TRENTON, NJ – New Jersey lawmakers have introduced new legislation to repeal the state’s sweeping plastic and paper bag ban, arguing the policy has backfired and led to more waste rather than less.
While the bill appears to be more symbolic than practical, it will most likely be ignored by Democrats who control both houses of the New Jersey legislature.
Assembly Bill 922, pre-filed for the 2026 legislative session, is sponsored by Assemblyman John V. Azzariti Jr., M.D. (R–Bergen) and Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia (R–Morris, Sussex, Warren), with Assemblymen Alex Sauickie and Josh Inganamort signing on as co-sponsors. The bill seeks to fully repeal the 2020 law championed by Governor Phil Murphy that prohibited stores, supermarkets, and food service businesses from distributing single-use plastic carryout bags, polystyrene foam food containers, and single-use plastic straws.
The proposal would roll back all nine sections of the 2020 statute, eliminating restrictions that businesses have followed since the law took effect in 2022. The repeal would also remove an annual $500,000 Clean Communities Fund allocation previously used for public education and free reusable bag programs.
In their statement, the bill’s sponsors said the repeal is necessary because the bag ban has “resulted in an increased volume of waste” due to the widespread production and disposal of reusable polypropylene bags, which are not recyclable in most facilities. Research cited by the lawmakers suggests the ban led to a rise in plastic consumption as consumers purchased more heavy-duty bags and containers to replace banned single-use options.
Since the law’s implementation, grocery chains and retail stores have reported higher operational costs and customer frustration with bulkier alternatives. Environmental advocates, however, credit the ban with dramatically reducing plastic litter in waterways and on beaches and have pledged to fight efforts to overturn it.
If passed, the repeal would take effect 60 days after enactment, giving businesses time to restock plastic and paper carryout bags and polystyrene foam products.
- Assembly Bill 922 repeals New Jersey’s 2020 single-use plastic and paper bag ban.
- Sponsors say the ban increased waste due to non-recyclable reusable bags.
- Environmental groups vow to oppose the repeal, citing cleaner waterways and reduced litter.
The measure marks one of the most direct legislative challenges yet to Governor Murphy’s environmental policies and sets up a likely partisan battle in Trenton over the future of New Jersey’s plastic regulations.
