Local Civic Groups, Organizations, & Government

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The Recycling Partnership 

• National Database Will Provide Real-Time Comprehensive Source for U.S. Recycling Information

NJ.COM  

• Will the plastic bag ban in N.J. help the environment? Here’s what experts say.

United Nations

• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change

The Washington Post 

• There’s good reason to worry about the health risks of plastics
• One way to tackle our huge plastic pollution problem: Turn it into fuel

A Different Options with Facts

• Microplastics in Human Blood How Concerned Should We Be?

Ninety-one percent of all plastic ends up in a landfill! That's right! In spite of our best efforts, only 9% of all plastic is recycled. There is more plastic that we normally think of. It's not just the plastic that we buy in the stores and use, like water and soda bottles, it is also the plastic that is used to wrap those cases you buy in the store, AND, the plastic that wraps the pallets of cases that the store buys from its suppliers.  

Most single-use plastics are disposed of in landfills, are incinerated, or become litter in waterways and oceans. Plastics released in the environment do not biodegrade, but instead break down into smaller pieces, known as microplastics, which accumulate in the natural environment and are eaten by fish and other marine life. Millions of birds, fish, and other marine life are killed by these plastics every year. Microplastic pollution moves through the natural food chain, accumulating in fish and shellfish tissues, which means that microplastics and associated pollutants move into the food chain for humans.  

Bioplastic (PLA) straws, cups, lids, containers, and plastic bags are 100% biodegradable, and should be disposed of in a composting landfill where they will disintegrate into carbon dioxide, water, and soil matter.  Composting landfills are aerobic systems where the waste material is frequently aerated. Food waste, as found in large institutions such as hospitals, colleges, and universities, is sent to composting facilities. Bioplastic utensils and the bags used to collect the waste can be included in the mix, and will biodegrade along with the food waste.  

When considering the best uses for plant-based products and resolving issues associated with implementing composting (aerobic) landfills, there is also the need to address environmentally-friendly decomposition of traditional oil-based polymer plastics in traditional anaerobic landfills.  

Traditional plastic in the typical (anaerobic) landfill takes more than 400 years to decompose. However, there are plastic products using a proprietary additive to traditional plastic that causes it to decompose into carbon dioxide, water, methane and soil material in five (5) years or less. This is an ideal solution for the eventual disposal of traditional plastics, since these plastics - in spite of the additive - can and should be recycled in the normal manner, but the amount that does not get recycled will safely decompose in an anaerobic landfill.  

Of concern, though, is that one of the byproducts of the above is release of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. To counter the release of methane, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been supporting landfill operators with their Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) to encourage the recovery and beneficial use of biogas generated from organic municipal solid waste. The Ocean County, NJ landfill is one such site, and it uses the methane gas captured there to generate 9 megawatts of electric power.  Thus products made of the specially-treated plastic as described above should be considered as part of a community's sustainable solutions.  

By choosing purchases wisely, using them wisely, and disposing of them properly, governments can lead the way to a sustainable future. Learn why, and learn how as you visit the list of programs and best practices listed below. Share your ideas with others, too.  Remember, You Make the Choice. You Make the Difference.