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Senate Commerce Committee releases bill to allow certain recyclable paper grocery bags
Summary
The Senate Commerce Committee on March 24 voted to release S3413, which would authorize grocery stores to provide specific single-use paper carryout bags. Supporters cited local jobs and curbside recyclability; environmental groups warned of backsliding on New Jersey’s 2022 single‑use bag law.
The New Jersey Senate Commerce Committee on March 24 approved release of Senate Bill 3413, a measure sponsored in the hearing that would authorize grocery stores to provide certain single‑use paper carryout bags. Supporters told the committee the bags are produced locally and can be recycled in curbside programs, while opponents said the change would undermine the state’s 2022 single‑use bag law and risk greater environmental harm.
Vidal Diaz, an ILA union representative, told the committee the Durobag plant and its workers in Union County would benefit if the bill passes. "We are in favor — the people there work very, very hard," Diaz said during brief testimony in support. Two Durobag employees said the site provides long‑term careers for local residents.
Industry witnesses including Ryan Carroll of the American Forest and Paper Association highlighted jobs and manufacturing output in New Jersey, saying paper bags are "locally produced, they're reusable, sustainable, and the only grocery bag consumers can recycle at home in their curbside bin." Carroll provided statewide employment and output figures for the forest products sector as part of his support.
Opponents — including Mary Ellen Papard of the New Jersey Food Council, Martie Young of Clean Water Action and Doug O'Malley of Environment New Jersey — argued the 2022 law created needed uniformity and sharply reduced single‑use bag waste. Papard said redistribution and sanitation programs for reusable bags have expanded and that reintroducing paper would risk undoing progress. O'Malley argued the earlier ban has removed billions of single‑use bags and that paper production carries substantial environmental costs.
Committee members pressed witnesses on competing data points: how many reusable bags are donated for redistribution, recycling rates for paper by county, whether supermarkets could still refuse to hand out paper bags, and differing lifecycle assessments comparing paper and reusable bags. Witnesses gave divergent estimates in testimony before the committee.
After testimony and questioning, the committee took a motion to release S3413. The roll call recorded affirmative votes from Senators Bramnick, Singer, Johnson, Vice Chair Kryon and Chairman Lagana and the bill was released for further legislative consideration. The committee also noted that S3799 would be held for a later hearing.
What’s next: With the committee’s release, S3413 moves to the Senate’s legislative process for possible floor consideration and further amendment. The committee did not adopt policy findings on lifecycle comparisons; witnesses on both sides said additional evaluation and data collection remain relevant to later stages.
