As we approach Earth Day, it is time to evaluate how green policies have performed. One such policy is the New Jersey Bag Ban, which was ostensibly designed to tackle plastic pollution, requiring stores over 2,500 square feet in size to replace disposable plastic bags with reusable ones.
The ban bag is an example of “extended producer responsibility,” which is a waste policy that forces companies to use only reusable Or recyclable products. Advocates of extended producer responsibility champion measures such as plastic bag bans, but the real-world implementation has only fueled inflation with minimal environmental benefits.
Despite the ban effectively being a regressive tax on poorer residents, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy praised the state for “addressing the problem of plastic pollution” that will “help mitigate climate change and strengthen our…
