Get the fork outta here!
New Jersey takeout customers must now request single-use plastic items — like utensils, straws and even condiment packets — under a new law that social media users are sounding off against.
The “Skip the Stuff” law puts an end to the longstanding practice of eateries automatically loading up to-go bags with extras that many New Jerseyans have come to take for granted.
The law — signed by then-Gov. Phil Murphy in January — took effect Aug. 1 as the Garden State looks to further reduce plastic waste and reduce the environmental footprint of food purveyors.
Skip the Stuff builds on previous plastic reduction efforts by the legislature in the state, including banning single-use plastic carryout bags and polystyrene foam food containers in 2022, and restricting the use of plastic straws in 2021.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) said the goal behind the effort is to “reduce waste by only taking what you actually need.”
Unlike grocery stores in the state, where plastic bags are unavailable even if a customer asks for one, diners can still avail themselves of freebie plastic knives, forks and spoons, chopsticks and condiment packets from take-out orders — but only by request.
Online food ordering platforms like DoorDash and Instacart are bound by the same restrictions, and now must default to not providing utensils unless a customer specifically opts in.
The restriction will also apply to eat-in restaurants with seating for at least 10 customers, which now can only provide washable utensils for patrons. They’ll also be required to only serve condiments in full-size bottles or reusable containers rather than packets.
NJDEP is asking customers do their part by only requesting the items needed, noting that approximately 95% of food packaging is discarded after one use, introducing unnecessary plastic into the ecosystem.
K-12 schools in the state both public and private are exempt from the new law, as are state correctional facilities and healthcare facilities.
Food court restaurants are exempt until Aug. 1, 2028.
NJDEP says restaurants will receive a warning for their first violation, but a second could bring fines of up to $100 per day, with each subsequent violation carrying penalties of up to $250 per day.
New York City passed its own Skip the Stuff law in July 2023.
Social media opinion was largely in opposition to the new law, chalking it up to “virtue signaling” by Democratic politicians in the state.
“It’s obviously something Democrats came up with because it makes no sense,” one X user chimed in.
Another speculated it was another sign of communism slowly seeping its way into the American political mainstream.
“The truth is, under communism nothing is free, including the inalienable rights and freedoms provided by western society. Control always starts small and innocuous, like plastic utensil restrictions,” a commenter wrote.
Others expressed fear the prohibition would be a slippery slope.
“Next will be toilet paper in public bathrooms,” an X user mused.
Public opinion online wasn’t dead-set against the policy, however, with some praising the state for stopping short of an outright ban.
“Why not? Most of it gets tossed in the trash unused anyway,” one commenter pointed out.