Bag Ban

INFORMATION ON JERSEY CITY'S BAG BAN

Jersey City began enforcing a city-wide ban on single-use plastic carry-out bags on June 28, 2019.

The City of Jersey City Municipal Council passed Ordinance 18-065 ,which prohibits retailers from providing single-use plastic carry-out bags and non-recyclable paper bags to customers at the checkout counter of retail stores.

Instead, customers need to bring their own bag or use an alternative bag provided by retailers.

This ordinance affects all retailers, including grocery stores, restaurants, corner stores, pharmacies, clothing shops, hardware stores, beer and liquor stores, and every other retail store that provides bags to customers at point of sale.

The purpose of this ban is to reduce litter, protect the environment, and remove hard-to-recycle bags from our waste stream.

Click here for the Bag Ban Flyer (PDF)
Translated Flyers (PDFs): Español (Spanish), हिन्दी (Hindi), اردو (Urdu), العَربِيّة (Arabic)

Jersey City Plastic Bag Ban


HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ORDINANCE

Find all the answers to your bag ban questions here: Plastic Bag Ban FAQs

We typically use plastics bags for less than 15 minutes before they are discarded. The average American household uses 1,500 bags every year.
Plastic bags are difficult to recycle because of their shape and the type of plastic used, so they end up in our landfills, waterways, and neighborhoods.
Plastics in our oceans are nearly impossible to remove and leads to the death of thousands of marine animals.
In landfills, depending on conditions, plastics can last 100,000+ years to break down.

For additional information on plastic waste check out these webpages:
Plastic Free Waters
NRDC 10 Ways to Reduce Plastic Pollution
National Geographic: For Animals, Plastic is Turning the Ocean Into a Minefield
Kids National Geographic: Kids vs. Plastic
Rethink Disposable

Plastic Bag pollution in Jersey City

The Jersey City ban will apply to all single-use plastic carry-out bags less than 2.25 mils thick, including “biodegradable plastic” and “compostable plastic” bags. The ban also applies to non-recyclable paper bags.

Check out our FAQs: Plastic Bag Ban FAQs

Reusable fabric bags
Heavier-weight plastic bags that can be reused and cleaned multiple times
Paper bags that are 100% recyclable and contain at least 40% post-consumer recycled content
Newspaper bags
Laundry/dry cleaning bags
Bags provided by pharmacists to carry prescription drugs
Bags sold in packages intended for use as garbage, pet waste, or yard waste bags
Bags used to wrap frozen food, meat, vegetables, and bulk items

Check out our FAQs: Plastic Bag Ban FAQs

Put a reminder ribbon inside your car or on a door knob to remember to bring your bags.
Keep an extra bag at work.
Show your personality with a fun reusable bag that you enjoy carrying around.

FOUR FOR THE FUTURE:

Keys
Wallet
Cellphone
Reusable Bag

Español (Spanish)


RESOURCES FOR BUSINESSES

The Jersey City bag ban affects all businesses that now provide lightweight, single-use plastic bags or none-recyclable paper bags to customers at point of sale.

Below are several resources for businesses. Click on the link to download and print:

Bag Ban Key Facts
KEY FACTS ON JC PLASTIC BAG BAN (PDF)
Translated Flyer (PDF): Español (Spanish), हिन्दी (Hindi), اردو (Urdu), العَربِيّة (Arabic)
A comprehensive overview of the bag ban and how it will affect businesses.

Bag Ban Resources For Business RETAIL TRAINING GUIDE (PDF)
Translated Flyer (PDF): Español (Spanish), हिन्दी (Hindi), اردو (Urdu), العَربِيّة (Arabic)
A guide to answering customer questions about the bag ban.

JC Bag Ban Retail Flyer Retail Flyer (8.5 x 11)
Retail Flyer (11 x 17)
Foldable Counter Display
Help get the word out by printing and displaying these flyers about the upcoming ban in your business.
Interested in reducing the use of other single-use items within your business? The organization Rethink Disposable has some great resources for businesses.