SEA ISLE CITY – At the City Council meeting Aug. 28, Councilman John Feeley suggested that council should get ahead of the curve and begin considering what to do about single-use plastic bags as it waits to see what action state lawmakers take. Should they consider implementing a fee on every bag given to shoppers or do away with plastic bags altogether? He said several municipalities in New Jersey have taken some action on the use of plastic bags, including Longport and Ventnor. There, consumers pay a small fee for a plastic bag.
In Monmouth Beach, single-use plastic bags for consumers are banned.
On Aug. 27 Gov. Phil Murphy vetoed a proposed five-cent fee on plastic and single-use paper bags handed out by retailers statewide. The governor made it clear that he didn’t think the bill went far enough, adding the issue is a “critical policy area.”
Plastic waste is an environmental threat, from clogging urban water infrastructure to littering New Jersey’s parks and beaches.
