Residential feedback on plastic bag usage

Northern Jersey Sustainable Municipal Alliance

A coalition of Northern New Jersey Municipal Environmental Commissions are exploring regulations and other programs to reduce single use plastics in our environment. We are seeking the feedback of residents to gauge interest in and support for these initiatives. A separate survey will be to business owners in the community. This survey should take less than four minutes to complete.

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* 1. Please indicate which community you are a resident of

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* 2. What do you typically use to carry your grocery shopping?

	Most often	Sometimes	Occasionally	Never
Single use plastic bags	Single use plastic bags Most often	Single use plastic bags Sometimes	Single use plastic bags Occasionally	Single use plastic bags Never
Paper bags	Paper bags Most often	Paper bags Sometimes	Paper bags Occasionally	Paper bags Never
Reusable bags	Reusable bags Most often	Reusable bags Sometimes	Reusable bags Occasionally	Reusable bags Never

Other (please specify)

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* 3. If you tend to rely on single-use bags, what prevents you from choosing to use reusable bags? (Please check all that apply.)

Reusable bags are too expensive.

I forget to take them with me - I leave them in the car.

I forget to take them with me - I leave them in my home.

I am concerned about the cleanliness of reusable bags.

Not a problem - I use reusable bags.

Other (please specify)

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* 4. After you use single-use plastic bags, how do you dispose of them? (check all that apply)

I store them and re-use them

I recycle them at using the grocery store's drop off bins or through a local "bags to benches" program

I throw them out

I put them in regular recycling (note: plastic bags should not be included in municipal recycling)

Other (please specify)

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* 5. Are you concerned about the impact of plastic waste on the environment?

Yes

Not Sure

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* 6. Are you aware of the issue of plastic bags "contaminating" recyclable materials, making them costly to dispose of?

Yes

Not Sure

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* 7. What measures would you like to see implemented to reduce single use plastics in the environment?

	Would support	Not sure	Would not support
Prohibit single use plastic bags for groceries and other shopping	Prohibit single use plastic bags for groceries and other shopping Would support	Prohibit single use plastic bags for groceries and other shopping Not sure	Prohibit single use plastic bags for groceries and other shopping Would not support
Prohibit use of Styrofoam food containers for carryout of food	Prohibit use of Styrofoam food containers for carryout of food Would support	Prohibit use of Styrofoam food containers for carryout of food Not sure	Prohibit use of Styrofoam food containers for carryout of food Would not support
Restrict other plastic items, such as plastic straws and stirrers	Restrict other plastic items, such as plastic straws and stirrers Would support	Restrict other plastic items, such as plastic straws and stirrers Not sure	Restrict other plastic items, such as plastic straws and stirrers Would not support
Encourage stores and restaurants to use recyclable / sustainable products	Encourage stores and restaurants to use recyclable / sustainable products Would support	Encourage stores and restaurants to use recyclable / sustainable products Not sure	Encourage stores and restaurants to use recyclable / sustainable products Would not support
Require a fee for plastic bags at the store	Require a fee for plastic bags at the store Would support	Require a fee for plastic bags at the store Not sure	Require a fee for plastic bags at the store Would not support
Require a fee for paper bags at the store	Require a fee for paper bags at the store Would support	Require a fee for paper bags at the store Not sure	Require a fee for paper bags at the store Would not support

Other (please specify)

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* 8. Are there any other initiatives that you think we should consider to reduce plastics in our local environment?

If you have any additional comments or would like more information about these efforts, please reach out to Jessica Romeo, jessica.romeo@gmail.com