The US state of New Jersey’s State Assembly has reportedly failed to vote on the plastic bag bill.

The bill prohibits provision or sale of single-use plastic and single-use paper carryout bags, as well as polystyrene foam foodservice products. It also limits the provision of single-use plastic straws.

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The plastic bag bill was passed by the New Jersey State Senate.

New Jersey Sierra Club director Jeff Tittel said: “The Assembly should have passed this ban today, but they didn’t. Their failure to act will mean that our plastic waste problem will continue to get worse.

“Plastics will continue to kill whales and get into our environment and into us. Microplastics have already been found near our drinking water supply, so we could literally be drinking plastic. Plastic bags have been known to clog storm drains and fill up detention basins, affecting our water quality. Animals, especially birds, get strangled and suffocated by plastic bags.”

The failure to act on the bill now calls for it to be reintroduced in the next session. New Jersey’s two-year legislative session ends today.

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Jeff Tittel added: “This bill will also encourage more reusable bags because, under the bill, stores will give out free reusable bags for two months to help with the transition to no paper or plastic bags.”

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