By
- Lia Opperman | NJ.com
- Advance Local Express Desk
The next time you order takeout, have food delivered, or pick up at a drive-thru in New Jersey, don’t expect plastic utensils or condiment packets to automatically come with your meal
Starting Aug. 1, restaurants and other food vendors across the state will be prohibited from automatically providing those items under a new law designed to reduce plastic waste and litter
Customers can still receive plastic forks, knives, spoons, straws and condiment packets, but they will generally need to request them rather than receiving them by default
The law, known as “Skip the Stuff,” applies to dine-in, takeout, delivery and drive-thru orders at restaurants, cafes, food trucks, cafeterias and other food vendors
It expands New Jersey’s broader effort to reduce single-use plastics. The state previously banned single-use plastic carryout bags and restricted plastic straws to by-request distribution
Online ordering platforms must also default to a setting that excludes utensils and condiments, requiring customers to actively opt in if they want them included
Full-service sit-down restaurants with seating for 10 or more customers must provide reusable utensils for dine-in meals. While bundled cutlery packs are restricted, businesses may continue offering self-service dispensers that provide individual utensils, condiments and similar items
The law includes several exemptions. All public and private K-12 schools, health care facilities licensed under New Jersey’s Health Care Professional Responsibility and Reporting Enhancement Act, and county and state correctional facilities are permanently exempt. Restaurants located in food courts are exempt for two years
The requirements do not apply to prepackaged foods that include utensils during manufacturing or to single-use sauce cups provided for dine-in service
Violators will receive a warning for a first offense, with fines of up to $100 per day for a second offense and up to $250 per day for third and subsequent offenses
The majority of fine revenue will be directed to the state’s Clean Communities Program Fund, which supports litter cleanup, public education and related programs. Up to 30% of the revenue may be retained by the municipality or agency responsible for enforcement
State Sens. Bob Smith, D-Middlesex, and Raj Mukherji, D-Hudson, sponsored the legislation, which is intended to reduce litter and unnecessary plastic waste
Smith said the measure will “make significant strides to decrease the amount of litter that ends up in our communities.”
Mukherji said the law does not ban utensils or condiment packets but instead reduces waste by limiting their distribution when customers do not request them
“It merely reduces the harm from plastic waste by curbing the excessive provision of single-use plastics and condiments when the customer has not requested any,” Mukherji said
The New Jersey Restaurant & Hospitality Association ultimately supported the legislation after seeking changes to allow self-service areas and the continued use of soufflé cups
To help businesses prepare for the change, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection launched a “Cut the Cutlery” educational campaign. The 180-day initiative includes online real media tools designed to help businesses and customers adapt to the new requirements
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This article was produced with assistance from AI tools and reviewed by NJ.com staff
