Toms River Council Rejects Measure to Support Ban of Plastic And Paper Bags

Plastic bag. (Credit: zeevveez/ Flickr)

A majority of Toms River township council members on Tuesday night voted against a resolution that would call on the state legislature and governor to enact a law that would ban single-use paper and plastic bags.

The resolution called for an outright ban on paper and plastic bags with the aim of improving the environment, but it faced pushback from council members who expressed concerns about government overreach and the increasing presence of a “nanny state” in New Jersey.

Two towns in Ocean County – Point Pleasant Beach and Stafford Township – have enacted municipal bans on plastic bags at stores, meaning no such bags can be given out to customers at grocery or retail stores, even for a fee. Toms River’s resolution would not have put a ban in place, but would have called for a statewide ban instead.

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“It was just going to encourage people to use multi-use bags and encourage Trenton to take the lead,” said Councilwoman Laurie Huryk, one of two Democrats on the board who voted in favor of the resolution, along with Councilwoman Maria Maruca, a Republican. “We did not take that path, unfortunately.”

Councilman Dan Rodrick, who joined the majority in voting against the resolution, called the measure “misguided” and lambasted it as government run amuck. Rodrick said families would be required to purchase bags made of different materials, which have been found to harbor bacteria after multiple uses. It could also end up costing consumers money since bags could no longer be given out by stores.

“It is $2.1 million taken away from our economy with no benefit,” said Rodrick, citing estimates that the average American family uses about 1,500 plastic and paper bags each year. “It’s like a tax on everybody’s groceries – it’s these kinds of schemes that are cooked up in our legislature by nanny-state leftists that have people leaving the Democratic party.”

Rodrick, elected as a Democrat, switched parties and became a Republican last year amidst cuts in school funding to Toms River in a deal hatched by Democratic lawmakers and Gov. Phil Murphy.

Huryk dismissed the partisan aspect of the issue, noting that both Point Pleasant Beach and Stafford Township are under the control of Republican governing bodies.

“Toms River includes approximately 10 square miles of waterways,” said Huryk. “We have a responsibility to protect our residents and our property.”

State legislators and Murphy have debated taking action to force residents to cut back or eliminate single-use bags. Legislation has been held up by disagreements as to whether there should be an outright ban or whether the state should adopt a per-bag tax. Republicans have largely opposed either measure.

“Everyone wants to protect the environment, but in this case I just don’t see any benefit,” said Rodrick.