A majority of New Jerseyans back a ban on single-use plastic bags, although that support has dipped by a few points since the rules went into effect last year. There have been similar small declines in support for bans on other bags and containers, according to the latest Monmouth University Poll. State residents report most, but not necessarily all, New Jersey stores are abiding by the ban and a majority say that they have accumulated ten or more reusable bags in the past year.
Overall, 45% of New Jerseyans say, based on their own experience, all stores in the state are following the plastic bag ban and another 45% say most stores are. Thinking about the last time they went to a New Jersey deli or restaurant for takeout in the last six months, just 11% say they received their order in a plastic bag, while 53% were given a paper bag and 29% did not get any bag. Nine in ten New Jerseyans (89%) bring their own bags when they go grocery shopping, which is up from 38% who reported doing this in a poll taken a month before the ban went into effect last year. About 1 in 10 residents (9%), though, remain unaware that the state has instituted a plastic bag ban.
A majority of New Jerseyans continue to support a ban on single-use plastic bags (56%) although this is a few points lower than shortly before the ban went into effect (61% in April 2022). A similar majority (56%) supports banning Styrofoam food containers, but this is also slightly lower than last year (64%). Less than half (44%) of the public supports banning large supermarkets from giving out paper bags, as the law now requires. This result is down three points from 2022 (47%).
“There has been a small dip in support since the state’s plastic bag ban went into effect, but most New Jerseyans are still on board with it,” said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.
More than 7 in 10 Democrats (72%) back the plastic bag ban, which is identical to the 2022 poll results. However, support has dropped among independents (from 62% to 52%) and Republicans (from 44% to 39%). On the other hand, support for banning Styrofoam containers has declined among Democrats (from 73% to 65%) and independents (from 66% to 54%), but remained basically steady among Republicans (from 49% to 51%). While Democrats are more likely than Republicans to support the plastic bag and foam container bans, there is no significant difference in partisan opinion on prohibiting supermarkets from giving out paper bags. Support for the paper bag ban now stands at 49% of Democrats and 43% of Republicans, which is a few points lower for both partisan groups since last year. Support among independents (42%) has remained stable.
With so many New Jerseyans using their own bags, the poll also asked 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 of residents report accumulating more than ten bags, with 16% saying they have gotten more than 50 reusable bags, 12% who got between 26 and 50 bags, and 26% who got between 11 and 25 bags.
Those who have gotten 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 disposal (15%) of their extra bags.
“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 Murray.
Current support for a plastic straw ban stands at 50%, which is similar to last year (52%). Plastic straws are available only by request under state regulations that went into effect in 2021. One-quarter of New Jerseyans (25%) report they were given a plastic straw when they last purchased a drink in a cup at a food establishment in the state. Another 45% received a paper straw and 23% did not get any straw.