Message from Councilmember Ellen Zimmerman | November 11, 2022

Scotch Plains Offers a New Way to Help Stem the Tide of Plastic Waste

I’m pleased to announce that Scotch Plains has a new opportunity to help conserve resources and keep plastic out of our waste stream. Through Union County, we have launched a new drop-off plastic film recycling program, in partnership with neighboring municipalities. The service is free of charge.

Plastic bags and film packaging are important durable and lightweight protection for food and merchandise in transit. But these materials should not be recycled in most curbside carts or single stream programs. Thankfully, many grocers and retailers and some communities provide specific collection bins for bags and film to be recycled separately from other recyclables.

I am pleased that Scotch Plains now has a collection bin, too.

Besides the environmental benefits of such a program, it is the first countywide plastic film recycling effort to launch in New Jersey, enabling our residents to help conserve valuable resources and hold back the tide of plastic waste.

This partnership, dubbed “Recycle Beyond the Bag,” is affiliated with the Trex Company, Inc - the world’s largest manufacturer of composite decking and other outdoor living products made from recycled materials. Scotch Plains joined 11 other municipalities – including Fanwood and Westfield – in the initial cohort.

The drop-off program includes the Scotch Plains DPW yard, at 2445 Plainfield Ave., with hours dedicated to the program on Thursdays, from 7 a.m. – 2 p.m. Residents are urged to drop off clean, dry plastic film.

Also, for your convenience, plastic can also be dropped off at the Westfield Conservation Center, 1300 Lamberts Mill Road. Through December 18, the hours are weekdays  9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. and weekends from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.  Please check with Westfield as the dates change throughout the winter.

In order to protect the recycling stream from contamination, only the following items are accepted:

From the store: produce bags, store bags, and ice bags

From the pantry: Ziploc and other re-closable bags, cereal box liners, case overwrap (for example a case of bottled water), and bread bags

From the front door: newspaper sleeves, bubble wrap, and plastic e-commerce mailers

As a reminder, only flexible plastic film can be recycled through this program. No clamshells, casings, containers or other hard plastic items are accepted.

Don’t know if your plastic waste is recyclable? Try this handy test:

• See if the package will stretch when you pull it. If yes, it can be included. If it tears like paper, then please don't put in the bin. 
• Is the package shiny or does it make a crinkly/crunchy sound in your hand? If yes, do not recycle.

As part of our new program, the recyclable film material from throughout Union County will be consolidated and shipped to Trex, which will use it as raw material in their facility in Virginia. To help ease the process, the county is providing Scotch Plains with oversized bags for storing and transporting the film.

For information about the Recycle Coach app and all recycling programs taking place in town please visit ucnj.org/recycling. There are also quick links to other environmental programs and activities underway at The Green Connection, ucnj.org/green-connection.