Almost a third of New Jersey residents say they've dumped their trash illegally, instead of finding a way that wouldn't inconvenience others or the environment.
The fee would raise $23.4 million a year -- a nickel at a time, on carryout plastic and paper bags. The money would be diverted to balance the state budget.
New Jersey has more Superfund sites than any other state in the nation, but some environmental experts believe more needs to be done to clean up polluted areas.
Through a system known as net metering, solar customers get credited for the electricity their solar arrays produce but goes unused and is returned to the power grid.