If you are picking up takeout this weekend in New Jersey, you may be missing something. A new state law takes effect on August 1st, and it is changing the way restaurants serve customers.
The scale of the problem is what officials point to. The state's Department of Environmental Protection says you could fill five football fields with the amount of plastic utensils found on New Jersey's beaches in 2024.
The rule stops short of a full ban. No one is outright banning plastic utensils, but customers will have to ask for them anywhere they order food in the Garden State.
The change flips the usual routine at the counter. Under the new law and the DEP's Get Past Plastic campaign, restaurant workers are not even supposed to ask if customers want plastic utensils or straws as of August 1st, leaving it entirely up to the customer to request those single-use items, and that includes condiment packets. Online orders must default to no utensils.
Officials say there is a financial upside for businesses too. The DEP says that, in addition to the expected environmental benefit, cutting back on single-use items could save businesses thousands of dollars per year.
The rollout will be gradual rather than punitive at first. Enforcement is just beginning, with violators first receiving a warning and then being fined up to $250 for repeat offenses.
Not everyone has to comply right away. There are some exemptions, including schools and hospitals, and food courts have until the summer of 2028 to comply.