We want to thank the prime sponsors in both the NJ Senate and Assembly for their leadership – Prime Senate sponsors Bob Smith and Raj Mukerji as well as Assemblywoman Collazos-Gill. Their leadership has secured a reduction in single-use plastics while providing financial savings to New Jerseyans. This environmental victory is the result of hard work by volunteers, municipal governments, and students working at the local level to advance this policy.
“In a time of over-production and a proliferation of plastic waste, clogging not only our kitchen drawers, but landfills and incinerators in environmental justice communities, Skip the Stuff is a clear, financially feasible, and community-oriented solution. I’m grateful for the many environmental advocates, public health experts, the New Jersey legislature, and Governor Murphy for passing this legislation and supporting a cultural shin towards decreasing single-use plastic consumption. ” said Brooke Helmick with New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance.
“Skip the Stuff is practical legislation that reduces waste and toxics while saving money,” said Marta Young, Zero Waste Specialist, Clean Water AcBon. “By passing Skip the Stuff, New Jersey is a national leader in reducing single-use plastic while respecting customer choice and supporting local businesses. Every fork and ketchup packet adds up. We thank New Jersey’s legislative champions and local advocates for understanding that small things cause big problems and for providing a great model for other states to follow.”
“This legislation is common sense and an excellent education tool. When we know better, we do better. That is exactly what Skip the Stuff does. It informs both the food providers and the consumers on how our every day decisions can have an impact not only on our environment, but also on our finances. With such successes in already Skip the Stuff compliant towns, I am excited to see how we can thrive together as this is made into a state change,” said Molly Cleary, Environmental Advocate for Clean Water AcBon.
Read the full press release below:
For questions regarding this bill, please reach out to Brooke Helmick, Director of Policy at brooke@njeja.org.
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
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.
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.
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:
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.
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?
Event Details:
Register Here: tinyurl.com/EJListensICC
For more information, please contact Chris Tandazo (they/them) at Chris@njeja.org or (973) 807-6587.
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.
We are excited to invite you to a Community Listening Session on Waste Issues in Camden! The purpose of these sessions is to listen to what Environmental Justice community members have to say about waste-related injustices and issues they are experiencing in their communities.
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