Message from Deputy Mayor Elizabeth Stamler | August 24, 2021
We consistently read and hear about the need for more recycling. As the Township Council’s liaison to the Green Team, I’m often asked: Is it really that important?
The answer is an emphatic “Yes.”
Despite America’s ongoing efforts at recycling, most single-use plastics are still disposed of in landfills, are incinerated, or become litter in waterways and oceans.
One may assume that plastics eventually biodegrade. But, instead, they just break down into smaller pieces, known as microplastics, which accumulate in the natural environment and are eaten by fish and other marine life.
Microplastic pollution should be a concern for us all; it is now moving through the natural food webs and accumulates in fish and shellfish tissues. This all means that microplastics and associated pollutants are moving throughout the food chain and affecting us all.
Some alarming facts:
• Plastic takes more than 400 years to degrade.
• 381 million tons of plastic are produced annually.
• 91% of plastic is still not recycled.
• 18 billion pounds of plastic enter the ocean each year.
Millions of animals are killed by plastics every year, from birds to fish to other marine organisms. Nearly 700 species, including endangered ones, are negatively affected by plastics. Nearly every species of seabird eats plastics.
One may assume that there is nothing that Scotch Plains can do to turn the tide. But we are still playing a role in the global fight.
For example, the Department of Public Works holds small electronics and Styrofoam recycling every Thursday. The Township also works closely with Union County on a number of recycling events throughout the year.
Scotch Plains has also recently moved to a weekly recycling schedule, with Southside pickups on Mondays and Northside pickups on Tuesdays. The municipal website includes plenty of information about what can be recycled, as well as a map of the town and dates of the free residential pick-ups through the end of 2021.
Residents in Scotch Plains continue to join in the fight against plastics. In fact, the town has earned a free “Trex” park bench that will be installed on the village green next to town hall through efforts to collect recyclable thin film plastic in 2019-2020.
As we set our sights on Scotch Plains Day, taking place Sunday, Oct. 3 in our downtown, the Green Team will have a table with information about how we continue to address the global plastics problem from our small place in this world. We will also be handing our reusable bags, as Scotch Plains embraces a new state law that bans paper and plastic bags at the store beginning May 4, 2022.
Another great resource is “Recycle Coach,” a free app you can download from the municipal website that provides recycling schedules and information about what goes where.
Thank you for playing a role in combatting plastic pollution. Learn more by joining our Green Team, which continually looks for ways to better the environment in Scotch Plains for ourselves and for generations to come.
