Single Use Plastics Ordinance Moving Forward In Newtown Township

NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA - An ordinance that would regulate the use of single use plastics is moving forward in the township.

At Wednesday night’s meeting of the board of supervisors, Supervisor Elen Snyder announced that the EAC will be holding a special public meeting on April 3 beginning at 7 p.m. to introduce a sample ordinance.

“We are inviting all businesses in the township to educate owners and managers about single use plastics,” said Snyder. “There will be a question and answer session where members of the EAC will field questions.”

Single-use plastics, or disposable plastics, are used one time before they are thrown away. They include things like plastic grocery-type bags, plastic straws, stirrers, utensils, and plates; and polystyrene (Styrofoam) cups.

During the meeting, the EAC will be distributing a sample ordinance that would regulate the use of single use plastics in the township and will be looking for feedback from the business community.

“We hope to get all on board with this,” said Snyder.

A representative from Penn Environment will also be attending the meeting to discuss the impact single use plastics is having on the environment.

According to Snyder, for the past two years the EAC has conducted extensive research on single use plastics and alternatives in an effort “to take the temperature of the township” on the issue.

Ordinances have been passed in cities and towns across the nation, said Snyder, “and we hope to follow in their footsteps.”

Last April, the board of supervisors unanimously passed a resolution encouraging a voluntary reduction of single-use plastics throughout the township. If an ordinance is adopted, compliance would become mandatory.

“Many do not realized the connection between the tremendous amount of plastics we use every day and the detrimental environmental impact it causes,” Elaine McCarron, the co-chair of the EAC told the supervisors in 2022 as she advocated for the resolution.

“They have no idea that those plastic bags and throwaway plastics take 400 to 1,000 years to break down. They go into our landfills. They go into our waterways. They leach into our oceans. They leave toxic residues for many generations to come.

“It is in our best interest, I hope, to protect our environment, the air we breathe, the food we eat, our marine life and pass a resolution to reduce single-use plastic,” she said.