The New Jersey General Assembly has passed a wide-ranging bill intended to severely curb plastic pollution that will also ban supermarkets from using paper bags for groceries.

If signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy (D), the unprecedented ban on paper bags will make New Jersey the first state to resort to this extreme measure. New Jersey's banning paper bags, which are widely used worldwide in place of single-use plastic, isn't all about protecting the environment, however.

The proposed law wants to ban paper bags to encourage shoppers to bring their own reusable bags. Another reason is the bill banning only single-use plastic bags was unlikely to pass the New Jersey Legislature due to opposition from the New Jersey Food Council (NJCF), an influential trade group.

New Jersey lawmakers said for the ban on single-use plastic to be approved, the use of paper bags would also have to be disallowed. Supermarkets kept complaining it would cost more to supply customers with paper bags than plastic bags.

"The ban on paper bags is critically important to the success of this legislation," explained Linda Doherty, NJFC president.  "Without a ban, consumers will simply move to paper single-use bags and we will not address the underlying goal of reducing our reliance on single-use products."

On the other hand, the bill will needlessly harm New Jersey paper manufacturers since the original intent was to ban plastic and not paper bags, contends Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi (R).

"It's bad timing and it's bad policy," she said.

Paper bag makers were incensed at the proposed ban. Abigail Sztein, director of government affairs for the American Forest & Paper Association, blasted the bill as "a solution in search of a problem." She said unlike plastic bags, paper bags are easily recyclable or can be reused in compost. She urged Gov. Murphy to conditionally veto the bill and remove the proposed ban on paper bags.

Despite the furor caused by the proposed ban on paper bags, the bill will be the harshest yet passed by the state in its efforts to control plastic pollution. It will completely prohibit single-use plastic bags and limit the use of polystyrene takeout boxes and also plastic straws in some cases.

The bill specifically bans film plastic bags like those used in grocery stores, regardless of thickness. It bans polystyrene clamshell food containers and other polystyrene products like plates, cups, food trays and utensils

Plastic straws will only be available only upon request at restaurants.

"The governor is proud to support the strongest bag ban in the nation," said Gov. Murphy's spokesperson. "This bill will significantly reduce the harm that these products cause to our environment."

Doug O'Malley, the director of Environment New Jersey said the New Jersey Assembly "voted to pass the strongest single-use ban on plastics in the country to prioritize our wildlife and our communities over endless plastic waste polluting our waterways. We urge Governor Murphy to sign this legislation as quickly as possible."

New Jersey environmentalists praised the bill as an important measure to help curb pollution from plastic, paper and polystyrene.