April 22, 2024
By Aiden Nguyen
Staff Writer
This article is part of an in-depth reporting project for Earth Day.
Almost two years after New Jersey adopted a plastic bag ban on May 4, 2022, the state’s plastic consumption has tripled, according to a study conducted by MarketResearch.com’s Freedonia Report.
The study attributes these findings to the material used in alternative bags, which are generally made with non-woven polypropylene, which is not widely recycled in the United States and rarely contains any post-consumer recycled materials.
Freshman Emmanuel Leon said he views the plastic bag ban as a tradeoff.
“You have to bring your own bags, but at least it’s helping the environment,” Leon said.
He said the ban is annoying because plastic bags can be used in ways reusable bags cannot.
“Usually, my family would use plastic bags as garbage bags,” Leon said. “But now we don’t have any more in the house because of the ban, which is inconvenient for us.”
There are some exceptions to the plastic bag ban, according to the New Jersey government’s official website. Single-use paper carryout bags can be provided or sold, except by grocery stores equal to or larger than 2,500 square feet. Grocery stores of this size may only provide or sell reusable carryout bags.
Stores can provide single-use plastic bags to store raw and prepared food, transport live animals and package loose items.
Biology and environmental science teacher Ms. Manzella, who advises the Environmental Club, said despite their benefits, reusable bags are flawed.
“Reusable bags are only more environmentally friendly if they are, in fact, used over and over again,” Manzella said. “This is because it takes more resources, like energy and water, to create these bags than their non-reusable counterparts.”
Manzella said a contributor to the increase of New Jersey’s plastic consumption are the limited ways plastic bags can be reused.
“Although many people do find ways to reuse the plastic bags, they accumulate. The bags often do not hold up through too many uses and wind up ripping or tearing,” Manzella said. “At the end of their use, the bags often wind up as litter or disposed of in the garbage as opposed to recycled.”
Environmental Club president junior Izabel Graziani said the ban is having a positive impact on marine life.
“Reusable bags are only more environmentally friendly if they are, in fact, used over and over again.”
“The biggest benefits of the plastic ban [are] the reduction of plastic waste in the ocean and protection of sea life,” Graziani said.
According to the Dumpsters.com Blog, a ban like this massively reduces the amount of plastic waste in the ocean, which leads to a reduced likelihood of food getting contaminated. Furthermore, plastic bags can take up to 1,000 years to decompose entirely, which results in an immense amount of plastic litter.
“It [was] very satisfying to see New Jersey make such a bold move for the better good of the environment,” Graziani said.
She said despite people’s best intentions to make eco-friendly decisions, everyone leaves a carbon footprint on the planet.
“The goal at the end of the day is to limit our effects as much as possible and do everything we can to achieve this goal,” said Graziani.
