The Garden State is the first state to ban paper bags alongside their more criticized plastic counterparts.And New Jersey is priding itself on what has been billed as "the strongest bag ban in the nation.".Both houses of the New Jersey state government voted to pass this green legislation.A spokesman for Governor Philip D. Murphy said that the governor intends to sign the rules into law.The sweeping New Jersey ban extends to "single-use paper carryout bags, and polystyrene foam food service products.".The addition of paper bags to the ban resulted in mixed responses.The American Forest and Paper Association argued that paper "is part of the environmental solution.".But the New Jersey Food Council countered that the ban offers a clear and admirable initiative