A report by Freedonia Custom Research early this year seemed to turn New Jersey’s plastic bag ban upside down. It said manufacturing reusable plastic bags had tripled the rate of plastic production versus before and had caused a 500% increase in greenhouse gas emissions from bag production.
The report was widely circulated, especially by industry friendly publications such as the Wall Street Journal, although it was later determined the report was commissioned by the American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance, which works to promote the use and acceptance of disposable plastic bags.
It was also asserted that the report was not peer reviewed, a gold standard for double checking research by submitting it to unbiased expert review prior to publication.
It is true that New Jersey has a problem with reusable bags, which tend to pile up in people’s homes if they forget to bring them to the grocery store and end up buying more. Delivery services use huge quantities of reusable bags, and these, too, pile up in closets or end up being put into the trash.
An individual reusable bag must be reused many times if it is to result in a net environmental benefit over disposable plastic bags. They should also be washed, a chore which may not be seen as worthwhile by Americans who can dodge the work just by spending another dollar and getting a new reusable bag.
Whether or not the Freedonia numbers are even close to accurate, New Jersey state officials have acknowledged that the surplus of reusable bags is a serious unintended consequence of the disposable plastic bag ban, which they are working to address. Meanwhile, environmental advocates have noted that at least 5.5 billion disposable bags were removed from the waste stream in the first year since the ban went into effect on May 2022.
The ban also encompassed Styrofoam food service products, and the group Clean Ocean Action has reported more than 37% less plastic bag and Styrofoam waste turning up on New Jersey beaches.
Plastics are undoubtedly very bad for the environment and our health. They must be reduced. As New Jersey authorities tweak the bag ban and do more research, a more balanced picture of what is happening (and what needs to happen) with reusable bags will emerge. In the meantime, New Jersey consumers can help by reusing their reusable bags and sticking with this effort to clean up and reduce our waste stream.
Resources
Freedonia Report: https://shorturl.at/j07OC
First Year Report: https://shorturl.at/h4ObO