NJ's Busiest Shopping Town Just Banned Plastic Bags

PARAMUS, NJ – Paramus just became the latest town to ban single-use plastic bags, joining a growing movement across the country aimed at promoting sustainability and reducing litter.

At its meeting on Wednesday, the borough council unanimously adopted an ordinance that not only prohibit businesses from distributing plastic bags at checkout, but also bans polystyrene food containers.

The measure is set to go into effect Jan. 1, 2020 and will bar businesses from distributing carryout plastic bags, as well as packaging food in Styrofoam.

Under the ordinance, retailers will be required to provide recyclable bags and may choose to charge to customers at their discretion. The ban would not apply to plastic bags used to wrap produce, meat, fish or frozen food, or packaging used for items such as newspapers or dry cleaning.

Officials spent more than a year discussing the measure, as well as gathering input from the borough’s environmental commission and residents, according to Mayor Richard LaBarbiera.

Shortly after the vote, the mayor posted an update on social media about the ban, saying: "Great job by Environmental Commission for assistance with preparing and the governing body unanimously approving Ordinance reducing plastic bag and polystyrene use!"

In coming months, the borough and environmental commission will launch a campaign to educate about the ban in order to ensure a smooth transition next year.

As one of the largest shopping destinations in the country, the mayor has said he hopes Paramus can set an example for other municipalities once they see it working in the borough.

While there is legislation pending at the state level to ban plastic bags, there’s no known time frame for when it could advance, which has prompted several communities to implement measures aimed at reducing and eliminating carryout bags.

More than a dozen towns, including Glen Rock, Maplewood, Hoboken and Jersey City, have either banned plastic bags or placed fees on them, as well as on other items, such as plastic straws, plastic utensils and Styrofoam food containers.

Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, said, "It’s good that towns like Paramus are jumping on the plastic bag banwagon. The ordinance will ban plastic and polystyrene food containers. More importantly, the borough will educate the public on how to transition to plastic free. Paramus moving forward with banning plastic is critical because they have one of the largest shopping areas in the country. If they can ban plastic, then every other city and town in New Jersey can do it. Plastic has become a menace to our environment and are a public health issue and it is important that cities, towns, and businesses are taking steps to reduce their plastic input and output."

According to Tittel, scientists from Rutgers University recently found densities of about 28,000 to more than 3 million plastic particles per square kilometer in the Passaic and Raritan rivers. And, beach sweeps in New Jersey have found more than 80% of the trash collected is plastic - a figure that includes a 59% increase in plastic straws, he said.

“From Cape May County all the way to Bergen County, New Jersey towns and cities have already taken steps to ban plastic because of how bad it is to our health and the environment’s health. Waterfront cities like Hoboken and Bayonne passed ordinances to ban single use plastics. Lambertville recently introduced an ordinance to ban plastic bags, Styrofoam, polystyrene, and single use plastic straws,” said Tittel. “Some businesses and restaurants in New Jersey are already working to reduce their plastic waste by using paper bags and paper straws.”