Posted on 12/18/2012 3:23:22 AM PST by SMGFan
TRENTON — They clog rivers and streams, pile up along the shoreline and fill up landfills. And now, under legislation approved yesterday by a Senate panel, plastic shopping bags could end up costing customers five cents apiece at most stores in New Jersey.
Under the bill (S812), retailers would be required to charge the fee beginning in 2014, and offer only recyclable paper or plastic bags by 2015. They would also have the option of giving a five-cent credit to customers who packed groceries in their own reusable bags.
Money raised by the bill would go toward cleaning Barnegat Bay, which environmental experts say is having the life choked out of it by a variety of pollutants.
"We might be able to do an environmental two-fer here," state Sen. Bob Smith (D-Middlesex), a primary sponsor of the legislation, said. "We might be able to get plastic and paper bags out of the water bodies, reduce our solid waste stream and at the same time generate funds for cleanup."
The Senate Environment and Energy Committee approved the measure by a vote of 4-0, with one Republican supporting it and another abstaining. The bill was first introduced in 2008, but until yesterday it had not gained much traction in the Legislature. An identical bill is expected to be considered by the Assembly.
(Excerpt) Read more at nj.com ...
I much prefer the paper bags anyway.
That was my first thought also.
I demand to know what specific river/stream was “clogged” by plastic bags
Does the NJ law allow exceptions for biodegradable plastic bags, or is this just an opportunity to take more money out of the pockets of its citizens?
It's entirely made up.
Is this going to be like bottel deposits? If so at 5 cents a bag (Just noticed that there’s no cents key on my keyboard) I can forsee truck loads of bags heading foe N.J..
Our local HY-VEE grocery gives a nickel credit for each plastic bag re-used by the customer.
They should charge a dollar.
RE: Charging 5 Cents per bag
Who is going to police the amount of bags used for each purchase?
Bag Boy: You want that double-bagged? Let me add that to your total. . . .
You can be sure there will be corruption in that scam.
TL
In the Holy Bible, the Apostle Paul writes,"Professing to become wise, they become fools". Or words to that effect. If the November 6, 2012 doesn't' demonstrate that, nothing ever will.
The other side of this is that it is legal in NJ to pump your own diesel. The problem with that is that not all 'gas' station jockeys know that so when I pull in with my VW TDI and try to pump my own diesel I get a ration of feces from the 'attendants'..
Now, granted there are advantages to having the kiddies at the pump fill up your diesel tank if you want to avoid smelling like a truck but most gaspumpingkids think that you you turn the pump on 'force feed', er, full speed, after all it works for gasoline, er gasahol.. Problem with that is that Number 2 foams. If you want a full tank instead of a half tank of diesel and a half tank of foam, you pump it yourself... ;-)
It figures that it was a Democrap that introduced this bag bill.. Totally in character...
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