What NJ's New Skip The Stuff Law Means For You

I have such mixed feelings about this new law that's going into place in Jersey. On the one hand, it's been put in place to keep New Jersey beautiful and to cut back on litter. I love that.

On the other hand, the law going into place could also hurt small businesses and restaurants, and that, I'm not a fan of at all.

Get our free mobile app

NJ's Skip The Stuff Law Banning Plastic Cutlery Goes Into Effect In August

Starting August 1st, the Skip The Stuff Law will go into effect in New Jersey, which bans restaurants, food trucks, cafeterias, cafes, and take-out restaurants from handing out plastic utensils to guests who order food.

Why Is NJ Banning Plastic Cutlery In Restaurants, Food Trucks, And Other Eateries?

According to NJ.com, the law is supposed to cut down on the amount of plastic that winds up polluting the state, kind of like the plastic bag ban.

You'll Also Like:

You Can Still Request Plastic Cutlery If You Want It

The main difference here is that if you go to order take-out, or grab something from a food truck, you can still request plastic cutlery; it just won't be automatically given to you, like it is now.

What Happens To Businesses That Don't Follow The Skip The Stuff Law?

If a restaurant, food truck, cafe, cafeteria, or eatery is found not to comply with this new law, they get a warning. A second offense comes with a $ 100-a-day fine until they comply, and a third offense comes with a $ 250-a-day fine until they comply.

Will The New Skip The Stuff Law Help Or Hurt Small Businesses?

I get that this new law is going into place to keep NJ beautiful and to prevent more litter from making its way into our ecosystem. But this just seems like another hurdle small businesses will have to jump through in order to stay operational.