Wyckoff Boy Urges Eliminating Plastic Pollution In Town

WYCKOFF, NJ — Luke Pensallorto sees plastic waste everywhere in town.

On the streets, in parks, and in gardens. It is everywhere.

"I believe that plastic waste and pollution is a growing problem everywhere, but especially in Wyckoff," Pensallorto, a Life Scout with Troop 309 in town. "Just taking a stroll through Wyckoff you can easily see the plastic waste everywhere. This is truly an unfortunate sight to see, and I am very displeased with it."

Pensallorto said he sees single-use plastic products and packaging used at township restaurants.

"Many times the plastic was packaging for carrying out or delivery orders as well as for plastic utensils, plates, and cups," Pensallorto said. "Many of these products are one-time use only, leading many to be thrown away afterward."

Township Committeeman Bryan Scanlan said a subcommittee of himself and Committeewoman Melissa Rubenstein was formed to examine ways of possibly limiting the use of single-use plastic bags in town.

"We are looking into it," said Scanlan.

More Bergen County municipalities are banning single-use plastic bags.

The Ridgewood Village Council is slated to vote on such a ban next month.

Nearby Glen Rock enacted a similar ban earlier this year that will go onto effect on the same day that Ridgewood's would, Jan. 1, 2020.

Glen Rock's ordinance covers single-use bags used to package or wrap fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, candies, frozen foods, meat, fish, small hardware items, prepared food, bakery goods, or prescription medicine. It also bans newspaper, laundry, dry-cleaning bags, yard waste bags, and pet waste bags.

Paramus is also considering such a ban.

Teaneck banned plastic bags in 2015.

In related news, Wyckoff student Alex Sullivan received a $1,000 scholarship from the New Jersey State League of Municipalities. He won the scholarship for writing an essay about a dual-stream recycling initiative started in town in July 2018.

New Jersey lawmakers approved legislation in 2018 that would impose a 5-cent fee for single-use paper and plastic bags being used by supermarkets and other retailers. The Senate and Assembly approved the legislation 41-32 and 23-16, but Gov. Phil Murphy vetoed it.

In a recent study, Rutgers researchers found high levels of tiny pieces of plastic — often fragments of bigger items — in the Raritan and Passaic rivers. They identified more than 300 organic chemical compounds that appeared to be associated with microplastics in the rivers.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Related:

• Glen Rock Bans Single-Use Plastic Bags From Stores
• Ridgewood Could Ban Single-Use Plastic Bags
• Wyckoff Student Awarded NJ Municipalities Scholarship