Another challenge

By: Scott Fallon
Amanda Oglesby
and David P. Willis
Asbury Park Press
USA today Network - New Jersey

..... When Gail Zimmerman bought 6,000 plastic bags printed with the name of her Bergen County yarn store in 2016. she thought she had enough to last for years.
..... Se was right - sort of.
..... Zimmerman, owner of Close Knit Yarns in Midland Park, is down to 2,500 bags. But May 4 [2022] will make them all obsolete.
..... Tait's when New Jersey's ban on carryout plastic bags takes effect for all retail businesses, including Close Knit Yarns.
..... "It's like losing inventory,: said Zimmerman, who has owned her shop for six years. "I'm all for reusable bags, but now we have to get rid of something we spent money on. It seems like such a waste."
..... The upcoming plastic bag ban in New Jersey is leaving many small businesses with a ton of bags and few options for what can be done with them,
..... Lawmakers gave businesses from when the law was signed in November 2020 to when it takes effect on May 4 [2022] to get rid of old inventory and search for alternatives.
..... Small businesses, whose profit margins are often small to begin with, have already had to deal with the pandemic and rising inflation. The bag ban is another challenge.
..... "It is unfortunate," said John Holub, president and chief executive officer of the New Jersey Retail Merchants Association. "This definitely has some impacts that I don't think were considered along the way."
..... Zimmerman spent $1,100 on her bags, which are printed with her store's log and contact information. She doesn't know what to do with the 2,500 that are left.
..... And she's having difficulty finding affordable alternatives. She said she was recently quoted $300 for 250 reusable bags.
..... "I feel it's such a waste to just recycle them," she said of her old plastic bags. "I wish there was a way to continue handing them to customers until my stock is depleted."
..... Asbury Park banned plastic bags in 2020.
..... Ruth Kiser, owner of Paws Pet Boutique, still doesn't know what to do with the 1,000 plastic bags she ordered just before the city's restriction went into effect.
..... Right now, they are in my garage, because I had initially thought if we were going to do events out of the state, then I would bring them," she said. "that has not bee the case."
..... Now, she will start to sell reusable cloth bags when her Paws Pet Boutique, which sells baked treats and pet items like bandannas, collars and leashes, has a grand reopening on May 7. [2022]
..... Her store at the Shoppes at the Arcade on Cookman Avenue has remained open during renovations. "The reason why it [the ban] was put in place I am very supportive of," Kiser said. "Obviously, we want to do what we can for the environment."
..... There are no clear-cut answers.
..... The state Department of Environmental Protection has no plan to collect bulk inventories of plastic bags.
..... Businesses should look to county and municipal recycling programs, some of which have drop-off locations for plastic bags, said Larry Hajan a DEP spokesman.
..... Many supermarkets and big-box stores will continue to collect plastic bags for recycling, but it's usually just for small amounts from customers.
..... Hajna also suggested donating plastic bags to food pantries, which were recently given a six month extension to use plastic bags.
..... Stores want to get rid of their oversupply single-use bags, so shoppers can ask for extra before May 4, said Melanie Willoughby, executive director of the New Jersey Business Action Center.
..... The center was tasked by state officials with managing a vendor clearinghouse to help businesses find suppliers of reusable bags and operates an informational website to help organization transition.
.... The single-use bag ban "is not a pro inhibition on you, the consumer, it's a prohibition on the sort giving them to you" as of May 4, [2022] she said.
..... Willoughby also recommends donating the plastic bags to senior centers. "Those seniors are going to want those bags, because they use them for their garbage cans, they use them to pick up after the dog," she aid. "They love those plastic bags."
..... Meanwhile, supermarkets, which are among the largest users of plastic bags, are drawing down their plastic carryout bags and are bundling and selling surplus bags to customers before May 4, [2022] said Linda Doherty, president and chief executive officer of the New Jersey Food Council, a trade group that represents supermarkets.
..... Those left over will be donated to food banks and other food assistance groups, she said.
.... As with most small businesses, the pandemic hit Close Knit Yarns hard.
..... Customer who would ordinarily peruse the aisles at the Midland Park store instead have gotten used to buying their supplies Online. Knitting classes and in-person private lessons, which had to be canceled, are now slowly coming back.
..... Zimmerman likes the new law and uses reusable bags for her own shopping. But the ban's timing is not ideal.
..... "It's been a tough time for small businesses across the board," she said. "I really appreciate the new law and think it'll be good for everyone. But right now it's another challenge."

HOME