Westfield 7th Grader Wins $1K In NJ Contest

WESTFIELD, NJ —A seventh-grade student from Westfield is among the winners of a statewide contest encouraging students to promote awareness about reducing single-use plastics.

The New Jersey Clean Communities Council announced the 2026 winners of its third annual Single Use Plastics Video PSA Contest on June 11, in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

The contest challenged students in grades 7 through 12 across New Jersey to create a 60-second public service announcement, in English or Spanish, focused on the environmental impact of single-use plastics and ways to reduce them. Watch the winning videohere.

Officials said the theme, “Reduce Single Use,” was designed to highlight the state’s single-use plastics law and encourage students to use creativity to influence their peers.

“Congratulations to this year’s winners of the Clean Communities Council’s video contest,” said New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Acting Commissioner Ed Potosnak. “The hard work, passion and commitment conveyed through these videos remind us of the importance of reducing plastic pollution that harms our neighborhoods, our waterways, and our wildlife. The videos produced by these students remind all of us to step up to reduce the use of plastic in our daily lives.”

Organizers said submissions were reviewed by a panel that included county coordinators, NJ Clean Communities Council board members, DEP staff, and a representative from the Garden State Film Festival.

“Once again, we received some stellar videos from impressive students throughout New Jersey,” said NJ Clean Communities Council Executive Director JoAnn Gemenden. She noted that winners this year came from Burlington, Monmouth, Middlesex, and Union counties.

She also said the contest will help promote awareness of New Jersey’s new “Skip the Stuff” law, which takes effect August 1. The law prohibits restaurants and food service businesses from automatically including single-use utensils and condiment packets in takeout and delivery orders.

Among the Category I winners was Zach Waggoner, a seventh grader at Roosevelt Intermediate School in Westfield, who earned first place.

Other Category I winners included Keoni Baheti of Holmdel High School, who placed second.

Category II winners included students from BCIT-West in Westampton, Carteret High School, and the Marine Academy of Science and Technology in Highlands, with awards ranging from first through tied third place.

First-place winners receive $1,000 gift cards, second-place winners receive $750, and third-place winners receive $500, according to organizers.

Winning videos will be featured on NJ Clean Communities websites, used in public forums hosted by NJCCC and DEP, and shared on social media platforms.