For Immediate Release
Media Contacts: Jackie.Greger@sierraclub.org
On Earth Day, Environmental Advocates Outline Plastics Reduction Agenda
Event Follows Senate Environment Hearing Linking Plastics to Human Health Impact
Trenton – On Earth Day, environmental advocates outlined an agenda to significantly reduce plastic pollution across New Jersey as the state approaches the two-year anniversary of the ban of single-use plastics bags and polystyrene food containers. The event followed a joint Senate/Assembly Environment Committee hearing with public health and plastics experts outlining human health impacts of plastics.
“On Earth Day, it’s time to update the mantra of reduce, reuse, recycle. Our waterways – and our bodies – are literally swimming in plastics, and we can’t recycle our way out of the plastics crisis. Nearly two years after the ban of single-use plastic bags, the job is not done and the time is now for our Trenton legislators to stop the wave of plastics that is swamping our environment,” said Doug O’Malley, Director of Environment New Jersey.
The advocates outlined the need for stronger legislation to reduce the use of plastic packaging through Extended Producer Responsibility, the need to stop attempts to allow chemical recycling to export pollution out of state and oppose A2776, sponsored by Asm. Greenwald, which will relax environmental standards at these facilities (and the subject of a letter delivered to Speaker Coughlin today), the importance of New Jersey continuing to identify and implement meaningful solutions, including evaluation of a bottle bill, to reduce litter and plastic waste, and ways for New Jersey to strengthen its nation-leading ban on single-use plastic bags and polystyrene food containers with the introduction of Skip the Stuff policies regarding takeout orders.
“Plastic pollution is a major problem in every corner of New Jersey. Microplastics have been found in human blood, lungs, major organs, breast milk, placentas, hearts, and arteries — increasing the risk of heart attacks, stroke, and premature death. Plastic recycling has been an abysmal failure, and the new marketing ploy by the petrochemical companies, called chemical recycling, creates more problems than it solves. Now is the time for New Jersey lawmakers to adopt new laws that turn off the plastic tap — because mopping up the mess will never keep up with the ever-growing surge of plastic production,” said Judith Enck, former EPA Region 2 Regional Administrator and President of Beyond Plastics.
The press event followed testimony from an array of plastics and human health experts, who linked the prevalence of plastics in our environment with negative health outcomes for the human population. Speakers included Dr. Phoebe Stapleton, a Rutgers EOHSI Assistant Professor, whose research identified plastics particles that were able to transfer from the lungs to the fetal tissue in pregnant women; Dr. Shanna Swain, author of the 2017 book, Countdown, which documented a 50% decrease in sperm count among Western men over the last four decades, and the corollary increases in chemical exposures; and Judith Enck, President of Beyond Plastics and former EPA Region 2 Regional Administrator.
“Plastic is man-made, never fully degrades, and has a toxic life cycle which threatens public health and the environment. Plastic waste in the ocean also maims, harms or kills marine life through ingestion and/or entanglement. Since 1985, Clean Ocean Action has worked with many organizations to implement the most effective policies to reduce and eliminate plastics, especially single-use plastic. This is why we advocated for the ‘Get Past Plastic’ law, or Single Use Waste Reduction Act, which banned plastic bags and foam containers and limited plastic straws. New Jersey is now seeing the benefits. According to data from our 2022 and 2023 statewide Beach Sweeps litter cleanups, the number of single-use plastic bags, foam containers, and straws removed from beaches was reduced by over 35 percent each. The New Jersey Food Council estimated that in the first seven months of the plastic bag ban, 5.5 billion plastic bags were removed from the waste stream from just 2,000 grocery stores. While an impressive start, we still need community members to be vigilant and encourage people to share resources about the law with non-compliant businesses, and if necessary, report them to NJDEP,” said Erika Bosack, Esq., Clean Ocean Action’s Policy Attorney.
At the conclusion of the press event, a crowd returned to the State House Annex to watch a new Emmy-winning release of “We Are All Plastic People Now.” The movie documents the rise in plastics not just in our environment, but also in human bodies, using blood-testing of the producer and the four generations of family members to compare the increases in plastics literally inside us.
“Skip the Stuff is a win-win for restaurants, customers and the environment. Restaurants only giving cutlery and condiments upon request for take-out orders saves restaurants valuable money while preventing toxins from going into the waste stream and negatively affecting our health. Dozens of towns have either already passed local ordinances or are working towards one all while working toward state legislation,” said Marta Young, NJ Zero Waste Specialist with Clean Water Action.
“NJ is still dealing with plastic pollution. We took one step forward with a plastic bag ban but the NJ legislature needs to take one step further by passing supplemental legislation that would help reduce plastic litter, single-use plastics, and micro plastic pollution,” said Anjuli Ramos-Busot, Director of the NJ Sierra Club.
“The roadways and waterways of our Garden State have become plastic highways and plastic rivers. We have plastic beaches, and our beautiful ocean is well on its way to becoming plastic soup,” said Brian Thompson, Monmouth Beach Environmental Commissioner.
“The theme of this Earth Day is Planet vs. Plastics. There are a great many people on this planet and we are made up of the same staff as this planet, so one could easily say People vs Plastic. We are showing a film this afternoon, immediately after this press conference in fact, that shows what is happening to our health as a result of plastics getting into our environment and into us. Come see We’re All Plastic People Now and learn why it is so critical for us to solve the plastic pollution crisis,” said John Weber, Sr. Field Representative Mid Atlantic, Oceana.
“New Jersey residents need to know the truth – that their health may be in danger from toxic substances in everyday plastic products. Our environment, our communities, and now our bodies are bearing the brunt from the plastic pollution crisis, and the New Jersey Legislature must act now to protect our residents,” said Matt Gove, Mid-Atlantic Policy Manager, Surfrider Foundation.
“Save Barnegat Bay is grateful to the legislative leadership and Governor for taking a bold step in reducing one source of single use plastics with the bag ban. Today’s hearing is another step in the right direction with a focus on better understanding the problem combined with a willingness to move forward on additional measures. We can find ways to help to save tax dollars, clean-up our communities and improve public health,” said Britta Forsberg, Executive Director, Save Barnegat Bay.