The Chathams Poised To Push Out Single-Use Plastic Bags

CHATHAM, NJ - It was unanimous in the Borough, but a split vote in the Township, but both governing bodies in Chatham have moved forward with an effort to eliminate single use plastic bags through the introduction of new ordinances.

Both ordinances are up for adoption after a public hearing in early October. Chatham Township would be voting on the issue Oct. 10 with Chatham Borough following on Oct. 14. Both ordinances would take effect in March of 2020.

Madison also introduced a similar ordinance last Monday with the same timeline for adoption and execution.

According to officials, under the Northern Jersey Sustainable Municipal Alliance, the Environmental Commissions of Chatham, Madison and Chatham Township and the umbrella group developed the model ordinance prohibiting single-use plastic bags in each town. The goal was to have all three communities coordinate.

Madison and Chatham Borough are including a 10 cent fee for paper bags, but Chatham Township is leaving it up to the retailer. This is one of the reasons Chatham Township Committeeman Curt Ritter, along with Karen Swartz, voted against the ordinance at introduction.

"The interest in this regulation is based on the support of 1 percent of our residents the other 99 percent don’t care or voiced their opinion by not taking the survey which has been widely publicized and circulated over the past nine months," Ritter told Patch.

Ritter said that at the meeting Thursday he was told the two main businesses who would be impacted, ShopRite and Ace Hardware, support it, while the majority of other small businesses in the area would be exempt per the ordinance as written.

"Why not focus on education vs. regulation and work alongside these businesses to encourage shoppers to go green?" Ritter said.

Ritter also took exception with the fee for the paper bags.

"Our ordinance also doesn’t set a fee for paper bags, but leaves it up to the retailer, yet we don’t know if they’ll charge 10 cents or 50 cents. That’s a considerable tax for people regardless of your income level," Ritter said. "It all seems very rushed and I think this is an excellent opportunity for the Township to work with our retailers to find a sensible environmentally friendly solution through education vs. regulation."

The ordinances call for an escalating series of penalties for violators after a written warning:

• $100 fine for a first violation
• $200 for a second violation
• $500 for a third violation
• $500 fine for each additional violation

You can see the complete ordinance on the website. And view the introduction and discussion on the Chatham Township site.

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