New Jersey S 3256: Establishes "Electric Vehicle Battery Repurposing Fund" to support repurposing, remanufacturing, and recycling of electric vehicle batteries; dedicates amounts based on certain sales of electric vehicles.

Bill Text

S3256 

SENATE, No. 3256 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

� 

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 2, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� KRISTIN M. CORRADO

District 40 (Bergen, Essex and Passaic)

SYNOPSIS

���� Eliminates prohibition on provision of single-use 
paper and plastic carryout bags by grocery stores for delivery, pick-up, or 
curbside pickup orders. 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT 

���� As introduced.

�� 

An Act concerning the provision of single-use paper and 
plastic carryout bags by grocery stores and amending P.L.2020, c.117.

���� Be It 
Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of 
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� Section 1 of P.L.2020, 
c.117 (C.13:1E-99.126) is amended to read as follows:

���� 1.��� The Legislature finds 
and declares that, since 1950, global annual production of plastics has 
increased from two million tons to over 381 million tons; that approximately 
one third of all plastics produced are single-use plastics, which are plastics 
designed to be used only once and then thrown away; and that an estimated 100 
billion single-use plastic carryout bags and 25 billion styrofoam plastic 
coffee cups are thrown away in the United States each year. 

���� The Legislature further finds 
that, in 2017, only 8.4 percent of plastics in the United States were recycled; 
that most single-use plastics are disposed of in landfills, are incinerated, or 
become litter in waterways and oceans; that plastics released in the 
environment do not biodegrade, but instead break down into smaller pieces, 
known as microplastics, which accumulate in the natural environment and are 
eaten by fish and other marine life; and that microplastic pollution moves 
through natural food webs and accumulates in fish and shellfish tissues, which 
means microplastics and associated pollutants can move into the food chain. 

���� The Legislature further finds 
that approximately eight million tons of plastic end up in the oceans annually; 
that, without action, scientists estimate that by 2050 the mass of plastic 
pollution in the ocean will exceed the mass of fish; that currently, there is a 
collection of litter in the North Pacific Ocean, known as the Great Pacific 
Garbage Patch, that is 7.7 million square miles and is composed primarily of 
plastics; that one study found plastics in the gut of every sea turtle examined 
and in 90 percent of seabirds examined; and that plastics have been known to 
cause death or reproductive failure in sea turtles, birds, and other organisms 
that ingest plastic. 

���� The Legislature further finds 
that, as plastics break down through photodegradation, they release harmful 
chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA) into the environment that have been linked 
to health problems in humans; that these chemicals enter the food chain when 
consumed by marine life; and that single-use plastic waste creates visual 
pollution, degrades water quality, and impacts the tourism, fishing, and 
shipping industries, all of which are major contributors to the New Jersey 
economy.

���� The Legislature therefore 
determines that it is no longer conscionable to permit the unfettered use and 
disposal of single-use plastics in the State; that New Jersey must do its part 
to minimize plastic pollution in the ocean, and to ensure that future generations 
have a clean and healthy environment to live, work, and recreate in; that 
banning or limiting the use of single-use plastic carryout bags, polystyrene 
foam food service products, and single-use plastic straws is a significant step 
in this effort, as these items are among the most significant sources of beach 
and ocean pollution; that New Jersey joins several other states and hundreds of 
municipalities across the country in banning or limiting the use of single-use 
plastics; and that such bans and limitations have drastically lowered consumer 
consumption of single-use plastics.

���� The Legislature further finds 
that single-use paper carryout bags use as much or more energy and resources to 
manufacture and transport than single-use plastic carryout bags and contribute 
to harmful air emissions.� Consequently, the Legislature further determines 
that it is in the public interest to prohibit grocery stores from providing 
single-use paper carryout bags , in most instances.

���� The Legislature further finds 
that the State's nascent hemp-growing industry, regulated through the New 
Jersey Department of Agriculture's Division of Plant Industry, would be a 
significant force in creating biodegradable raw materials that can be turned 
into hemp-based bio-packaging, which breaks down in approximately 90 days 
versus the dozens of years it takes petroleum-based plastics to break down into 
microplastics in the ocean.

(cf: P.L.2020, c.117, s.1)

���� 2.��� Section 2 of P.L.2020, 
c.117 (C.13:1E-99.127) is amended to read as follows:

���� 2.��� As used in P.L.2020, 
c.117 (C.13:1E-99.126 et al.): 

���� "Carryout bag" means 
a bag that is provided by a