By Allison Perrine
RED BANK – Some businesses will need to adjust to a ban on single-use plastics come September 2020.
The Red Bank Borough Council unanimously approved a ban Aug. 21 on single-use plastic bags and polystyrene foam containers to protect water ways and wildlife. Plastic straws are also named in the ordinance and will only be available to patrons upon request.
At the meeting Philip Scaduto, executive vice president of Food Circus Supermarkets, said he supports the spirit of the bill, but wishes it applied to all businesses, statewide.
“I want you to know that we believe in this, but we believe in it at a broader level, not just a municipal level,” said Scaduto, whose family operates a Super Foodtown on Broad Street. “It really does affect local businesses who support our community,” he added. Red Bank’s ban will “significantly” affect operation costs at the store, putting the business at a disadvantage with supermarkets in nearby towns without such a ban.
Mayor Pasquale Menna responded that he, too, is hopeful for a statewide or a nationwide ban of single-use plastics.
Around town, some businesses will only have to make minor changes. Michael DeSimone, owner of JR’s Red Bank, said the restaurant doesn’t use polystyrene foam containers or plastic bags. It does, however, use plastic straws. “We’ll see how that goes,” said DeSimone.
At The Cheese Cave, owner Stephen Catania said the store does not use any plastic bags or straws and has not since opening in 2011.
“It just fits within the model of what I want my business to represent, the values. The issue of environmental concerns is so polarizing these days,” said Catania. “I think at some point we need to evaluate some of the things that we do and the choices that we make and the impact that those decisions have,” he said, adding that while this step is not a cure-all, it’s one small step to help the future.
Locust Avenue resident and state director for Clean Water Action Amy Goldsmith also spoke at the Aug. 21 meeting and said her organization is working with U.S. Rep. Chris Smith to get a statewide bill passed banning single-use plastics.
“It’s really wonderful that Red Bank has gone to this step,” she said.
As cited in the ordinance, according to the Environmental Protection Agency over 380 billion plastic bags and wraps are used annually in the United States; about 40 percent are single-use plastic bags. Those “380 billion plastic bags require an estimated 12 million barrels of oil to create,” the ordinance states.
