A ban on disposable bags will go into effect in New Jersey in just a few weeks.

Plastic bags will be banned in the state starting May 4. The ban applies to grocery stores, restaurants, liquor stores and any type of retail store.

The New Jersey Clean Communities Council is trying to get New Jerseyans ready for the changeover. Its “Bag-up New Jersey” campaign even has a countdown clock on its website.

Greg Hurley, of Neptune City, has been using his own bags for a while. He says he believes in the cause.

“Just to protect the environment. Nothing more than that,” he says.

Those who live along the Jersey Shore are used to a bag ban. Many towns fed up with plastic ending up on the beaches and in the ocean put local bans in place as far back as 2018. Those towns include Asbury Park, Avalon, Bradley Beach and Brigantine and Point Pleasant Beach.

Some towns in northern New Jersey have also banned plastic bags, including Bayonne, Garfield, Paramus, Ridgewood and South Orange.

Paper bags will be allowed by businesses, except for grocery stores with 2,500 square feet or more.

Businesses that don’t comply will face fines. A first offense will bring about a warning, followed by a $1,000 fine for a second offense and $5,000 for every subsequent offense.

Polystyrene foam products will be banned when the law goes into effect in May.