Comments
the_last_carfighter t1_je560q7 wrote
No shit.
AaronJudgesLeftNut t1_je566iu wrote
Genuinely wonder how they got to the 37% number. Neat regardless tho even if it’s totally anecdotal
ProbstBucks t1_je5a46z wrote
I skimmed the report, and they have the volunteers track what types of trash they're picking up. However, I'm not clear that they're accounting for the fact that they had 2,000 less volunteers and picked up 100,000 less pieces of trash than last year. Is there genuinely less trash or were they just able to pick up less of it?
Although the drop in plastic bag trash compared to all other trash certainly does indicate that the ban is working.
Pyrot3kh t1_je5exdh wrote
So glad that every business no longer has to buy bags for customers... I just wish they'd share those savings, too...
Also, yay environment!
McLamb0 t1_je5i54d wrote
This was obvious and more states should adopt this. Society as a whole needs to get off single use plastics.
friendfromjersey t1_je5ict7 wrote
And the same people who whined the loudest about these bans are the same people who now pretend to care about whales…
fpfx t1_je5k2x6 wrote
Know what else would help curb shore trash? Blocking parkway access from Staten Island. I kid, I kid.
Mostly.
C24RSK t1_je5lqgj wrote
They still don’t care about kids in schools tho…
the_last_carfighter t1_je5ml1a wrote
Gonna need that hard data to make sure that, less bags in the environment = less bags in the environment. Ok
We should check outside the environment, maybe that's where they towed them.
BallinBenFrank t1_je5mxly wrote
The cognitive dissonance is real
NewAgePhilosophr t1_je5oltl wrote
As a wildlife enthusiast and hiker who spends a lot of time outside; yes, the plastic ban works.
I've seen less trash in public and in natural areas and forests of the state.
friendfromjersey t1_je5rud0 wrote
Now we need a law forcing the grocery store chains to cut down on their plastic packaging. It’s obscene how much unnecessary plastic packaging they use.
StuartGotz t1_je5s2wp wrote
Hmm maybe this is why the whales are beaching themselves. There’s probably a scarcity of plastic bags in. the ocean and whales are trying to come on shore to get the bags.
(/s in case you can’t tell)
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IronSeagull t1_je62ddv wrote
If you're mad about the straw ban and hate paper straws, you should know that there are far better biodegradable straws that are comparable in price to paper straws and don't break down while you're drinking. I use bamboo, but I've also used straws made from PLA, sugar cane, seaweed, and other things. All superior to paper straws in every way.
Any business that's uses paper straws hates you and is punishing you for the fraction of a penny per $2 drink that it costs them to comply with the law.
I keep a box of bamboo straws in my car so I never have to use a paper straw (or plastic straw).
Jimmytowne t1_je65abi wrote
I’m glad to see there are no ghosts in my trees anymore. The amount of plastic bags stuck to branches was a daily annoyance.
TheFotty t1_je65lj6 wrote
Even cardboard. Amazon ships me stuff that comes in its own cardboard box with adequate internal packaging, inside their own larger amazon cardboard box with laughable internal packaging. I know its easier to recycle, but it is such a waste.
JackyVeronica t1_je65ppg wrote
Gonnna look into bamboo straws, thank you! I use reusable straws (wash after each use) at home and I hate plastic straws when I'm out! They flatten in my slushies LOL so I'm gonna carry around biodegradable straws moving forward, thanks!
moondoggie_00 t1_je66bx1 wrote
It also doesn't represent a total ban since many places still provide plastic bags. Like your local pizza or Chinese joint, for example.
fisheyez t1_je674bi wrote
How ban helium balloons. Every hike I’ve ever been on I’ve found a metallic balloon stuck in a tree or half buried in leaves
Tapirium t1_je67sdn wrote
I made a comment to my girlfriend just yesterday! I noted that there aren't as plastic bags on the roadsides. I noticed in my region, litter is not nearly as abundant pre-bag ban. Just goes to show, a substantial portion of the NJ population will fight against their best interests. Glad the State government isn't caving to these folks.
ThatEcologist t1_je69zmw wrote
Came here JUST to say this. Funny how the pro whale people never seemed to care about the environment before these incidents
oldnjgal t1_je6a9yk wrote
Was at a restaurant that used pasta straws.
friendfromjersey t1_je6anpr wrote
Honestly, they still don’t. Their politicians and news channels are telling them to be outraged. They don’t need proof…just outrage.
Motivator9931 t1_je6ec4i wrote
Plastic bags are banned for all businesses, including pizza and Chinese places. They're only allowed to provide paper bags.
>Starting May 4, 2022, New Jersey retail stores, grocery stores and food service businesses may not provide or sell single-use plastic carryout bags and polystyrene foam food service products. Single-use paper carryout bags are allowed to be provided or sold, except by grocery stores equal to or larger than 2500 square feet, which may only provide or sell reusable carryout bags.
AccountantOfFraud t1_je6epf8 wrote
Outrage addiction is very real.
moondoggie_00 t1_je6eq19 wrote
I know what it says, thanks. If I place an order at any number of places, right now, I'm getting a plastic bag.
AccountantOfFraud t1_je6itux wrote
They got a taste for the piles of plastic bags lining their stomachs and they. WANT. MORE.
AccountantOfFraud t1_je6izx5 wrote
And fine the producers.
calypsodweller t1_je6jyul wrote
I’ll throw in my anecdote: in the summertime, I paddleboard a 3 mile trek (6 back & forth) in the Barnegat Bay from Bay Head to Mantoloking. I pick up trash along the way. I used to fish out about 4 bags daily. Now, I pick up one every other day, but it’s now only an ice or bait bag. Rarely am I finding the plastic shopping bags. I still pick up Mylar balloons and daily floating cans of White Claws.
AdTop8972 t1_je6o6rv wrote
There all in the landfills we threw them all in the garbage millions of bags per store. It will catch up to the environment in a few years when theres all this plastic that wont breakdown in the landfills. But yay lets cut down trees to prevent the small amount of plastic bags from getting in the water. Solve one problem by making a much bigger problem gota love the American way.
angusshangus t1_je6pp5w wrote
This is good advice. Thx.
vulcan07006 t1_je6u96l wrote
I'm going to assume you're an adult. I haven't used a straw in 40 years. We can all drink from a cup
NJ0808FX t1_je6uyww wrote
In the 2010s I was involved in a lot of beach sweeps and the plastic straw inventory was fascinating. There was a fuck ton of straws and you’d be able to sort the straws by dunkin , McDonald’s, Burger King etc. if I remember correctly we got the beach snack vendors to stop including straws in their drinks after showing them how many of their straws ended up in the sand.
Playcrackersthesky t1_je6vce2 wrote
Fuck balloon releases.
[deleted] t1_je6vwtg wrote
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IronSeagull t1_je6w29r wrote
Weird thing to insult someone for, dude.
UDown2Clown t1_je6w358 wrote
jdl232 t1_je6zbdv wrote
Very proud to participate in these. One of our priorities this year was to see how the plastic bag ban affected that type of pollution. Sad that I won’t be attending the one this April. If you can, sign up for the beach sweeps!!
NorwaySpruce t1_je704op wrote
Hey thanks that's exactly my area
vulcan07006 t1_je70ank wrote
Did I insult someone?
vulcan07006 t1_je70bvg wrote
Did I insult someone?
AC_Deadhead t1_je79tv6 wrote
Don't need a report to tell me. I have observed a noticeable drop in plastic bag trash that makes it way to the back of Ventnor Heights. I drive in and out on a daily basis; and it is wonderful not to see the plastic bag crust at low tide.
Imagine putting cream and sugar in the bottom of your WaWa coffee cup and then pouring the coffee over top of it so that it all stirs completely! Voila! There would be no need to use a throw away coffee stirrer.
highporkroller t1_je7i03s wrote
Maybe people are just aren’t being scumbags and littering as much…nah lol. The bag ban is a joke. There are so many plastic products that make just as much of an impact or more but infringe on human convenience too much.
highporkroller t1_je7i5pz wrote
People are buying single use bags instead of the retailers now. Just another shift of costs to the consumer.
highporkroller t1_je7ia1n wrote
Do you know how many people don’t have common sense?
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Chose_a_usersname t1_je7n87y wrote
I'm down... Helium is also getting scarce
Otisnj3 t1_je7qw2v wrote
How many masks?
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Motivator9931 t1_je7v909 wrote
How is it a joke? Plastic bags are an easy thing to eliminate and it has been successful so far.
It's a positive step forward and hopefully more will single use plastics will be eliminated in the future. It's just 1 example, but not long ago Costco stopped selling apples in a plastic clamshell and now use a cardboard box.
Motivator9931 t1_je7vofe wrote
Why would they be buying single use bags? A reusable bag pays for itself in a few trips and lasts a long time.
highporkroller t1_je7vt3l wrote
It’s not just about shopping. People use them for garbage bags around the house, dog waste, etc.
climbhigher420 t1_je7zdvj wrote
Somebody tell Steve Trevelise.
Yoshiyo0211 t1_je81cai wrote
Yes, they're not good w/ electrical lines and it's terrible for the environment.
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Lardsoup t1_je87ciz wrote
Well, there better be some sort of positive effect, because this law is a pain in my ass.
Do you know how hard it is to carry three 1.5 liter bottles of wine to the car?
Shit, ya buy 3.5g of weed and they put it on a bag.
OkBid1535 t1_je8xc4d wrote
I use this method when making coffee at home. Now I only have to stir it when I reheat the same cup 4x. I’m a mom and forget about my damn coffee too often haha
thisoneagain t1_je92l4v wrote
We literally can't all drink from a cup.
SmeemyMeemy t1_je9b5hm wrote
They yell at us to save the whales as they throw their cigarette butts on the ground. It is unreal.
avidreader_1410 t1_je9idrn wrote
A few years I did the volunteer beach clean up, they usually do it around this time to get the beaches ready for the season.This was before the plastic bag ban. We got big black plastic bags (plastic!) so we could walk the length of the beach and pick up what we found. Except for cigarette butts and an occasional "poo bag" that someone left on the beach instead of tossing in the trash, most of the "trash" was seaweed, broken shells, scraps of driftwood a couple beer cans or bottles and the occasional sock or flip flop.
avidreader_1410 t1_je9ioqu wrote
Also - I know this as a dog owner whose #1 use for those plastic bags was #2 - that you can order bags comparable to the grocery store bags online now, something like $20 for a few hundred. So if you can get plastic bags, and still use plastic bags the "ban" is only banning stores from giving you plastic bags.
vabello t1_je9lobw wrote
That’s seriously great. Now I just have to solve the mountain of reusable bags I have. We do shop from home for some grocery trips, and they always come with new reusable bags because they have to put them in something to bring them out to your car… so now I just have a lot of reusable bags to throw away. Seems to defeat the purpose. I’d happily give 95% of them to anyone who could legitimately use them.
RafeDangerous t1_jea0bv5 wrote
Okay, but that's a much lower number than "everyone". Even if it's as high as 50% of people still need those bags to clean up after their dog or for trash, which I seriously doubt, it's still half as many bags being needlessly thrown away. Also, for cleaning up after dogs, shopping bags were always a horrible choice. You can get rolls of biodegradable bags that clip onto your leash for a couple of bucks that take up less space than a single grocery bag in your pocket and won't leave you hanging when your realize you forgot to grab a bag on the way out or a hand full of shit when you realize that there's a hole in the bag.
RafeDangerous t1_jea0r4v wrote
As long as they're in good shape, offer them on something like a community Facebook page. Whenever I see them on mine they're usually gone pretty fast.
fishingwithmk t1_jea5nmw wrote
just wait until i throw out the entire closet full of reusable bags i have from forgetting to bring my own.....the ban did little else than shifting the cost of bags on to the consumer
highporkroller t1_jeab6g4 wrote
I get it. I really do and don’t think it’s a bad idea. But why start (and stop) with shopping bags? There is so much more plastic waste on the 20 things you put into one shopping bag. Or your Starbucks coffee cup/lids that they aren’t mandating you use reusable for.
RafeDangerous t1_jeafgak wrote
oh absolutely, overpackaging is ridiculous. One of the ones I find most stupidly ironic is Impossible Burgers. They go on about how environmentally friendly they are as opposed to actual meat, which is probably true, but then it's in this absurd plastic blister-pack thing...there's got to be a better way to do that. I guess they have to start somewhere with this stuff though, and shopping bags are probably one of the easiest (comparatively) things to go after.
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DarkMimic2287 t1_je51arw wrote
Right, because the ban was about more than just carbon footprint.