New Jersey lawmakers are keying in on the future of plastic manufacturing and waste management. A contentious bill that would ban polystyrene packaging and require plastic, glass and paper containers and carryout bags to be made with a percentage of recycled material, has passed the Senate. The bill (S-2515) would be among the most progressive recycled content rules in the country, and would complement the single-use plastic and paper bag ban that Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law last year.
But another measure introduced earlier this month would, according to leading environmental groups, be a huge step back in the state’s efforts to reduce its plastic waste output and greenhouse gas emissions, and to protect environmental justice communities. That legislation (A-5803), authored by Assemblyman John McKeon (D-Essex), focuses on a burgeoning technology known as chemical recycling, which employs a thermal process to convert industrial, commercial, agricultural or domestic plastic waste into additives for products like crayons, roofing shingles and even fuels.
“The first strategy of reducing plastic waste is reduction,” said Doug O’Malley, state director for Environment New Jersey. “If we’re investing money in creating more plastic pollution that’s a huge setback — we should be focusing on the recycled contents legislation.” Rather than counterproductive, McKeon argues that his bill is simple and uncontroversial. Chemical recycling facilities, he says, are the end-receivers of plastic waste after it has passed through and been processed at municipal and county sorting centers.