People Over Plastics: Senate Committee Poised to Vote on Major Packaging Reduction Legislation

New Jersey Environmental and Environmental Justice Advocates gathered alongside medical professionals to discuss the urgency and necessity of solutions to the plastic waste crisis. Speakers included experts from Environment New Jersey, Just Zero, Clean Water Action, and New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance as well as NJ Pulmonologist Dr. Walter Wynkoop and Rutgers University Pharmacology and Toxicology Professor Dr. Phoebe Stapleton. 

On the eve of the last NJ Senate Energy and Environment Committee, advocates called on legislators to pass Senate Bill S. 3398, Packing Product Stewardship Act sponsored by Sen. Bob Smith. In particular, advocates called on the legislature to include strong provisions to reduce  toxics in packaging, eliminate any exemptions to the law, ensure chemical recycling was not included as an alternative to true recycling, and to provide for strong accountability and transparency requirements. With nearly 40% of plastic used for packaging, the need for this bill is incredibly apparent. View the press conference and read the full press release below.

Read the full press release

S.3398_PressReleaseDownload

A Slap on the Wrist & a Pat on the Back: NJ Incinerators Rewarded for Bad Behavior

Incinerators have gotten nearly $160 million under New Jersey’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) under the guise that they are “clean” energy. They are anything but. New Jersey’s incinerators emit more pollution than any other facility on the state’s grid today. This pollution is concentrated in EJ communities. Incinerators emit lots of pollution even in years with short total permit violation time.

Incinerators emit thousands of tons of pollution per year, even in years with a relatively short duration of permit exceedances

So reducing payments to incinerator by the percentage of permit violation time, as the current version of the Clean Energy Act of 2024 would do, is not the answer. This will barely put a dent in millions of unwarranted “clean” energy money they get. Instead, incinerators should be totally disqualified for any substantive permit violation.

Slap on the Wrist ReportDownload

New Jersey’s Dirty Secret

Do you know where your trash goes? Read this new report from NJEJA, Earthjustice, and the Ironbound community corporation to learn more about the injustice of incinerators and trash energy in New Jersey’s frontline communities.

New Jersey is no stranger to the negative impacts of incinerators, many of which are located in the state’s over­ burdened, environmental justice communities. Residents of these communities are more susceptible to asthma and COVID-19 due to the cumu­lative impacts from incinerators and other pollution sources. New Jersey’s four currently operating incinerators (Covanta Essex, Covanta Camden, Covanta Union, and Wheelabrator Gloucester) and one recently closed incinerator (Covanta Warren) collectively:

  • Emitted over 10,000 tons of air pol­lution and nearly 7 million tons of greenhouse gases from 2015 to 2018;
  • Placed among the state’s top 5 emit­ters of a dozen distinct air pollutants;
  • Violated their air permits over 1,700 times since 2004; and
  • Collected nearly $30 million in “clean” energy subsidies from utilities and ratepayers since 2004, despite these emissions and violations.

Read this new report from NJEJA, Earthjustice, and the Ironbound community corporation to learn more about the injustice of incinerators and trash energy in New Jersey’s frontline communities.

NJ’s Dirty Secret ReportDownload

Community Listening Session on Waste Issues

Do you have concerns with waste management in your community? We invite you to join our community listening session to share your experiences with waste-related injustices.

Why Attend?

  • Make your voice heard and advocate for change
  • Share your experiences and concerns
  • Learn about waste injustices affecting your community

Event Details:

  • Date: Tuesday, July 30
  • Time: 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
  • Format: Hybrid (In-person & Virtual)
  • Location: St. Stephan’s Church, 8 Wilson Ave, Newark, NJ 07105
  • Virtual Option: bit.ly/ICCMeet24

Register Here: tinyurl.com/EJListensICC

For more information, please contact Chris Tandazo (they/them) at Chris@njeja.org or (973) 807-6587.

NJEJA and Partners Oppose Chemical Recycling

On April 18, the New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance and environmental partners submitted a letter to NJ Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin highlighting our unified opposition to chemical recycling. We do not support any project that employs chemical recycling or similar processes as it does not constitute genuine recycling and, in fact, leads to increased pollution and safety risks for workers and host communities without offering a real solution to the problem of plastic pollution.

In an effort to demonstrate our solidarity on this issue, inform our elected officials regarding the dangers of this technology, and oppose its development in our state, we submitted this letter on the matter. Read our letter below.

Opposing-Chemical-RecyclingDownload