We conducted extensive primary research to assess the impacts of New Jersey’s “Get Past Plastic Act” by launching four surveys with 2,600 respondents and analyzing two years of bag procurement and sales data from 33 stores statewide. We also analyzed the results of 40 existing reports on single-use bag policy and conducted a comparative review of 11 studies, evaluating the impact of legislation in communities across the U.S.

The findings revealed that bag fees are the only legislative tool that is proven to universally reduce bag use in communities. The results also showed that New Jersey’s ban of single-use paper and plastic bags drastically reduced bag consumption, GHG emissions, and the material weight of bags distributed, but there were unintended consequences, such as the over-accumulation of reusable bags.