NJ prepares for plastic utensils-by-request law change
Plastic utensils and condiment packets are not banned, but customers will have to ask for them.
More Stories
Plastic utensils will only be given to customers by request starting Aug. 1 in New Jersey - that's when enforcement begins for a law signed in January aimed at reducing waste.
The DEP says the amount of plastic utensils found on New Jersey beaches in 2024 would stretch the length of five football fields. The single-use items are not banned, but customers will have to ask for them.
According to a new law and “Get Past Plastic” DEP campaign, restaurant workers aren’t even supposed to be asking if customers want plastic utensils, straws or condiment packets. Online orders must default to no utensils.
“I’m for it because you see a lot of people just dump their stuff," said Tony Sierra, of Edison.
“People getting funnel cakes here - we have a lot of the special ones, like Nutella or cookies and creme," said Joe MacWilliams, manager at Mayfair Boardwalk Grill. "It gets kind of messy, you don’t want to use your hands. A fork and knife are pretty useful.”
The DEP says in addition to an expected environmental benefit, cutting back on single-use items could save businesses thousands of dollars per year. This bill passed late in former Gov. Phil Murphy’s tenure, but enforcement is just beginning. Violators will first be warned, and then fined up to $250 for repeat offenses.
“I think it will be tougher for employees just to get used to, because we have a routine where you put it out and keep it out," said MacWilliams.
There are some exemptions - including schools and hospitals. Food courts have until summer 2028 to comply. Some municipalities, like Hoboken, Red Bank, Garwood and Eatontown, already had similar local ordinances.
