Millburn Looking To Update Its Single-Use Plastics Ban

MILLBURN, NJ — The Millburn Environmental Commission updated the Township Committee last month about the town's single-use plastics ban, which was passed by the Committee in 2019 but just implemented in June.

Many New Jersey towns had passed some form of a plastics ban last year after the state legislature introduced a ban on certain plastic products that pollute the environment, including food containers made with Styrofoam.

This past Wednesday, Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill into law that bans the use of single-use plastic and paper bags in all stores and food service businesses statewide, starting in May 2022. The law also bans disposable food containers and cups made out of polystyrene foam (which is Styrofoam).

Millburn's law already had been in effect for five months. READ MORE: What Is And Isn't Prohibited With Millburn's Plastic Ban

Late last month, according to a story in TAPInto, Priya Patel and Edward Hilzenrath of the Millburn Environmental Commission told the Township Committee that they'd checked out Millburn's supermarkets and retailers to see how they were complying. They said they found that some were doing a better job of enforcing the ban than others.

They told the Township Committee that they may amend the law so that there is more even compliance among businesses. The Township Committee agreed they should start working on an amendment to improve the law.

Nearby Summit plans to enforce its own ban starting on Jan. 1, 2021.

Summit noted recently, "The Environmental Protection Agency reports that only 1 percent of the 100 billion plastic bags used by Americans each year are recycled. The remaining amount ends up in landfills, waterways, and neighborhoods. Plastic straws are not recyclable, while Styrofoam containers can take up to 1,000 years to decompose."

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