Who needs bags? Bayonne residents take plastic bag ban in stride

On Jan. 1, Bayonne became one of the latest towns in New Jersey to ban single-use plastic bags.
The Hudson County town became one of more than 30 towns across the Garden State with such a ban in place. A bill for a statewide ban is currently making its way through the Legislature. It is all part of an effort to reduce the amount of waste and plastic contamination in New Jersey.
News 12’s Brian Donohue went to Bayonne on Monday to see how the town’s residents were holding up. Donohue says that Bayonne is not generally known to be a place of cutting-edge changes. He says that the city tends to look backward more than forward – which gives it a historic feel.
There were still some who couldn’t quit using plastic bags completely just yet. One supermarket customer told Donohue that she plans to reuse the plastic bags when she goes to the grocery store so that she won’t have to spend 10 cents for more bags.
But Donohue says that he was surprised to see that many people in the city were already adapting. Many had purchased reusable bags for their groceries or just forgoing a bag altogether.
The ban also applies to single-use plastic straws.