LITTLE SILVER – A proposed ban on single-use plastics has prompted the manager of a local Carvel to try and scoop the competition and set a trend for others to follow.
“We’re going to be the first Carvel in the chain to do it,” said owner Jessica Newman, alluding to the ice cream shop’s efforts to coordinate with corporate offices in Atlanta and implement more environmentally conscious substitutes for the plastic containers and straws that often accompany her product.
“The cost will be a little higher, but at the same time our Little Silver community is pushing forward our use of plastic, and we’re doing it at a time when the rest of state isn’t. So we’re going to eat the costs,” Newman added.
Newman said a paper straw will cost her about three times the amount of its plastic equivalent, based upon trial runs in Carvel’s corporate test-kitchen, but customers shouldn’t experience a difference in quality.
She is also working with test-kitchen personnel on the implementation of paper bags with paper handles for customers to easily carry out their ice cream once plastic bags are outlawed.
Newman is also bringing in paper cups to replace the plastic containers her customers currently use.
As for the use of plastic spoons, though the ordinance does not pertain to utensils, Newman said she and Carvel are planning for the future.
“Right now the focus is on straws, bags and cups, but I have informed Carvel that there could be a next step coming down the line. So if the ordinance does expand at some point to cover utensils, Carvel is working on a product so that we’ll have a backup plan to move to.”
The ordinance was introduced unanimously at the borough’s March 11 council meeting and proposes the ban of single-use plastics bags and straws, as well as polystyrene containers.
Mayor Robert Neff said this was not a hastily made decision, as the borough distributed approximately 65 notices to local business, both mom-and-pop operations and chain outfits, requesting feedback.
“This is an environmentally sound initiative, but it’s one we wanted to really understand the economic impact of,” Neff said. “Of those who responded, overall, they were not overly thrilled about it, but they’re on board with it. They understand how much the environment means to a town like ours. And I can’t commend our business owners enough for their support on this.”
Neff noted that the ordinance, if adopted, has a six-month window for business owners to become compliant, and a provision for an additional six months if the transition proves to be too difficult.
“If it’s adopted and becomes too burdensome or expensive, we may have to revisit the ordinance, but in the meantime we’re going to figure out a way to say thank you to our local businesses, because they are really stepping up. We can’t thank them enough for that,” Neff added.
According to the ordinance, those in violation of the ban could face a fine up to $500 for the first offense. By the third offense, and any subsequent offense that follows, the fine increases to $2,500 a day.
Newman said she hopes the collective efforts of her shop and Carvel’s corporate test kitchen can inspire other franchises, both local and national, to join the movement.
“It feels like we’re Carvel’s own little test kitchen for this movement. And hopefully we can be the ones to help start a new trend all around us,” she said.
Neff said that the borough’s ACME branch has also pledged to adjust its day-to-day operations, and Dana Ward, the organization’s senior communications coordinator confirmed as much with a March 15 statement provided to The Two River Times.
“ACME participates in many green initiatives which includes recycling plastic bags in our stores. While we would rather see laws like this handled by the state rather than individual municipalities to keep a level playing field among competitors not currently affected, ACME will continue to work closely with the community.”
ACME will continue to run its plastic bag recycling program for residents.
Neff said the ordinance is a product of a lengthy education campaign launched by the Little Silver Environmental Commission (LSEC).
Bonnie Winters Akey, the LSEC chair, said the effort has gone on for the better part of eight years, and for a community that resides between the Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers, this initiative is paramount.
“The recycling market just isn’t what it used to be,” Akey said in a March 19 interview, referencing China’s withdrawal from the market, which has caused recycling efforts across the country to collapse.
“If recycling resources aren’t available, we need to do our part to reduce. This ordinance is something we were pushing for, but it’s not something I thought we could necessarily achieve. Now, we really can be abeacon on the peninsula for others to follow,” Akey said. She credited the support of local environmental group Clean Ocean Action for their support, and especially the aid of Cindy Zipf, the organization’s executive director, who was also instrumental in helping Monmouth Beach pass a similar ordinance last May.
