'Skip The Stuff' In Red Bank Targets Plastic Extras In Take-Out

RED BANK, NJ — Red Bank is ready to do its part to reduce the amount of "stuff" we all get added to our take-out orders: Plastic utensils and condiment packages that we don't really need or often don't even want.

And soon customers will have to remember to ask for such extras with their take-out food order.

According to Clean Water Action, there are an estimated 40 billion single-use plastic utensils discarded every day in the United States. And they end up in landfills and waterways - and are not even recyclable.

In New Jersey, the organization is making it a campaign to address the problem town by town in its "Skip the Stuff" campaign.

When the town's Environmental Commission heard about the scope of the problem from Clean Water Action representatives, it developed some changes to expand its ordinance on plastics and polystyrene foam single use products, said commission liaison and Councilmember Nancy Facey-Blackwood.

Now, under the ordinance expected to be adopted at the March 14 Red Bank Brough Council meeting, various food providers in Red Bank will be required to stop adding the utensils and other items to orders - unless a customer specifically requests them. You can read the full ordinance 2024-08 here on the Feb. 22 agenda.

The ordinance will take effect on Earth Day, April 22, but won't be enforceable until July 1 to allow time for education about the new system.

Here is the wording of the amended portion of the ordinance:

• Effective April 22, 2024, the provision of plastic utensils, condiment packets, napkins, and extra containers to take-out or delivery customers is prohibited, unless requested by the customer.
• Online ordering and delivery apps shall be set to a default to not provide plastic utensils, condiment packets, napkins, and/or extra containers unless the customer selects an option to request said items.
• Delivery and courier services shall not provide said items unless requested by the customer.
• These restrictions shall not apply to self-service stations within any food provider’s premises or within any food or grocery establishment."

April 22 is Earth Day, and Facey-Blackwood said it seemed a good effective date for the ordinance, but businesses will be given until July 1 to be fully educated about the changes and to implement them before the ordinance could be enforced, she said.

She said there will be flyers printed in English and Spanish, and, as with the plastic bag restrictions, the commission members will go to businesses to explain the changes, as well.

The executive director of Red Bank RiverCenter, Bob Zuckerman, pointed out the need for education, based upon his former experience in South Orange with the plastic bag ban, he said.

He asked for the extension of time to help inform business owners adequately about the new system. The council decided on the July 1 date for it to be fully implemented.

And the key is that the customer would also be educated to not expect these extras in an order, but rather to specifically request them if they are needed. The store owners will not be suggesting including the items, under the ordinance.

But despite the learning curve, the food providers will benefit, the council feels, because they won't have the automatic expense of providing these often unused extras.

The town will benefit from have less plastic waste to pay to dispose of - and to help control litter on streets, Facey-Blackwood said. Seventy percent of litter in our country is food and beverage waste, according to statistics.

Clean Water Action offers more information for towns to learn about the "Skip the Stuff" concept by going here.

And the ultimate point of the ordinance is environmental protection.

Red Bank "is a riverside community and has a cultural commitment to thriving and healthy waterways within its jurisdictional boundaries which, in turn, promotes the quality of life and the associated welfare of the borough’s residents," the ordinance states.