EDISON — Township Councilman Sam Joshi is calling on his fellow council members to support a full ban of non-biodegradable single-use plastic bags and straws in Edison.
“We have an environmental crisis,” Joshi said at a recent council meeting. “I understand some people may say there are more pressing issues right now than environmental issues, such as taxes. That logic could not be more flawed and outdated. Recycling has the ability to generate profit, which could be used to offset our taxes.”
Joshi, who displayed plastic bags, a plastic cup and straws as he made his plea, said he is working on the final draft of an ordinance that will propose a ban of non-biodegradable plastic bags and straws. He said the straw would last about 30 minutes but would begin decomposing immediately once in the ground.
“The impact and cost of the ordinance if passed would be up to $13 per family each year,” he said. “It’s important to know the current state Senate bill, which cleared the Senate, would impose a greater overall cost.”
The bill to which Joshi referred, which also cleared the state Assembly and is awaiting action by Gov. Phil Murphy, would impose a 5-cent fee to be paid by customers for single-use bags from drug stores, supermarkets and retail stores exceeding 2,000 square feet.
Joshi said the neglectful and destructive policies of decades ago are stunting the growth of the economy.
“In Edison, federal agencies have declared thousands of acres to be toxic and unusable,” he said. “That is commercial tax revenue we are losing out on and we are paying the price on. We could have built one of the largest marina fronts in New Jersey along our 7 miles [of the Raritan River] if it weren’t for environmental damage we are now trying to clean up.”
Joshi said some $50 million was spent in Superfund money to build a dog park on the former Chemical Insecticide Corporation on Whitman Avenue, a 4-acre site that borders Edison and Metuchen.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency completed a $53 million cleanup in 2004, removing 250,000 cubic tons of soil and restoring the site to residential safety standards.
Edison bought the site in 2008 for $1 million with money from the township’s Open Space Trust Fund and a state Green Acres grant. In 2016, officials opened and dedicated a community dog park at the site.
“Our municipal budget is less than $140 million,” Joshi said. “The lack of environmental policies from decades ago have destroyed parts of Edison and now have become so expensive. Today we are faced with reckless and irresponsible practices with plastics and it is our responsibility to be better than the politicians before us.”
Joshi said Edison is the fifth largest township in New Jersey with a population of more than 100,000 people and 32 square miles.
“Edison’s output of plastic straws buried in the ground is 36 cubic feet every single day or 13,140 cubic feet a year,” he said. “An ordinance banning non-biodegradable plastics can make a profound impact on New Jersey’s environmental policy,” he said.
In related news, Metuchen Councilwoman Dorothy Rasmussen said a resolution is expected to be on the next Borough Council agenda supporting the state Senate and Assembly bill regarding plastic bags.
Contact Kathy Chang at [email protected].