Highland Park's Bring Your Own Bag Ordinance
(Ordinance #19-1980) Resuming August 1, 2021

The Borough of Highland Park Council passed Ordinance No. 19-1980, "Bring Your Own Bag Ordinance," on Tuesday, February 19, 2019. Enforcement of the ordinance was paused in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and vendor concerns about being able to purchase paper bags due to supply chain interruptions. Seeing as paper bags are no longer in short supply, the Borough will resume enforcement of the Bring Your Own Bag Ordinance on August 1, 2021. 

What Merchants Need to Know

Establishments with at least 1,000 square feet of retail space are required to follow the rules outlined below. Merchants with smaller retail spaces are still highly encouraged to participate in eliminating single-use plastic bags in the Borough by purchasing compliant paper bags and encouraging shoppers to bring their own bags.

Phase I: Fee on Single-use Plastic Bags (PASSED) 

• Went into effect May 1, 2019 - 60 days after the ordinance became effective.
• Merchant was required to charge a $0.10 fee on all single-use plastic bags.
• Fee had to be itemized on receipts.
• Merchant kept the fees they collected to cover costs incurred by this program.
• Merchant was able to offer compliant paper bags at no cost to the customers during Phase One.
• Compliant paper bags had to be 100% recyclable.

Phase II: Ban on Single-Use Plastic Bags and Fee on Compliant Paper Bags (IN EFFECT) 

• Went into effect on November 1, 2019 - six months after Phase One.
• Merchants are banned from distributing single-use plastic bags, including restaurants with take-out delivery items.
• Merchants may offer compliant paper bags but must charge a $0.10 fee per bag and continue to itemize the fee on receipts.

Customers who are recipients of local, county or federal government assistance are exempt from paying any fee on bags offered at the point of sale.

Exempt uses of single-use plastic bags include those used to contain meat, fish, bulk produce, bakery goods and unwrapped prepared foods.  The use of plastic bags to protect newspapers and laundry and/or dry cleaning are also permissible.

The Borough has updated their signage to assist retailers with explaining to customers why they are not being offered a plastic bag and have to pay a nominal fee for a paper bag. We have also come up with a list of customer FAQ's your cashiers may receive and recommended answers to those questions.

Suppliers of Compliant Paper Checkout Bags

Suppliers on this list sell compliant paper checkout bags that meet requirements set by Highland Park's Bring Your Own Bag Ordinance.  You are NOT required to use one of these vendors but must ensure any compliant paper checkout bags you supply are 100% recyclable.

• Berlin Packaging - 2 Capital Drive - Cranbury, NJ 08512
  Contact Person: Heather Pittman - (800) 363-9822
  customercare@berlinpackaging.com

• Bunzl Northeast Market - 27 Distribution Way - Monmouth Junction, NJ 08852
  Contact Person: Michael Pietrafesa - (732) 672-3443
  michael.pietrafesa@bunzlusa.com

• Prime Line Packaging - 4041 Hadley Road, Unit Q - South Plainfield, NJ 07080
  Contact Person: Laura Levine - (732) 533-4321
  laura@primelinepkg.com

• Valley Distributors, Inc. - 3 F Joanna Court - East Brunswick, NJ 08816
  Contact Person: Barry Schwartzstein - (908) 208-1212
  valleydistributorsnj@gmail.com

You can also approach your current bag supplier and ask them if they also sell paper bags that are 100% recyclable.

This list of suppliers does not imply the Borough of Highland Park endorses these suppliers, nor the quality of their products. This list is provided as a courtesy, for informational purposes only, and may not be a complete list of suppliers. It is the responsibility of stores subject to the ordinance to verify the qualifications and compliance of each type of bag prior to purchase from the supplier. The Borough of Highland Park is not responsible for any expenses that may be associated with using this list.