Reusable Shopping Bag Measure Advances In New Jersey
TRENTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A bill that would both give New Jersey customers a 5-cent rebate for each reusable shopping bag they use and charge them 5 cents for each single-use bag they take advanced Monday.
The amended bill lowers the charge from 15 cents per bag and removes a provision that would have required large retailers to reduce the number of plastic and paper bags they distribute by 75 percent.
The retail lobby is still not supportive of the bill because of the economic hardship they say will be imposed on businesses.
The idea behind the legislation is to reduce the amount of nonorganic waste and to protect marine life that ingest discarded bags or bag remnants and die.
The bill was approved by the Senate Environmental Committee.
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