New Jersey’s war on plastic continues. With plastic bags a thing of the past, the state Legislature has set its sights on a new target.

The days of finding a surprise fork and knife in the bottom of a takeout bag may soon be history if a bill sponsored by state Sens. Bob Smith and Raj Mukherji keeps moving through the Legislature.

What did officials say?

The legislation cleared the state Senate Budget and Appropriations committee on Dec. 8, but not without a bit of pushback from committee members.

State Sen. Declan O’Scanlon, the Monmouth County Republican who serves as the minority budget officer, expressed concern about the impact the fines would have on small businesses throughout the state.

“These are small mom and pop shops," O'Scanlon said. "A thousand bucks is going to crush

See Full Page