New Jersey Intensifies Plastic Reduction: Statewide "Streamlining Disposable Products" Bill Finalized

New Jersey recently launched a new offensive in its war against plastic, with Governor Phil Murphy, on the eve of his departure from office, officially signing Bill S3195 this month – the statewide "Reduce Single-Use Products" Act, further escalating the control over single-use plastic items.

This bill will officially take effect on August 1, 2026, explicitly prohibiting restaurants and delivery platforms from automatically including disposable cutlery, condiments, and napkins with takeout orders without consumer request. Consumers will need to actively request these items if they require them.

The primary sponsors of the bill are State Senator Bob Smith (D-Piscataway) and State Senator Raj Mukherji (D-Jersey City); the co-sponsors are State Assemblywoman Alixon Collazos-Gill (D-Montclair) and State Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D-Trenton).

Core Terms

The bill applies to all types of restaurants, food service establishments, and third-party delivery platforms such as DoorDash and UberEats. It also stipulates that establishments with more than 10 seats must use reusable tableware for dine-in service, further promoting sustainable development in the catering industry.

The bill outlines a tiered penalty system: a warning for the first violation, a $100 fine for the second violation, and a $250 fine for the third and subsequent violations. Certain locations, such as school cafeterias, medical institutions, and correctional facilities, are exempt from this bill.

Bill's core objective

This legislation aims to reduce single-use plastic waste and environmental impact, while also helping food service businesses lower operational costs. By guiding consumers to request cutlery and condiments only as needed, it curbs unnecessary waste in the dining industry and promotes a more sustainable operating model for the entire food service sector.

The bill also mandates the launch of a 180-day public awareness campaign to educate the public on the economic and environmental benefits of reducing single-use cutlery and condiments.

According to reports, the bill was opposed during its deliberation by Republican State Senator Michael Testa of Cumberland County. He stated directly: "New Jersey is facing a severe cost-of-living crisis, yet the government is focusing its energy on controlling whether restaurants provide plastic utensils with takeout orders – a completely meaningless endeavor."

New Jersey's plastic bag regulations continue to intensify.

This is not the first time New Jersey has introduced regulatory policies targeting plastic pollution. In 2022, the state enacted a post-consumer recycled (PCR) content mandate for packaging materials, requiring a minimum of 10% recycled content for rigid plastic containers and 15% for plastic beverage containers, with these percentages set to increase annually. According to the plan, the recycled content requirement for rigid plastic containers is expected to reach 50% by 2036, while plastic beverage containers are required to meet this target by 2045.

Plastic restriction is a national trend in the US

New Jersey has also become another state to enact a similar plastic restriction law, following California, New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, and Oregon, which have already implemented related policies. The concentrated introduction of such legislation reflects a broader trend across the United States to promote the reduction of single-use plastic consumption and practice environmental sustainability.

As plastic restriction regulations continue to tighten across states, the market is sending a clear signal to the catering and related industries: they must accelerate the adjustment of their operating models and adopt more environmentally friendly business practices to adapt to increasingly stringent industry regulatory standards.

Notably, during the recently concluded 2024-2025 legislative session, New Jersey lawmakers also considered multiple plastic packaging-related proposals, including issues such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging and packaging recyclability standards, indicating that the state's regulatory framework for plastic packaging is continuously evolving.