, prevented large retailers, groceries and food service stores from distributing the plastic bags, reports Fox29.
Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, upon signing the bill, said the measure would address New Jersey’s “most problematic forms of garbage” and “help mitigate climate change and strengthen our environment for future generations,”