According to the National Park Service, over 500 million plastic straws are used in the United States practically every day, endangering wildlife and contributing to the rising ocean plastic plague (NPS). Many businesses have worked to dramatically reduce their contribution to single-use plastic during the last few years by switching from plastic straws to paper straws. However, several of these companies did not make this decision on their own. Various states have implemented statewide limits on single-use plastic straws, with one of these restrictions slated to take effect this week. Continue reading to learn more about the latest plastic straw ban. A new state regulation in New Jersey will make it much more difficult for customers to obtain plastic straws in the near future.
From the upcoming month, food service businesses will only be permitted to supply a single-use plastic straw to clients if they specifically request one. However, the decision states that businesses may continue to offer single-use plastic straw packaging, as well as give or sell a beverage pre-packaged by the manufacturer with a single-use plastic straw, such as juice boxes.
“A person or organization that breaches the legislation will be cautioned for a first offence, penalised up to $1,000 per day for a second offence, and fined up to $5,000 per day for a third and subsequent infraction,” according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. “Continuous violations create an extra, independent, and distinct crime for each day that the violation is found to exist.” The ban on single-use plastic straws is only one component of New Jersey’s new legislation. The state presented an overall law in 2020 that intends to prohibit single-use carryout bags, polystyrene foam food service goods, and plastic straws that are not requested. Beginning May 4, 2022, the legislation will prohibit all shops, including retail, from selling or giving single-use, plastic carryout bags to its customers. Some of these establishments may provide or offer single-use paper carryout bags, but any grocery store greater than 2,500 square feet may only provide or sell recyclable takeaway bags made of polypropylene fabric, PET non-woven fabric, nylon, cloth, or hemp product.
On May 4, 2022, all businesses will be prohibited from selling or providing any polystyrene foam food service goods. Certain products, such as throwaway long-handle polystyrene foam soda spoons, portion cups of two ounces or less, and meat and fish trays for raw or butchered meat, will be exempt from the ban until May 4, 2024.
“It’s not so much about picking on straws as it is about straws being a type of single-use plastic. They are intended to be used for a limited period of time and then discarded. And there is no ‘way out.’ “Dianna Cohen, CEO of the Plastic Pollution Coalition, stated this to Business Insider at the time.
