It is hereby found and declared that it will be the public policy
of the Borough of Bradley Beach to reduce the adverse environment
effects of single-use plastic carryout bags and to promote the use
of reusable carryout bags in order to reduce litter, harm to wildlife
and our waterways, and to protect the health and safety of the general
public.
The following terms, as used in this chapter, shall have the
meanings set forth herein:
CARRYOUT BAG
A bag provided by a store at the point of sale for customers
to carry their goods out of the store.
CHAIN
A business with 10 or more locations in the state or nationally
and doing business under the same trade name or under common ownership
or control, or as franchised outlets of a parent business.
OPERATOR
A person in control of, or having responsibility for, the
daily operation of a store, which may include, but need not be limited
to, the owner of the store.
REUSABLE CARRYOUT BAG
A bag made of cloth or other machine washable fabric, that
has handles, a nonwoven polypropylene bag that has handles, or a durable
polyester or polypropylene bag that has handles and is at least 2.25
mils thick, and which is specifically designed and manufactured for
multiple reuse.
SINGLE-USE PLASTIC CARRYOUT BAG
Any carryout bag that is made of plastic and that is not
either a single-use paper carryout bag or a reusable carryout bag,
except that the term "single-use plastic carryout bag" shall not include
the following:
A.
Any nonhandled bag, whether plastic or not, that is intended
to separate and prevent an item from damaging or contaminating another
item;
B.
Laundry or dry-cleaning bags;
D.
Bags used to contain or wrap ice, frozen foods, meat, fish,
or other items, whether prepackaged or not, to prevent or contain
moisture;
E.
Bags provided by pharmacists to contain prescription drugs;
F.
Small clear plastic bags of less than four inches in depth that
are commonly provided to customers by hardware stores to hold screws
and bolts and other small items;
G.
Bags sold in packages containing multiple bags intended for
use as garbage, pet waste, or yard waste bags.
STORE
A hardware store, liquor store, drug store, convenience store,
supermarket, food service establishment, restaurant, clothing store
and other retail establishment of any kind.
Effective October 1, 2018, no operator of any store shall provide any single-use plastic carryout bag to any customer for the purpose of enabling a customer to transport products or goods out of the store. Nothing in this section shall be read to preclude operators of stores from providing single-use paper bags to customers for a fee in accordance with §
358-4A, of this chapter or from making reusable bags available for sale to customers. No operator shall preclude customers from using their own reusable carryout bags.
Upon the enactment of this chapter, and at least until enforcement
of the chapter begins on October 1, 2018, the Mayor and Council, in
cooperation with the Environmental Commission, shall take steps to
educate the business community and residents of Bradley Beach, along
with the public at large, regarding the provisions of this chapter,
and the environmental benefits to be derived therefrom, and shall
begin encouraging the residents of Bradley Beach and shoppers in its
stores to use reusable carryout bags.
Any person found in violation is guilty of a noncriminal infraction
punishable by a fine not to exceed the sum of $100 for a first offense
and $500 for each offense thereafter.
If any sentence, section, clause or other portion of this chapter,
or the application thereof to any person or circumstance, shall for
any reason be adjudged by a court of competent jurisdiction to be
invalid, such judgment shall not affect, impair or repeal the remainder
of this chapter.