Joanne Mastropasqua is already making the switch to reusable shopping bag, even though a ban on single use plastic bags will not take effect until May 4.
Brick resident says she made the switch to reduce single-use plastic bags in her shopping trips because she cares about the environment.
“We’re kinda crispy people,” Mastropasqua said about her husband and herself.”We don’t run water. We recycle everything.”
She is already ahead other New Jersey shoppers, who will take weeks to get used bringing their own bags or buying them for most of their shopping trips.
The ban will take effect immediately and grocery stores will require shoppers not to use single-use plastic bags or paper shopping bags.
Restaurants and smaller stores are prohibited from using single-use plastic bags. However, they will be allowed to use paper bags.
Mastropasqua stated that her habit of carrying reusable bags in her car is now “second nature.”She said that New Jersey should have moved quicker to join other states that have banned single-use plastic bags.
Mastropasqua said, “You’ll see plastic bags everywhere.””They’re in trees, you see them on the sides of the road. If anyone has ever been to Staten Island’s dumps, they fly all over the place.
According to environmentalists banning these bags is a major step in reducing plastic pollution.
President of Judith Enck stated that there are literally millions upon millions of plastic bags littering America. Beyond PlasticsAn environmental organization that focuses on reducing plastic pollution and plastic use.”Many of these plastics end up in storm drains, and then get into Atlantic Ocean. They don’t degrade for many centuries.”
Plastic bag manufacturers warn that forcing shoppers to buy reusable bags can lead to environmental problems that could be worsened and create hardships for some shoppers.
“What the New Jersey law actually does is, by focusing around aesthetic quality around stitches handles, it won’t go to eliminate plastic bags,” stated Zachary Taylor of the American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance. He is an advocacy group for plastic bag manufacturers and recyclers.
New Jersey’s plastic bag ban law defines reusable bags as made from a washable fabric such as cloth or hemp with a stitched handle that can be used multiple times.
Environmentalists hope that they can eliminate the pollution caused by single-use plastic bags. According to records of Clean Ocean Action, 9,308 plasticbags were removed from New Jersey beaches in the last year.
John Weber, a Bradley Beach native, is the Mid-Atlantic regional manger for plastics.Surfrider Foundation, an environmental group that focuses on ocean protection, beach access, and reducing plastic usage.
The organization has been advocating for the reduction of single-use plastic bags, straws and foam food containers, and supporting bans in cities and states across America for more than a decade.
Coming May 4, 2009:NJ bans plastic bags and paper bags. NJ bans food containers
“These laws are an effective way to address that problem (pollution). Plastic bag lawswork,” said Weber. Plastic bags are “low-hanging fruits” because they can be used for just five minutes to get groceries from the supermarket to your car or to your home. After that, they last a very long time.
He also said that single-use plastic bags can be easily refilled with inexpensive, reusable cloth bags.
The environmental harm
While environmentalists are quick to point out the benefits of single-use bags being eliminated, Taylor, from the American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance, said that banning single-use bags could lead to job losses, particularly for the more than 22,000 Americans who work in the single use plastic bag manufacturing sector.
He said, “We’re concerned regarding the environmental consequences of it, because these reusable stitched-handle plastic bags are almost entirely manufactured overseasin countries that have some of the worst records on pollution.”
Plastic bags are not like other plastics. Instead, they break down into smaller pieces and find their way into the environment.
Rutgers University researchers discovered microplastics last year. Swimming into the Hudson and RaritanRainstorms can cause rivers to flood. According to Rutgers researchers, polyethylene was the most commonly found plastic in these rivers.
Also, a Rutgers Study from 2017 High levels of microplastics were foundThe plastic pollution was evident in the Passaic and Raritan Rivers, as well as more that 300 organic chemical compounds.
Plastics and their chemicals eventually reach the ocean from these rivers.
Amy Goldsmith, New Jersey director, said, “In the not too distant future, it’ll be more Plastic in the Ocean by Weightthan Fish.” Clean Water Action. “If we don’t desire a world like that, we need to keep plastic out of our water.”
Plastics can kill animals if they get caught in plastic fishing nets. Plastics are often eaten by fish and other animals.
Goldsmith stated that fish and wildlife end up starving because their stomachs are full of plastics, so they die.
According to the The, a plastic bag caused the death of a 600-pound Florida whale. The bag had been swallowed and prevented food from reaching the whale’s stomach. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
According to the Japanese Tourist Board, nine deer died from having swallowed plastic bags in Nara Park in the same year. BBC news.
Sea turtles are also susceptible. According to the, they can mistake floating plastic bags as jellyfish, which is one of their main food sources. World Wildlife Foundation.
The problem is so widespread that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration now has an “”Marine Debris Program“To monitor and respond to the growing problem.
Bob Schoelkopf, director at the Marine Mammal Stranding Center said that his team has treated marine mammals and turtles that have swallowed a variety of plastics.
He said that plastics are being broken down to micro-sized, and that fish that animals eat it are ingesting it.
The tiny plastics even make their way into the bodies of humans through the food chain. USA TODAY reports that microplastics were found in human blood samples taken from 17 of 22 donors by researchers in the Netherlands last month.
Clean Water Action’s Goldsmith says that plastic pollution is not only a crisis for the environment, but also a threat to human health.
She stated that “a lot people depend on our oceans, bays and lakes for food.”
Taylor stated that reusable bags won’t solve the problem of plastic.
“What are those bags?” He replied.”The vast majority of the items you see at checkout, (that) cost $1 or $2, are made from plastics.”
Environmentalists say that the benefits of using reusablebags over-and-over will outweigh any negatives and reduce plastic pollution.
Weber, of Surfrider foundation, said that plastic is becoming increasingly smaller and more difficult to consume. “If you don’t worry about the turtles or the whales, then those tiny pieces of plastic will be eaten by microscopic life.” “This is getting eaten by larger, more tiny fish. Then they’re eaten again by bigger fish. Finally, we’re eating that fish. Humans are literally eating plastic.”
According to a study, Americans could consume between 39,000 and 52,000 microplastic pieces each year. A 2019 studyPublished in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.
Webersaid that the ban on single-use bags is a step towards getting plastics out of our bodies and environment.
He said that New Jersey’s law against single-use plastics, which is combined with other state bans on restaurants giving out plastic straws to customers and food trucks, is one of the most powerful in the country.
Enck, from Beyond Plastics, said that it reminded him a bit of years back when mandatory recycling programs were in effect. “Some people said that people wouldn’t recycle. It’s too complicated. It’s second nature now. And it’s a wonderful thing we can do as individuals to create a cleaner and more healthy environment.”
Amanda Oglesby, a Ocean County native, covers the surrounding areas of Brick, Barnegat, and Lacey townships. For more than a decade, she has been with the Press. Reach her at @OglesbyAPP, [email protected] or 732-557-5701.
