04/02/2025
🚨 Paper Bag Rollback Bill Passes Committee – But the Fight’s Not Over 🛍️
This week, S3413—a bill to allow paper bags back at checkout counters—passed the Senate Commerce Committee. While this wasn’t unexpected, it’s a major setback. The Committee has shown a willingness to prioritize business interests over environmental protection—even if that means undoing a successful, commonsense law.
📣 NJEL was there to push back, along with other environmental organizations. Our Board Member and President of the Environmental Education Fund (EEF), Lindsey Kayman, delivered compelling written and oral testimony in opposition to the bill, making it clear: this legislation would undermine the progress New Jersey has made in reducing waste and shifting toward reusable alternatives.
While using recycled content sounds good on paper (pun intended), the reality is:
🟤 Paper bags still require massive amounts of water, energy, and trees to produce
🟤 They often end up in landfills due to contamination
🟤 Their production contributes to pollution and greenhouse gas emissions
🟤 The cost burden falls on small businesses and consumers
📉 We can’t afford to go backward. NJEL stands firmly against S3413 and urges lawmakers to uphold New Jersey’s comprehensive single-use bag ban.
The fight isn’t over yet.
📌 S3413's companion bill in the Assembly, A4549, must be approved by the Assembly Environment, Natural Resources, and Solid Waste Committe but is not scheduled for a hearing.
🕵️♀️ We’ll be watching—and ready to mobilize if it moves forward.
🗣 Let your legislators know: We want a culture of reuse, not a return to MORE WASTE.
